FSSAI receives the first revenue share cheque for NFL, JNPT Mumbai

The National Food Laboratory at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai became operational on 8 February, 2022. This is the third fully operational National Food Laboratory after two existing labs of FSSAI at Ghaziabad and Kolkata. National Food Laboratory, Nhava Sheva, Navi Mumbai is operational in PPP mode, where the Private Partner (Vimta Labs Limited) is responsible for operating the lab on behalf of FSSAI. As per the agreement, the CAPEX and OPEX are to be borne by the Private Partner and a part of the revenue earned has to be shared with FSSAI. FSSAI received the cheque for the first revenue share from Vimta Labs.

National Food Laboratory, JNPT has come up in a PPP mode with the set-up, operate and transfer (SOT) model and is located on an area of 11,873 square feet in JNPT Township, Navi Mumbai. The Laboratory has the competency and capability for testing of quality and safety parameters in eight food product categories as per the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR) with accreditation as per ISO 17025:2017 by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). The laboratory has the capability to analyze up to 6000 samples per month.

During an in-person meeting with Arun Singhal, chief executive officer, FSSAI, Dr S P Vasireddi, chairman of Vimta Labs, handed over the first cheque for the NFL, JNPT to the CEO, FSSAI. The meeting was also joined by senior officers from FSSAI and Vimta Labs.