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HP to strengthen food testing infrastructure with new labs & major funding
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Tuesday, 27 January, 2026, 13 : 00 PM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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The Himachal Pradesh government has announced a significant push to strengthen food testing infrastructure in the state, with Rs 25 crore earmarked for setting up a new food testing laboratory in Kangra district and an additional Rs 8.50 crore allocated to upgrade the existing Composite Testing Laboratory at Kandaghat in Solan district. The move is part of a broader initiative to improve nutrition monitoring and food safety ahead of the state’s planned first-ever Nutrition Policy, aimed at ensuring better access to nutritious and safe food for all sections of society.
Chairing a high-level meeting of the Health Department, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu emphasised the importance of bolstering basic infrastructure for food and nutrition testing before finalising the state’s comprehensive nutrition strategy. The new Kangra facility will serve as a dedicated food testing laboratory, while the strengthened Kandaghat lab is expected to be equipped with advanced analytical capabilities to support more precise and reliable assessments of food quality parameters.
The state cabinet has also approved plans to establish additional regional food testing laboratories in other key districts such as Mandi, Shimla and Baddi, which will broaden the geographical coverage of food safety monitoring across Himachal Pradesh. Officials have been directed to ensure adequate staffing and operational readiness of these facilities to ensure their effective functioning.
These steps are linked with existing nutrition and food security programmes such as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Mid-Day Meal Scheme and Public Distribution System (PDS), with food sample testing playing a crucial role in nutritional profiling, calorific analysis and monitoring fortification standards. Experts note that enhanced testing capacity will help in identifying nutrient deficiencies, pesticide residues and other quality issues, strengthening food safety and public health outcomes.
By prioritising food testing infrastructure and rolling out regional labs, Himachal Pradesh aims to build a robust ecosystem for nutritional surveillance, safeguard consumer interests and support policy implementation that promotes healthier and safer food for all.
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