The inauguration of microbiology food testing at the Regional Analytical Laboratory in Kakkanad by the Prime Minister on February 25 is expected to enhance efforts by the unit to gain accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
The new lab was set up by utilising an assistance of ₹4.5 crore sanctioned by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as part of its initiative to ensure upgradation of food testing labs in various States under a Central scheme. The fund was used for enhancing infrastructure, lab equipment, and human resources.
Though the lab in Kakkanad had NABL accreditation for chemical analysis, it lacked accreditation from the Central agency for microbiological analysis of samples. With the inauguration of the modernised lab, the process of securing accreditation from NABL will get a boost, according to the authorities.
The new facility includes state-of-the-art equipment as per FSSAI norms for carrying out microbiological analysis of food samples. The lack of accreditation had acted as a deterrent, especially while checking samples related to food poisoning. The absence of authorisation as per Central norms had also affected the credibility of the results.
Though the new lab has become a reality, officials at the unit pointed out that it was a long road ahead before getting NABL accreditation as it involved a series of clearances and processes. “The infrastructure is ready, and we have to now start analysing samples as per the stringent norms of the agency. Once that is achieved, we need to apply for accreditation, which included a fool-proof audit by NABL to ascertain the quality of the test results,” they said.
