Chandigarh: As convictions under food-safety laws surge, Haryana is stepping up enforcement from laboratories to the marketplace, with the govt planning new testing facilities and rolling out a mobile food-testing mechanism to take surveillance closer to consumers.




The state recorded 265 convictions till Aug 31, 2026, up from 111 in 2025-26 and 47 in 2023-24. Penalties during the first five months of the current financial year stood at Rs 55.8 lakh, while enforcement action during 2025-26 resulted in penalties of Rs 2.3 crore.




Additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Dr Sumita Misra said the concept of food testing on wheels had been initiated to take surveillance to busy markets and make checks more visible and responsive at the point of sale.




The mobile units can facilitate preliminary quality checks and help identify products requiring further scientific examination, while formal enforcement action would continue to depend on prescribed sampling, laboratory procedures, and the applicable legal process.




The approach is being positioned alongside, rather than in place of, Haryana’s larger laboratory expansion programme.



Rs 24 crore for two new labs




Haryana earmarked Rs 24 crore in the 2026-27 budget to set up food-testing labs at Hisar and Narnaul in the first phase. The move is part of a proposed network of eight comprehensive integrated food-testing labs across the state, in collaboration with FSSAI , along with upgrades to existing facilities, including the district food lab in Karnal.




The underlying objective is to shorten the distance between field surveillance, sample collection and scientific testing, officials said.



45 FSO posts in pipeline




Manpower is another focus, with Haryana considering formal recognition of the Food & Drugs Administration as an enforcement department. The govt has proposed 12 new food safety officer posts and expects eight deputationists to join. It is also considering more vehicles and logistical support for inspections, raids and sample transport.



Focus shifts to high-risk products




The enforcement drive has intensified around milk and milk products, ghewar, caffeinated beverages, and imported-food labelling, particularly ahead of the festive season. The govt has also prohibited manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of analogue/non-dairy paneer in Haryana for one year.




The department has conducted food-safety and hygiene awareness campaigns covering 236 establishments and vendors.



Convictions rise, but pipeline remains crucial




The rise in convictions provides evidence of increased enforcement activity, but it cannot by itself be treated as evidence that food adulteration has increased or decreased. Convictions relate to cases that have already entered the enforcement and legal pipeline.




During 2025-26, the department collected 2,211 food samples, found 805 non-conforming and secured 111 convictions, with penalties of Rs 2.3 crore.



The bigger test




Haryana’s emerging food-safety model therefore has three linked components — intensified market surveillance, expanded scientific testing capacity, and stronger enforcement manpower. The system’s effectiveness will ultimately depend on how seamlessly the three layers work as one chain.




With festive demand rising, the immediate test will be whether the expanded surveillance network can identify unsafe and sub-standard food before it reaches consumers, while the new laboratory network determines whether Haryana can sustain that enforcement beyond seasonal drives.




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FROM MARKET TO LAB — HARYANA'S NEW FOOD-SAFETY CHAIN




BUSY MARKETS ↓ Food Testing on Wheels Mobile surveillance + sample collection ↓ SCIENTIFIC LABS Hisar + Narnaul first phase ↓ 8-LAB NETWORK Hisar | Narnaul | Sirsa | Jind | Yamunanagar | Rohtak | Faridabad | Gurugram ↓ ENFORCEMENT Prosecution → Penalty/Conviction → Compliance




KEY NUMBERS: 265 convictions till Aug 31, 2026 | ₹24 cr first-phase lab allocation | 45 FSO posts in recruitment pipeline | 2,211 samples collected in 2025-26.