UP F.S.D.A. Leverages New Labs to Accelerate Fight Against Food Adulteration and Fake Drugs

Lucknow, 10 November — As part of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision for uncompromised food and medicine quality, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (F.S.D.A.) has established a complete laboratory presence in each of Uttar Pradesh’s 18 mandals. The rollout comprises twelve brand‑new testing units and six upgraded ones.

The expansion lifts the yearly food‑testing ceiling from 30,000 to 108,000 samples and the drug‑testing ceiling from 12,500 to 60,000 samples, dramatically improving the speed of detection and enforcement.

New facilities are now active in Azamgarh, Basti, Devi Patan, Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Chitrakoot Dham, Meerjapur (Vindhyachal), Bareilly, Muradabad, Aligarh and Saharanpur, with surveillance operations starting on 31 October. Kanpur, Aligarh, Saharanpur and Ayodhya already hosted regular monitoring.

Every lab conducts legal drug sample verification, and the previously running laboratories in Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, Gorakhpur and Varanasi remain in service.

To support the larger testing regime, the department has finalized recruitment for 357 junior drug analysts and is processing applications for 457 junior food analysts. Filling these positions will close the staffing gap and ensure the labs operate at full capacity.

The increased laboratory footprint strengthens the “Shuddh Hi Shubh Hai” campaign, enabling broader, timely inspections and more effective action against adulteration, ultimately securing consumer health and confidence.