(a) whether the Government is aware that the State Governments are not successful in
conducting the quality tests of mid-day meals in registered labs and if so, the steps
taken/proposed to be taken by the Union Government in this regard;
(b) the details of the States which are lagging behind in conducting quality tests and whether
there is shortage of such labs in these States; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)
(a) to (c): MDM Guidelines on Food Safety and Hygiene for School Level Kitchens Under
Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Scheme envisages that the States/UTs must consider engaging
CSIR Institutes / NABL accredited laboratories and FSSAI accredited laboratories for
undertaking testing of samples of MDM for food safety and contamination.
Subsequently, MDM Rules 2015, envisages that Hot cooked meal provided to children
shall be evaluated and certified by the Government Food Research Laboratory or any
laboratory accredited or recognized by law, so as to ensure that the meal meets with the
nutritional standards and quality. The States/UTs wise details of number of food sample
tested during the years 2015-16 and 2016-17 are given at Annexure.
Almost all the States/UTs have FSSAI/NABL Accredited Laboratories except the
States/UTs of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur,
Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, A&N and Jammu & Kashmir. Some of
these States like Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Mizoram have either Government Food
Research Laboratories or any laboratory accredited or recognized by law.