Parliament Question: Analysis of Food Samples

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO.3607 TOBE ANSWERED ON 13TH MARCH, 2026 ANALYSIS OFFOOD SAMPLES 3607. SHRI RAO RAJENDRASINGH: Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate: (a)whether the Government hasconsidered, includingrepresentativesfrom the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), in view of the role of statistical methods, quality control and error minimisationinthe Authority'sregulatoryandsampling activities, if so, the detailsthereof; (b) whether expertsandprofessors from premieracademic andresearch institutions such as the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), University of Delhi (DU) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur are engaged by FSSAI in the process of collection and analysis of food samples toensure the adoptionof scientifically robust methodologies; (c)if so, the detailsthereof andif not,the reasons therefor; and (d) whether the Government proposes totake measures inthisregardtostrengthen the scientific and statistical foundations of food safety regulation in the country and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) to (d): Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandated to lay down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. The implementation and enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006isa shared responsibility between the Central andStateGovernments. FSSAI has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and Sample Analysis) Regulations, 2011, which specifies the provisions for food sampling.FSSAI has published a comprehensive set of resources to support food safety and analysis, including 17 Manuals on Methods of Analysis for various food commodities and two (02) General GuidelinesonSampling. These documents provide standardized procedures to ensure consistency, reliability, and scientific robustness in food sampling and testing. These manuals are recommended by the Scientific Panel on Methods of Sampling and Analysis which constitutes the experts from renowned institutions such as Indian Institute(s) of Technology (IITs), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Research Centre for Grapes, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) - Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, National Dairy DevelopmentBoard etc. *******