What FSSAI’s July 2026 Lab Notification Changes for Food Compliance Testing
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has updated its roster of notified testing laboratories under Section 43(1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, altering approved testing scopes and facility recognitions across five states.
On July 13, 2026, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued Notification F.No. QA-12012/8/2021-QA-FSSAI under Section 43(1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The notification amends the principal laboratory notification S.O. 3648(E) (dated December 6, 2016, last amended June 10, 2026) by updating the operational status and scope of notified food testing laboratories across Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
The amendments substitute the entry for Food Laboratory Kashmir, Srinagar with chemical accreditation. In Maharashtra, FSSAI omitted the existing listing for Geo-Chem Laboratories Private Limited in Mumbai and inserted GEO-CHEM Laboratories Private Limited in Navi Mumbai with biological and chemical accreditation. In Karnataka, the regulator substituted Shriram Research Institute, Bengaluru, and added Divisional Food Laboratory Kalaburagi for chemical testing. In Tamil Nadu, MATS India Pvt. Ltd. (Laboratory Services Division), Chennai, was substituted with biological, chemical, and radiological accreditation, while Nawal Analytical Labs India Private Limited in Krishnagiri was omitted. In Telangana, MEGSAN LABS PRIVATE LIMITED, Hyderabad, was substituted with biological and chemical testing recognition.
For consumer-facing food and beverage companies, statutory validity depends strictly on testing through an active, notified facility within its accredited domain. If a brand relies on reports from delisted facilities—such as Nawal Analytical Labs in Krishnagiri—or commissions microbiological testing from centres notified exclusively for chemical parameters, the resulting certificates carry no legal standing under the Act.
Legal and quality assurance teams must verify existing lab service agreements and Master Service Agreements against the updated notification. Internal protocols should ensure that batch release testing, nutritional label verifications, and regulatory audit samples are routed solely to accredited facilities whose scope matches the required test parameters.
Published by Managed Counsel for general information. Not legal advice, and not an advertisement or solicitation of work.