Nagaland State Food Laboratory has been upgraded to Level-2 Laboratory. This is the first state-of-the-art Level-2 food laboratory in the entire Northeast.
The laboratory has been equipped with three major equipment – liquid chromatography mass spectrometer, gas chromatography mass spectrometer and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer – for analysing wide range of food components such as cereals, oils, food products, beverages, spices, sweets, vegetables, additives etc. besides organic and inorganic parts of the food contents like vitamins, proteins, peptides, amino acid hormones, food colours, minerals etc. and test their purity.
The machineries of the new laboratory, costing Rs 10 crore, were provided as non-recurring grant by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India.
Principal secretary and commissioner of the food safety wing of Nagaland’s Health and Family Welfare Department, I Himato Zhimomi, inaugurated the upgraded laboratory at a function held at State Public Health Laboratory in Kohima on Tuesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Zhimomi said Nagaland was fortunate to install the Level-2 State Food Laboratory, which is equipped with high-end equipment of the best quality to give high accuracy results.
He appealed to those, who are in the food business, to test their products in the laboratory before selling them to the public.
He also requested the food business operators to comply with the food safety rules.
Principal director and additional commissioner of Food Safety, Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr Vikeyie Losu, said the State Public Health Laboratory department has developed step by step from its dormant stage, making Nagaland to have the first Level-2 in the north-eastern region.
Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organization (NVCO) president Kezhokhoto Savi congratulated the department for the feat and assured to work with it to spread awareness on food safety.
Based on Food Safety and Standards Act, he said, the NVCO will soon place food safety as one of its main agendas.
Retired principal director of the department Dr Sashimeren Aier provided a brief history on the functioning of the department while food analyst, State Public Health Laboratory, Khrukutolu Veswuh, gave an overview of the State Public Health Laboratory.