High-end food testing lab needs analyst to function

SHILLONG: The Food Testing laboratory at Pasteur Institute has three high-end equipment for testing for pesticides and toxins and the unit will be made functional after the appointment of a food analyst.
Informing this on Monday, Joint Commissioner of Food Safety SN Sangma told The Shillong Times that the equipment — LCMS/MS, GCMS/MS and ICPMS — were installed on September 12 last year at a cost of over Rs 5.6 crore.
“We need food analyst in charge of the food laboratory,” he said, adding that the food analyst is a statutory authority to certify whether a food item is substandard, adulterated, misbranded or unfit for consumption.
The unit is headless since the food analyst, earlier known as public analyst, retired in 2007. Sangma said the search for a food analyst is on since 2008. “Though advertisements were given there were no candidates. The deputation of an analyst from the Assam State Public Health Laboratory is in the final stage of approval. Once the laboratory is functional, there will not be a need to send samples to ICAR,” he added.
At the same time, the joint commissioner said the equipment are costly and it would not be advisable to keep it idle and a partial functioning of the laboratory can always be considered.
As per the direction of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, each equipment will be handled by a full-time trained personnel for seven years who will be responsible for the working of the instrument that is sample preparation, method validation, operation of instrument and data interpretation.
The laboratory is yet to be inaugurated as the plan was stalled due to the pandemic.