Andhra Pradesh’s first State Food Laboratory will be established on the premises of the Regional Public Health Laboratory (RPHL) in Visakhapatnam.
The Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) of the State is currently dependent on the State Food Laboratory allocated in Telangana for analysis of food samples collected in Andhra Pradesh.
As per a G.O. issued by Principal Secretary (Health, Medical and Family Welfare) M.T. Krishna Babu, the IPM and the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the food safety ecosystem and set up a laboratory at a cost of ₹14.22 crore, which would be borne by the State and Central governments.
FSSAI had already released ₹10.16 crore for basic lab equipment, microbiological laboratory and civil work.
Following the request by the IPM, the State government notified the State Food Laboratory on the premises of RPHL in Visakhapatnam.