Pune’s Food and Drug Administration laboratory examined 1,456 food samples in the financial year 2025-26, more than twice the 659 samples tested in 2024-25, as Maharashtra intensifies food-safety monitoring during the Diwali season.
The laboratory tested 797 more samples than in the previous financial year. The samples included sweets, dairy products, edible oils, ghee, spices and other food items, according to information from the Maharashtra State Public Health Laboratory.
The rise in testing output has been attributed to changes in the laboratory’s workflow, including batch-wise examination of similar samples, additional equipment and increased availability of laboratory glassware. The earlier process generally involved personnel examining one sample at a time.
Under the revised system, samples from the same category are grouped and tested simultaneously. The work of the laboratory’s 12 to 13 chemists is organised to allow parallel testing of similar samples, reducing the time required to complete individual examinations.
The laboratory can also conduct different testing procedures at the same time. For example, protein testing can be carried out on one sample while fat-content analysis is undertaken on another. Officials said this parallel approach has improved efficiency and shortened the time needed to complete examinations.
The changes required additional flasks, measuring vessels, funnels and other glassware. Previously, the laboratory operated with a limited number of these items, restricting the number of samples that could be processed together. Additional sets have enabled staff to handle more samples simultaneously.
The increase comes at a period when demand for sweets, dairy products and other food items rises sharply during Diwali. Testing these products is intended to monitor quality and assess compliance with food-safety standards before reports are submitted within stipulated timelines.
Madhukar Dhoom, Deputy Director of the Maharashtra State Public Health Laboratory, said the laboratory faced considerable pressure each year because of the large volume of samples received for examination. He said improving the testing process was necessary because reports also had to be submitted within prescribed timelines.
“Although the number of samples has more than doubled this year, the availability of additional equipment and the adoption of the batch-testing method have helped us increase the pace of examination,” Dhoom said.
Dhoom also said FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe had provided guidance on improving the laboratory’s functioning and strengthening its sample-testing process. The laboratory’s revised system is now being used to manage the higher volume of food samples received during the current financial year.
