New Food Safety Lab Planned at Pampa for Sabarimala Prasadam Testing

New Testing Facility

The Travancore Devaswom Board told the Kerala High Court that a new food safety laboratory will be set up at Pampa. The facility will check prasadam to make sure it meets Food Safety and Standards Authority of India rules, which include tests for toxins and pesticides. This move comes ahead of the upcoming Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

Equipment and Costs

The Food Safety department told the Board that the lab equipment will cost between ₹2 crore and ₹3 crore. The facility will need an air-conditioned space of about 1,000 square feet. The Board has agreed to these requirements. Earlier, food samples had to be sent all the way to Thiruvananthapuram for testing.

Staff and Accreditations

The Food Safety department will provide trained staff to run the equipment and do the tests. The department will also look at deploying two existing food safety officers for regular inspections and sampling at Sabarimala. Officials also plan to get National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories accreditation at the same time.

Context

Testing food items at major religious pilgrimage sites helps ensure public health and food safety for large crowds. Setting up local testing labs reduces delays in getting results compared to sending samples to distant cities.