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GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 2076
TOBE ANSWERED ON31th JULY,2026
QUALITYANDPURITYOFFOODITEMS
†2076. SMT. SANDHYARAY:
Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) whether the Government is aware that accessible facilities for testing the quality and
purity of food items are not available to many consumers in rural and semi-urban areas, if
so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government proposes to set up easily accessible testing centres in each
district for the quick testing of food items, ifso, the details thereof;
(c) whether there is a proposal to include the Bhind and Datia districts of Madhya Pradesh
under such a scheme; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
THE MINISTEROFSTATE 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.
For the safety of the food and food products through testing, FSSAI has notified 259
National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for analysis
of food samples and24Referral FoodLaboratories for the analysis of appealsamples.
SoFTeL scheme i.e. Strengthening of Food Testing System in the Country including
provision of Mobile Food Testing Laboratory (MFTL) isan initiative implemented bythe FSSAIto upgrade state food laboratories, set up microbiology facilities and deploys
mobile food testing vans. Under this scheme, 47 State Food Testing Laboratories have been
structurally upgraded with advanced analytical equipment and establishing 34 specialized
microbiology laboratories to detect chemical, heavy metal and biological contaminants.
MFTL or “Food Safety on Wheels” (FSW) provides the widest outreach for food testing,
training and awareness programme, especially in the villages, towns and remote areas.
Currently, 305 FSWsare deployedacross 35 States/UTs.
The "Magic Box" is a compact and user-friendly kit containing simple, rapid test
methods to detect common food adulterants in seven different food commodities. It aims to
identifyadulteration ineverydayfood itemssuch asmilk,spices, oils, andgrains.
Detect Adulteration with Rapid Test (DART) book covers 44 tests that can be
performed easily at household level with the help of water and simple solutions like tincture
of iodine for food products like Milk & Milk Products, Oils & Fats, Sugar & Confectionary,
Food Grains & its products, Spices & Condiments etc. These tests also include sensory
evaluation tests for establishing authentication of food products. DART book depicts the
differences betweenpure andadulteratedfood product through pictorial representation.
Also, Rapid Analytical Food Testing (RAPID) Kits are advanced, easy to use,
portable andhandhelddevicesanddon'trequire anysophisticated equipmentor conventional
reagents to conduct the tests. So far, 88 RAFT kits have been approved. These kits help to
reduce the screening time of the food products at the field level and thereby accelerate
surveillance aswell asmonitoring activities.
Further, the State of Madhya Pradesh has ten (10) FSSAI’s notified food testing
laboratories, of which one (01) is a State Food Testing Laboratory and nine (09) are private
food testing laboratories. The establishment and operation of food testing laboratories
primarily falls within the domain of the respective State/UT Governments. Other than the
SoFTeL scheme, FSSAI also provides financial and technical support to upgrade State Food
Testing laboratories based on proposals received from respective States/UTs. The State also
owns 15MFTLs.
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