The State Food Testing Laboratory, Pasteur Hill, Shillong, Meghalaya was set up in the year 1981. The objective of the laboratory is to cater to the need of the public and society, which is laid by the Government of India statutory guidelines in the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. With effect from 5th August 2011, the Food Testing Laboratory implemented the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 and became an autonomous body, functions independently as the State Food Testing Laboratory, Pasteur Hills, Shillong under the Commissionerate of Food Safety, Meghalaya. This laboratory is the first State Food Testing Laboratory in the entire North Eastern Region to achieve Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) in ‘Biological Discipline.” The laboratory analyses regulatory, surveillance, private and government samples as per the mandate of the Food Safety and Standard Act. 2006 to ensure the quality of food for the safety of the public. The laboratory consists of the microbiological, chemical, pesticide and heavy metal testing unit and can also test parameters for vitamins, antibiotics, aflatoxins etc. With the view to make the State Food Testing Laboratory, Pasteur Hill, Shillong, Meghalaya a State-of-the-Art Testing laboratory, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has granted the ‘Award of Contract’ for setting up the Food Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, which is a window for Organic and GMO’s testing centre in the state in the near future.

Hence; the First of its kind, Food Molecular Microbiology Laboratory in the North Eastern Region, India as stated by Dr Ajai Prakash Gupta, Director FSSAI was inaugurated on the 17th of January 2024 by the Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh, the Guest of Honor who graced the event as the Chief Guest on behalf of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri. Conrad K Sangma in the presence of the Principal Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Health and Family Welfare Department, Shri Sampath Kumar, IAS; Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Health and Family Welfare Department and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, Shri Ram Kumar, IAS, FSSAI Director QA, Dr. Ajai Prakash Gupta, officials from health Department, and other dignitaries. This will be a game-changer encompassing health, consumer confidence, economic support and overall, community welfare which will also empower the food chain operators and local entrepreneurs to ensure to the consumers the safety of the products and thus establishing a foundation for a healthier and safer community.