India Launches First Accreditation Scheme for Mobile Food Testing Laboratories

India has launched its first accreditation framework for Mobile Food Testing Laboratories, marking a significant step towards expanding reliable and quality-assured food testing services bedharyond conventional laboratory facilities and bringing them closer to consumers and local communities.

The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, a constituent board of the Quality Council of India, unveiled the new scheme under its Integrated Assessment Programme during the “Gunvatta Samanvaya – A Multilateral MoU Exchange Ceremony” held at Hotel Ashoka in New Delhi.

The accreditation scheme is designed to establish uniform quality and competency standards for mobile laboratories engaged in food testing. By enabling accredited testing facilities to operate closer to markets, communities and food production centres, the initiative is expected to improve the reach and responsiveness of India’s food safety surveillance system.

Mobile food testing laboratories can play an important role in situations where samples need to be examined rapidly or where access to permanent testing infrastructure is limited. Extending formal accreditation to such laboratories is intended to ensure that the testing carried out through mobile facilities meets recognised quality benchmarks and produces reliable results.

According to NABL, the new framework is aimed at providing quality-assured and internationally benchmarked testing services outside conventional laboratory settings. This could support faster detection of food safety concerns, quicker regulatory response and improved access to testing services in areas where permanent laboratories may not be easily accessible.

The initiative is also expected to strengthen consumer confidence by creating a more credible and standardised mechanism for mobile food testing. Accredited laboratories are required to follow established technical and quality standards, helping regulators and consumers place greater trust in their results.

The launch formed part of the broader Gunvatta Samanvaya initiative, which seeks to strengthen coordination among institutions involved in India’s quality and regulatory infrastructure.

The event also witnessed a Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding exchange among participating organisations associated with the Integrated Assessment Framework. The agreement is intended to promote closer coordination between accreditation bodies, regulators, commodity boards and other institutions involved in conformity assessment and quality assurance.

A key objective of the framework is to reduce duplication in assessment procedures. At present, laboratories and other entities operating in regulated sectors may be required to undergo multiple inspections or assessments by different agencies. Greater convergence between participating institutions could help streamline these processes while maintaining regulatory and quality requirements.

The framework also seeks to encourage mutual recognition, regulatory harmonisation and coordinated assessments, potentially reducing administrative burdens on businesses and laboratories. This is expected to improve regulatory efficiency and contribute to ease of doing business without diluting standards related to safety, quality and compliance.

The programme was attended by DPIIT Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia, along with senior officials from the Quality Council of India, NABL, regulatory authorities and commodity boards associated with the Integrated Assessment Framework.

Addressing the gathering, Bhatia highlighted the importance of embedding quality across the entire value chain and said initiatives such as Gunvatta Samanvaya could contribute to India’s long-term development goals towards 2047 by promoting quality-led practices across sectors.

NABL Chairperson Dr Sandip Shah emphasised the importance of both the new mobile food testing accreditation scheme and the Integrated Assessment Framework. He underlined the role of credible institutions and coordinated assessment mechanisms in strengthening confidence in India’s quality ecosystem.

QCI Secretary General Chakravarthy T. Kannan highlighted collaboration, institutional convergence and mutual trust as important elements in building a robust national quality infrastructure. He said initiatives such as Gunvatta Samanvaya and the accreditation of mobile food testing laboratories could help extend reliable testing services closer to communities while strengthening regulatory coordination.

The introduction of formal accreditation for mobile food testing laboratories could be particularly useful in expanding food safety monitoring across geographically dispersed regions. Mobile facilities can potentially be deployed near wholesale markets, food processing clusters, public events and remote locations, enabling faster sample collection and preliminary testing without the need to transport every sample over long distances to fixed laboratories.

By bringing such facilities within an accredited framework, India is seeking to combine mobility with laboratory credibility, ensuring that greater accessibility does not come at the cost of testing standards.

The initiative also reflects a broader effort to develop an integrated national quality infrastructure in which regulators, accreditation agencies and testing institutions operate through greater coordination. Such convergence could help improve regulatory effectiveness while supporting businesses through simpler and more predictable compliance processes.

With the launch of the new scheme, NABL and QCI are seeking to expand the reach of accredited food testing, improve regulatory responsiveness and strengthen consumer confidence in India’s food safety ecosystem.

Source: PIB: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2297325&reg=48&lang=1