Loading…
NABL launched India's first accreditation scheme for mobile food testing laboratories on August 10, 2026.
It was unveiled at the 'Gunvatta Samanvaya' multilateral MoU exchange ceremony in New Delhi.
Mobile laboratories are vehicle-mounted units that test food samples at or near the point of collection.
The scheme runs under NABL's Integrated Assessment Programme, which merges multiple assessments into one process.
Accreditation certifies competence in methods, equipment and personnel — it does not fund the laboratories themselves.
Accreditation is a formal recognition that a laboratory is technically competent — that its testing methods, equipment and personnel meet defined standards, so its results can be trusted and compared internationally. It is not a grant or a subsidy. NABL's scheme certifies that a mobile lab's results are reliable; it does not pay for the vehicle or the equipment. Students often assume any government 'scheme' involves funding, and this is a useful counter-example.
Simple Analogy: Like a driving licence — it certifies you are competent to drive, but it does not buy you the car.
India's national accreditation body for testing and calibration laboratories, medical laboratories and proficiency testing providers
Autonomous body promoting quality standards and operating India's national accreditation structure
Statutory regulator for food safety, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
The statutory basis for food safety surveillance in India, under which FSSAI operates and to which laboratory testing feeds.
The Integrated Assessment Programme reduces duplication by combining multiple assessment requirements into one process.
The multilateral MoU signed at the ceremony aims to integrate India's quality bodies and promote regulatory convergence.
General Awareness > Institutions and Current Affairs
GS Paper II > Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-judicial Bodies
National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories — India's national accreditation body for laboratories.
Third-party attestation that a body is competent to carry out specific tasks, as distinct from licensing or funding.
NABL's framework combining multiple assessment requirements into a single process to avoid duplication.