Fewer labs, pending cases ail Uttar Pradesh's food safety system?
The 'delay' in making public the test report of food items' samples collected during the surprise raid by Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) at nearly 20 outlets in Lucknow on May 14 is not only adding to public anxiety but also raising concerns about the efficiency of state's food safety system even as officials concerned cite backlog at food testing laboratories as the reason for it.
Uttar Pradesh has six existing food testing labs in Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, Gorakhpur and Varanasi. 'Massive backlog at food testing laboratories has severely hampered the FSDA's ability to carry out timely testing and enforcement,' said an official of FSDA on the condition of anonymity.
The raids sparked widespread debate on social media with consumers expressing concern over the quality and safety of the food being served at the outlets. The step was expected to serve as a wake-up call, prompting swift action and transparency from authorities. However, due to the delay citizens continue to unknowingly consume potentially unsafe food.
The lack of a rapid testing mechanism exposes a gaping hole in the state's food safety infrastructure. Without timely results, these sampling drives serve no purpose.
Officials acknowledge that as per the FSDA Act 2006, food sample test reports are legally required to be released within 14 days. However, in reality, this timeline is rarely met. This delay often benefits adulterators, while honest establishments suffer reputational damage as their names remain under suspicion for extended periods.
Commissioner, FSDA, Rajesh Kumar said, 'Yes there are some pending samples in the six labs. However 12 new labs are expected to start in state soon. These labs will significantly boost the state's testing capacity—up from the current 36,000 samples annually to nearly 1.80 lakh.'
'Currently, there is pendency of around 2000 samples in every lab and that's why they are taking longer time to give results of testing. The expansion aims to drastically reduce delays in testing food and drug samples, which currently take up to two months in some cases due to limited capacity in our six existing labs in Uttar Pradesh,' he added.
'The coming up of new labs will also ensure safer, higher-quality food and drug products for the public, enhancing consumer safety and regulatory enforcement in the state,' Kumar said.
Adulteration thrives amid delays
According to officials, the delay stems from a massive backlog in the state's food testing laboratories. Most of these are have pending cases, lack modern equipment and operate with limited technical staff. As a result, even urgent samples collected during raids face long delays in processing—making timely enforcement nearly impossible.
As consumers grow increasingly uneasy, the situation underscores the urgent need for strengthening the state's food safety infrastructure and improving transparency in public health governance. While adulterated or substandard food may still be served across the city, consumers remain in the dark. Public health experts warn that inaction in such cases endangers lives.
Outlets' owners for quick reports, transparency
'There are still no test results, no updates, and no accountability—raising serious questions over the purpose of the entire exercise,' said the owner of a food outlet from where the samples were collected last week.
Another restaurant owner from Hazratganj, urging anonymity, said FSDA officials collected samples from his establishment nearly a month ago but the report is still pending.
'If FSDA cannot act with urgency in matters that directly affect consumer health, one must ask—who is this system really protecting?' he said. 'Our demand is clear: The FSDA must not only accelerate its testing processes but also ensure transparency,' the restaurant owner said.
New labs hold the key?
The new laboratories are being set up in Aligarh, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Chitrakoot, Devipatan, Ayodhya, Basti, Bareilly, Mirzapur, Moradabad and Saharanpur districts, said officials. 'Installation of advanced equipment is already underway. Three of these labs are expected to start functioning in month of July,' they added.
A key feature of the new labs is the inclusion of advanced micro-testing machines, allowing in-state testing of products like honey, fish, and meat—analyses that earlier required sending samples to cities like Pune and Kolkata.
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