NABL Launches India's First Accreditation Scheme for Mobile Food Testing Laboratories
The scheme will place accredited, internationally benchmarked testing units nearer communities to speed adulteration detection, reduce duplicated assessments, improve regulatory coordination
Overview
- NABL unveiled the new accreditation pathway Monday at the 'Gunvatta Samanvaya' multilateral MoU exchange in New Delhi, announcing a formal agreement among QCI, regulatory authorities and commodity boards.
- The framework lets mobile laboratories gain NABL accreditation so they can carry out rapid, quality-assured screening for contamination and adulteration outside fixed labs.
- The commerce ministry says the scheme is meant to strengthen food-safety surveillance by improving access to testing in towns and remote villages and by enabling faster regulatory action.
- Officials including DPIIT Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia took part in the MoU exchange and described the plan as a way to cut duplicate assessments and promote mutual recognition across agencies.
- NABL developed the scheme as part of QCI’s Integrated Assessment Framework and participating agencies will now work on coordinated assessments, operational rollout and steps to integrate mobile units into routine regulatory checks.