National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories

The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) formally recognizes that a laboratory is technically competent to perform specified tests. A constituent board of the Quality Council of India, it assesses testing laboratories against ISO/IEC 17025, which covers competence, impartiality and consistent operation. Accreditation applies only to the tests and methods listed in the laboratory's approved scope.

How competence is established

NABL uses document review, on-site assessment by technical experts and evaluation of the laboratory's quality system before granting accreditation.

• Assessment examines the competence of personnel, suitability of facilities and proper operation and calibration of equipment.
• The laboratory must use appropriate validated or verified methods, maintain records and report results with required quality controls.
• Participation in proficiency testing or inter-laboratory comparisons provides evidence that the laboratory can produce reliable results.
• The accredited scope identifies the food matrices, parameters and test methods for which competence has been demonstrated.

Role in food-safety regulation

Accredited laboratories generate more reliable and comparable evidence for detecting contaminants, adulterants, residues and microbiological hazards. This strengthens enforcement, risk assessment, consumer protection and confidence in food trade.

• Under Section 43 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, FSSAI may notify food laboratories accredited by NABL or another accreditation agency for analysis under the Act.
• NABL accreditation establishes technical competence, while FSSAI notification authorizes a laboratory to perform the relevant statutory role.

Scope and limitations

Accreditation is not a blanket guarantee that every result is error-free or that every tested food product is safe. Confidence applies only when testing remains within the accredited scope and prescribed procedures are followed.

• Continued competence is checked through surveillance, reassessment and proficiency testing.
• Reliable results also depend on representative sampling, proper sample handling and an intact chain of custody.