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Why Testing, Inspection, and Certification Is the Backbone of India’s Food & Beverage Economy
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Friday, 24 April, 2026, 16 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dr Nilesh Amritkar
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India is a nation that is rapidly changing how its food is produced, processed, and consumed due to urbanisation, lifestyle changes, and income increases, resulting in higher per-capita demand for convenience, ready-to-eat, and functional foods and nutrition. Expectation changes are leading to a growth in India’s food processing industry as well, with businesses searching for ways to increase their quality and safety through improved handling of complex supply chains.
As food processing acts as the vital connection between the large amounts of agricultural products that India generates and the consumer market that the country will have, this industry has become an important element of economic growth.
The India Brand Equity Foundation, the food processing industry in India reached INR 30,49,800 crore (USD 354.5 billion) in 2024 and is expected to grow to INR 4,584,415 crore (USD 535 billion) by the end of FY26. India is a leading exporter of spices, rice, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, poultry, and seafood, which strengthens India’s position when it comes to the global trade of food products.
However, food processing is not just about ingredients. Water is an essential element in the scientific world of food and beverages. From the washing of raw materials to the extraction process, to the formulation, fermentation, and sanitation of equipment, water is in contact with almost every aspect of food processing. Moreover, in categories such as beverages, dairy, and sauces, it is also the base of the final product.
Water's mineral content, microbe count, and chemical purity have a significant impact on the taste, stability, shelf life, and safety of food. Therefore, knowledge of the science of water, how it behaves, and how it is tested is an essential part of food safety.
In today’s food system, food safety is no longer a choice; rather, it’s a necessity. Concerns around adulteration, contaminants, labelling, and banned chemical use, among others, have direct implications for public health and consumer trust.
Another factor that’s often not given enough thought is process water quality. Water comes into contact with raw materials, processing contact surfaces, equipment, and finally, products. Its quality, therefore, has direct implications for product consistency and safety. For food processors, therefore, understanding what’s in their water, i.e., water composition, purity, and fitness for use, is just as critical as understanding what’s in their product.
This is where Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) comes in, playing a critical role in ensuring that food products meet regulatory requirements and international safety standards.
In fact, a TIC infrastructure has direct implications for building brand trust, accessing global markets, and reputation, given how critical quality and safety issues are in an industry where one quality error can have long-lasting consequences.
The Testing, Inspection, and Certification process is at the core of quality assurance for the food industry. While Testing involves scientific analysis for the verification of food products’ composition and safety, Inspection involves checking operational practices, including auditing hygiene standards and manufacturing processes.
Certification involves verifying whether food products and processes meet regulatory and international standards. Nowadays, Testing, Inspection, and Certification procedures have even been extended to cover critical inputs for food production systems, including water utilised during food processing, to ensure its microbiological and chemical properties match different food products’ needs.
However, at the same time, consumers have become more aware of food products. Consumers today do not just read food labels but have become more aware of food products’ transparency. This further emphasises the importance of Testing, Inspection, and Certification procedures.
India's food safety regime is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is responsible for food safety at all levels of food manufacture, storage, distribution, and import.
Other supporting bodies like AGMARK, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) assist in setting quality parameters for different segments of food products like agricultural and processed foods.
The credibility of food testing labs is ensured by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), which accredits labs based on globally accepted ISO/IEC 17025 standards. To further enhance food testing infrastructure, the government has approved an investment of Rs 500 crore under the "Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana" to set up 100 food testing labs across India, accredited by NABL.
The food and beverage sector in India is ready to take off into a new era of growth, and although the sector is large, the quality and safety assurance infrastructure will be the key drivers to success on the global platform.
The testing, inspection, and certification sector would continue to play an important role in the success of the Indian food and beverage sector on the global platform, and the science behind the production of food, including the quality and nature of the water used in the entire process, would be important to ensure success as the sector continues to grow.
(The author is managing director at Envirocare Labs)
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