NABL Launches India’s First Accreditation Scheme for Mobile Food Testing Laboratories

Current Context: On 10 August 2026, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) launched India’s first Accreditation Scheme for Mobile Food Testing Laboratories.

• The scheme was launched under NABL’s Integrated Assessment Programme during Gunvatta Samanvaya – A Multilateral MoU Exchange Ceremony in New Delhi. 
• NABL is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India (QCI) and provides accreditation to testing and calibration laboratories.
• The new scheme creates a formal accreditation framework for mobile laboratories that conduct food testing outside conventional fixed laboratory facilities. 
• Its objective is to ensure that mobile food testing laboratories provide reliable, quality-assured and internationally benchmarked testing services.
• Mobile laboratories can take testing facilities closer to consumers and communities, particularly in areas where permanent laboratories may not be easily accessible. 
• The initiative is expected to strengthen food safety surveillance, improve access to quality testing and enable quicker regulatory intervention when unsafe or adulterated food is detected.
• It is also intended to increase consumer confidence by bringing accredited testing standards to mobile food-testing units. 
• India already has a substantial network of NABL-accredited food testing laboratories. FSSAI reported 259 NABL-accredited food testing laboratories in August 2026. The new scheme expands the accreditation ecosystem beyond fixed laboratories to mobile units. 

Question: 

Q1. India’s first Accreditation Scheme for Mobile Food Testing Laboratories was launched by which organisation?

a) FSSAI
b) BIS
c) NABL
d) ICMR

Answer: c) The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) launched India’s first accreditation scheme for Mobile Food Testing Laboratories on 10 August 2026.