Haryana expands modern food testing labs to improve food safety

Chandigarh: The Haryana government is taking major steps to improve food safety across the state by expanding its network of modern food testing laboratories and strengthening enforcement systems. Officials said the aim is to ensure that people have access to safe and healthy food while reducing the risk of food adulteration and unsafe products reaching consumers.

The decision was reviewed during a high-level meeting chaired by Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi. The meeting focused on improving food safety infrastructure, increasing testing capacity, recruiting more Food Safety Officers and strengthening consumer protection mechanisms.

The government believes that these reforms will help Haryana become a leading state in food safety governance and create a stronger system for monitoring food quality.

Strengthening food safety infrastructure

Food safety has become an important issue as concerns over food adulteration and poor-quality products continue to grow. To address these challenges, Haryana is investing heavily in modern testing facilities and scientific infrastructure.

During the first meeting of the State Level Advisory Committee of the Food and Drugs Administration Department, officials discussed a detailed roadmap for improving food safety standards across the state.

The strategy includes:

• Expanding food testing laboratories

• Improving existing testing facilities

• Recruiting more Food Safety Officers

• Increasing inspections and enforcement

• Enhancing coordination between departments

• Improving consumer protection systems

Officials said these measures will help identify unsafe food products more quickly and ensure stricter compliance with food safety regulations.

According to the government, better testing facilities will allow authorities to detect food adulteration at an early stage and take action against those responsible.

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New laboratories across Haryana

Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, Sumita Misra, said that expanding food testing infrastructure is one of the government's key priorities.

Haryana has already started the process of setting up Comprehensive Integrated Food Testing Laboratories in collaboration with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

These advanced laboratories are planned in the following districts:

• Hisar

• Jind

• Narnaul

• Sirsa

• Yamunanagar

These laboratories will use modern equipment and scientific methods to test food samples and identify contamination or adulteration.

Apart from these integrated laboratories, the state government has approved eight food testing laboratories in different districts.

The approved locations include:

• Hisar

• Narnaul

• Sirsa

• Jind

• Yamunanagar

• Rohtak

• Faridabad

• Gurugram

Officials said these facilities will improve the state's ability to monitor food quality in both urban and rural areas.

The government has also allocated funds for the project. Two laboratories in Hisar and Narnaul are expected to be established during the financial year 2026-27.

For this purpose, the state government has made a budget provision of ₹24 crore.

These laboratories will play an important role in testing food products for harmful substances, contamination and quality violations.

Experts say that modern testing facilities are essential because food products today move through complex supply chains before reaching consumers. Better testing helps ensure that food sold in markets meets safety standards.

Improving existing facilities

Along with creating new laboratories, Haryana is also working to strengthen its existing testing infrastructure.

Officials have proposed additional facilities for the District Food Laboratory in Karnal.

Upgrading existing laboratories is expected to improve testing speed, increase accuracy and reduce delays in obtaining results.

Modern equipment and improved infrastructure will allow laboratories to handle a larger number of samples and conduct more detailed analyses.

The government believes that strengthening both new and existing facilities will create a comprehensive food safety network across the state.

More Food Safety Officers to be recruited

Infrastructure alone is not enough to ensure food safety. Effective enforcement is also necessary.

Recognising this need, the Haryana government has taken steps to increase the number of Food Safety Officers working in the field.

Officials said service rules for Food Safety Officers have already been notified, and recruitment efforts are underway to fill vacant positions.

The government is also planning to create 12 additional posts for Food Safety Officers.

These officers play a crucial role in enforcing food safety laws. Their responsibilities include:

• Conducting inspections

• Collecting food samples

• Checking food businesses

• Investigating complaints

• Ensuring compliance with regulations

• Taking action against violators

By increasing the number of officers, the government hopes to improve monitoring and strengthen enforcement activities throughout the state.

Better surveillance and consumer protection

One of the major goals of the reforms is to improve food quality surveillance.

Food quality surveillance involves regularly monitoring food products available in markets, restaurants, manufacturing units and retail stores.

Regular testing helps authorities identify unsafe products before they cause harm to consumers.

Officials said stronger surveillance systems will improve public confidence and help create a safer food environment.

The reforms are also expected to improve consumer protection by ensuring that businesses follow food safety rules more strictly.

Consumers often face risks from adulterated food products that may contain harmful ingredients or fail to meet quality standards.

A stronger testing and enforcement system can reduce these risks significantly.

Results of recent enforcement efforts

The government highlighted that its recent enforcement efforts have already produced encouraging results.

During the financial year 2025-26, the Food and Drugs Administration Department conducted extensive inspections and testing activities.

According to official figures:

• 2,211 food samples were collected

• 805 cases were found to be non-compliant with standards

• 111 convictions were secured

• Penalties worth ₹2.35 crore were imposed

These numbers show that authorities are actively identifying violations and taking legal action against offenders.

Officials believe that with more laboratories and additional officers, enforcement results could improve even further in the coming years.

A step towards safer food

The Haryana government's latest initiatives represent a major effort to strengthen food safety across the state.

By investing in modern laboratories, improving testing infrastructure, recruiting more Food Safety Officers and increasing enforcement activities, the state aims to build a stronger system for protecting consumers.

Officials say these reforms will help detect food adulteration more effectively, improve regulatory compliance and ensure higher food quality standards.

As new laboratories become operational and enforcement capacity grows, Haryana hopes to create a food safety model that can serve as an example for other states while ensuring that citizens have access to safer and healthier food products.