Finding an FSSAI Notified Food Lab
How do I find an FSSAI notified food testing lab?
FSSAI publishes its notified food testing labs on the FSSAI website at fssai.gov.in/food-testing/food-laboratories. It keeps separate lists of Primary Food Laboratories, Referral Food Laboratories and National Reference Laboratories (NRLs). For routine testing of your product you would normally use a lab on the active Primary list (Annexure I). Before you send samples, confirm two things for that lab: that it is not on the inactive Annexure II, and that its NABL accreditation is still valid.
What the current lists hold
| List | Edition date | Labs | What each entry gives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Food Laboratories, Annexure I (active) | 9 Oct 2026 | 243 | Name and address, FSSAI recognition number (e.g. "27/S/FSSAI/2016"), NABL certificate number, accreditation validity, contacts, food analyst [1] |
| Primary Food Laboratories, Annexure II (inactive) | 9 Oct 2026 | 17 | Same fields, but these labs are marked inactive [2] |
| Referral Food Laboratories | 5 Dec 2025 | 24 | Name and address only [3] |
| National Reference Laboratories | 25 Aug 2023 base list (11 NRLs plus 1 ancillary NRL); 25 Mar 2025 supplement adding NIFTEM, Kundli | 13 | Each NRL's food category. For example, NDDB CALF Anand covers dairy, dairy products and dairy analogues [4], and NIFTEM covers fortified foods [5] |
How to pick and check a lab
- Filter the active Annexure I list by state. Maharashtra has the most primary labs (38), then Tamil Nadu (25) and Karnataka (21).
- Check the validity dates. For example, Vsix Analytical Labs, Bengaluru is listed with accreditation valid to 25 Dec 2026 [1]. West Bengal Public Health Laboratory is valid to 1 Sep 2028 and listed "As Notified by State Government" [6]. If a validity date has passed or is coming up, ask the lab for its current NABL certificate.
- Make sure the lab is not on Annexure II. Labs there still have NABL numbers and validity dates but are marked inactive. Examples are SEA Lab, Aroor (Kerala) [2] and the Regional Food Research & Analysis Centre, Lucknow [7].
- Use the Referral and NRL lists for their own roles. Referral labs handle referral analysis. NRLs are assigned food categories, so look up the NRL for your category if you need reference-level work, such as Punjab Biotechnology Incubator for sweets, confectionery and sweetening agents including honey [8].
Approach: I searched FSSAI's food-testing laboratory directory, which covers the Primary (Annexures I and II), Referral and NRL lists. When I tried to open the live FSSAI web page, it did not show its content, so the figures above come from those published lists as of the dates shown.
If you give me a state, city or food category, I can pull the matching active labs with their NABL numbers, validity dates and contacts.
When do I need a notified lab report?
Short answer: for your own routine testing as a licensed food business, you don't strictly need a report from an FSSAI-notified lab. Condition 12 of the Conditions of Licence accepts tests at your own lab, an NABL-accredited lab or an FSSAI-notified lab, at least once every six months. A notified lab (through its Food Analyst) is required when the regulator draws the sample: in enforcement sampling, in purchaser complaints and in import clearance.
Where a notified lab is required
| Situation | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Enforcement sampling by a Food Safety Officer | The officer splits the sample into four parts. One goes to the Food Analyst, two are kept by the Designated Officer, and the last goes "to an accredited laboratory, if so requested by the food business operator" (s.47(1)) [9]. The Food Analyst "shall" report within 14 days (s.46(3), s.42(2)) [10][11]. Food Analysts work from the labs FSSAI notifies under s.43(1) [12]. |
| Conflicting results or an appeal | If your accredited-lab result differs from the Food Analyst's, the Designated Officer "shall" send a retained part to a referral laboratory, "whose decision thereon shall be final" (s.47(1)) [9]. An appeal against a Food Analyst report goes to the Designated Officer, who "may" refer it to the referral lab notified by FSSAI (s.46(4)) [10]. |
| Imported food | The authorised officer takes the sample and sends it "to the Food Analyst of notified laboratory". The report is due within five days (s.47(5)) [9]. |
| Consumer (purchaser) testing | A purchaser may have food analysed by the Food Analyst, but must tell the seller at the time of purchase. A non-compliant result goes to the Designated Officer for possible prosecution (s.40) [13]. |
Your own testing obligations
- Half-yearly product testing (licensed businesses). Condition 12 says you must ensure testing for relevant chemical and/or microbiological contaminants "through own or NABL accredited /FSSA notified labs at least once in six months" (Conditions of Licence, Annexure 3, Gazette of India). FSSAI's licensing FAQ (Q99) says manufacturers run this by financial year: once in April to September and once in October to March, at least three months apart (FSSAI FAQ on Licence and Registration, 21 Dec 2022).
- Vegetable and edible oil producers must have their own lab to get a licence at all ("Other conditions", item 4 of the same Annexure 3).
- Water used as an ingredient must be tested against IS 10500 (excluding radioactive parameters) once every financial year, at least six months apart. A water test report is a mandatory document for the licence application. Municipal-supply users can submit water bills instead. The FAQ (Q121-123) doesn't say which type of lab must do this test.
- Vegan logo applications for imported products need a certificate of analysis from an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited lab, not specifically a notified one [14].
In practice: a notified-lab report carries legal weight when FSSAI or a State authority takes the sample. If you're sampled, use your right under s.47(1) to have the fourth part tested at an accredited lab, because a differing result is what sends the sample to the referral lab for a final decision.
Approach: I used the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 as enacted (amendments are held separately, not as a consolidated text) and FSSAI's Vegan Foods guidelines, plus FSSAI's published Conditions of Licence and licensing FAQ. The Licensing and Registration Regulations themselves and the Import Regulations were not available to me, so this answer doesn't cover any import-clearance lab requirements they set beyond s.47(5).