Referral samples can be sent irrespective of lab jurisdiction, says FSSAI

The FSSAI has issued an order stating that referral/appellate samples can be sent to any referral lab irrespective of the jurisdiction. All stakeholders are hereby requested to send Referral/Appellate samples to any Referral Food Laboratories as per their valid NABL scope irrespective of their area of jurisdiction. According to the FSSAI, there were representations received from the stakeholders regarding the restrictiveness of area of jurisdiction, and the food authority decided to make it open for all the appellate samples. Considering that the area of jurisdiction of these laboratories is restrictive and the scope is dynamic in nature as per the notification (regarding the list of referral food laboratories notified by the FSSAI to carryout functions of Referral Food Laboratories for the specific areas and scope), it has been decided by the Competent Authority that, the Appellate/Referral Samples may be sent to any Referral Laboratory as per their valid scope of testing irrespective of their areas of jurisdiction, reads the notice while adding that an amendment to this effect shall be processed in due course of time. Presently there are 22 notified Referral Laboratories in the country including National Food Laboratory, Kolkata, National Food Laboratory (NFL), Ghaziabad, Food Safety and Analytical Quality Control Laboratory, Mysore, State Public Health Laboratory, Pune, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, Quality Evaluation Laboratory, Kochi Spices Board, Quality Evaluation Laboratory, Guntur Spices Board, Quality Evaluation Laboratory, Chennai Spices Board, Quality Evaluation Laboratory, Navi Mumbai Spices Board, Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock in Food (CALF)(NDDB CALF LTD.), Anand National Dairy Development Board, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, National Research Centre on Meat, Hyderabad, Food Testing Laboratory, Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T), Central Institute of Fisheries Technology Cochin, Indian Council of Agriculture Research, Cochin, ICAR-National Research Centre for Grapes, Pune, Pesticide Formulation and Residue Analytical Centre, National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) Hyderabad, Punjab Biotechnology Incubator, Mohali, CSIR Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, Centre for Food Research and Analysis (CFRA), NIFTEM, Sonipat, Haryana, National Food Laboratory, Navi Mumbai, National Referral Center for Milk Quality & Safety, Karnal, Haryana, and National Food Laboratory, Chennai.