FSSAI notified labs: find a lab and check its testing scope
Find FSSAI notified labs through the official directory, check notification and testing scope, and choose the right report for your licensing needs.
Find FSSAI notified labs on the official Food Laboratories page, starting with its primary laboratory directory for ordinary food-analysis needs. Before sending samples, check the exact site, current notification status, accreditation and scope against the report you need.
A search for "FSSAI approved labs", or for an FSSAI approved lab list, can hide two separate questions: which laboratory is notified, and which tests it can perform. NABL accreditation alone does not establish FSSAI notification, and notification doesn't mean the laboratory can test every food or parameter. The official page says FSSAI recognises and notifies NABL-accredited food laboratories under section 43 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Primary notification also covers research institutions, and the accreditation may be from NABL or another accreditation agency.
Which list of FSSAI notified laboratories should you use?
The official page separates primary laboratories, referral laboratories and National Reference Laboratories, or NRLs. Their roles differ:
| Category | Role | How to use the list |
|---|---|---|
| Primary laboratories | Analysis of samples by Food Analysts | Start here when looking for a notified food-testing laboratory. |
| Referral laboratories | Analysis of appeal samples | Use the applicable referral route. An ordinary commercial report is not a referral report. |
| National Reference Laboratories | Reference work, including method development, validation and testing proficiency | Check the designated food category or risk and the function you need. |
These roles come from the FSSAI laboratory page. A primary or referral laboratory can also be declared an NRL. Don't add the three lists together and treat the sum as a national total.
On 2 November 2026, the page showed a primary list dated 9 October 2026, a referral list dated 5 December 2025, and NRL lists dated 25 August 2023 and 25 March 2025. Use the live page to obtain the latest available documents.
But a directory date does not confirm every entry's present status.
How to check a laboratory before booking
Use the directory to shortlist laboratories, then ask each candidate for evidence relevant to your samples. Keep these checks with your purchasing or compliance records.
- Match the exact site. Compare the laboratory's name and address with the relevant official list. A listing does not cover every branch of the same organisation.
- Check status notices. Review the directory alongside FSSAI's What's New page. It lists laboratory validity, notification and suspension-related notices. Read the applicable notice itself before deciding that a laboratory remains eligible.
- Request current accreditation and scope documents. Match the food or water matrix, analyte and method to your testing need. Ask whether the reporting limit is suitable for the applicable requirement.
- Confirm the report's purpose in writing. Tell the laboratory whether you need routine manufacturer testing, a licensing document or a report for a specific official process. Ask it to confirm suitability before you dispatch samples.
FSSAI also publishes specialist fortificant-testing lists on its laboratory page. Check an applicable specialist list as well. It does not replace the main primary directory.
Apply the same checks to a state food laboratory or government food testing lab. Its public ownership should not replace evidence of the required status, scope or acceptance of your samples. Ask the laboratory about sample requirements and charges. An old directory entry will not tell you either.
When do you need a notified lab report?
Start with the purpose of the report. The published FoSCoS licensing FAQ, Q117, permits manufacturer testing in the business's own laboratory, a NABL-accredited laboratory or an FSSAI-notified laboratory. A notified laboratory is therefore not the only option described for that manufacturer compliance requirement.
That answer does not establish acceptance for every regulatory procedure. Referral laboratories have a distinct appeal-sample role, as the official directory page explains. Do not commission a routine commercial test and assume it will satisfy a statutory referral process.
For manufacturer licence-condition testing, the FoSCoS FAQ, Q41, uses April to September and October to March, with at least three months between tests. Q110 is the upload rule: manufacturers, including repackers and relabellers, upload those six-monthly reports in FoSCoS. Reports from FSSAI-notified laboratories may be linked from InFoLNet. Testing and uploading are separate tasks.
The same FAQ includes qualifications for repackers and relabellers. Q144 allows a signed, product-specific declaration where the third-party manufacturer has the relevant product report for the same period. Follow the FAQ's declaration and upload requirements before relying on this option instead of repeat testing.
These are the published FAQ answers, not a blanket rule for every food business. Before relying on them, check current requirements for your activity, including amendments on the official regulations page.
Choosing a water testing report for FSSAI licensing
Check the water source before ordering a report. The FoSCoS FAQ makes two distinctions for potable water used as a food ingredient:
- Q125 addresses water from a mall, commercial hub, market or private authority. The supplier's report may be used for the licensing document if it matches the mandatory-document list and is no older than one year.
- Q128 permits commercial-use water bills instead of the mandatory licensing water-test report where the supply comes from a municipal corporation or government body.
These answers concern licensing documents. They do not create a universal water-testing interval or remove potable-water duties. Do not extend the one-year supplier-report condition to every water report, or assume every water report requires an FSSAI-notified laboratory.
For booking decisions, return to the current official list and confirm the laboratory's scope for your particular test. The RegAffairs AI answer on finding an FSSAI notified lab covers the directory search and report-purpose question.