Testing news, with practical context.

Source published: 15 October 2026 · Added: 27 October 2026

NABL releases NACO network laboratory recognition documents

NABL has published NABL 237, the application form, and NABL 238, the criteria for its Integrated Quality Assurance Scheme for laboratories under the NACO Network Recognition Scheme.

These published documents concern laboratories under the specified NACO network scheme. They do not create a new requirement for every testing or calibration laboratory.

Interested laboratories should read the current NABL 237 and NABL 238 documents and confirm scheme eligibility, scope, evidence and application requirements with NABL before applying.

CompliLab Advisory can support a scope-specific gap review and documentation plan. The recognition decision remains with NABL and the relevant scheme authorities.

Source published: 9 October 2026 · Added: 27 October 2026

FSSAI updates validity order for notified food testing laboratories

FSSAI has published a validity order for notified food testing laboratories as on 9 October 2026.

The order provides current status information for the laboratories it covers. A laboratory listing does not establish that every food test or sample matrix falls within its notified scope.

Before submitting a sample for a regulatory purpose, confirm the selected laboratory’s current FSSAI notification status, validity, relevant scope, method and sample matrix against the official order and the laboratory’s records.

CompliLab Advisory can help define products and parameters and coordinate with a suitable third-party laboratory. The selected laboratory issues its own test report.

Source published: 6 October 2026 · Added: 13 October 2026

NABL publishes list of laboratories with extended accreditation cycles

NABL has listed accredited laboratories whose accreditation cycles have been extended. Check the official list and the selected laboratory’s current scope before arranging testing.

The announcement concerns the laboratories identified in the official list. It does not establish an extension for every accredited laboratory or add new tests to an existing accreditation scope.

CompliLab perspective: confirm the laboratory’s identity, certificate, current accreditation status and scope for your product, matrix and required parameters before submitting samples. Read the official list for laboratory-specific details.

FAQ issued: 27 March 2026 · Thresholds effective: 1 April 2026 · Reviewed: 6 October 2026

FSSAI licensing reforms: revised turnover thresholds and perpetual validity

FSSAI’s 2026 FAQ sets turnover bands at registration up to ₹1.5 crore, State licence above ₹1.5 crore and up to ₹50 crore, and Central licence above ₹50 crore.

The revised thresholds apply to new applications from 1 April 2026. Existing businesses should follow FoSCoS migration instructions and verify their business category before changing their certificate.

Licences and registrations issued on or after 1 April 2026 have perpetual validity, unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered. Renewal is not required under this framework; applicable fees and hygiene, safety and testing obligations continue.

CompliLab perspective: review the business activity, turnover, certificate and current FoSCoS instructions before applying or migrating. Perpetual validity does not remove ongoing food-safety compliance.

Source published: 26 June 2026 · Reviewed: 6 October 2026

FSSAI rationalises record-keeping and stock-rotation licence conditions

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare says the amended record-keeping and FIFO/FEFO requirements apply to food manufacturers, with non-manufacturing businesses exempted from these specific requirements.

The government announcement describes relief for retailers and similar non-manufacturing operators. This concerns the specified licence conditions; it should not be treated as removal of every record-keeping or food-safety obligation.

CompliLab perspective: confirm whether your activities include manufacturing before revising procedures. Keep controls needed for traceability, product safety and any other applicable requirements.

Announced: 9 September 2026 · Effective: 1 October 2026

NABL upfront payment system: announced effective date of 1 October has arrived

NABL announced 1 October 2026 as the effective date for its upfront payment system. Laboratories should check the current portal instructions before starting an accreditation activity.

Testing and calibration laboratories planning a new application, renewal, surveillance, scope extension or another accreditation activity should check the applicable payment requirement and current instructions on the NABL portal before initiating the process.

CompliLab perspective: laboratories should review their accreditation schedule, obtain internal financial approval in advance and keep application documents, proposed scope and technical evidence ready. Payment alone does not confirm application completeness or accreditation approval.

This is an official NABL announcement, not a draft consultation. Laboratories should rely on the current NABL portal instructions and applicable NABL documents for transaction details.

Issued: 25 September 2026 · Comments sought by: 24 November 2026

TEC invites comments on draft 5G Core and E-Band equipment requirements

TEC lists consultations on draft Generic Requirements for 5G Core (TEC 22160:2026) and Millimeter Wave (E-Band) Microwave Equipment (TEC 36060:2026). Both invite comments by 24 November 2026.

These are draft consultations. The listing does not establish final requirements or an implementation date.

CompliLab perspective: manufacturers and testing teams can review product coverage and proposed verification requirements, identify gaps and prepare technical comments using the official consultation documents. Confirm the final applicable requirements separately before planning certification.

Source released: 3 September 2026 · Reviewed: 6 October 2026

CDSCO lists draft extension of prior intimation for certain BA/BE studies

CDSCO lists G.S.R. 790(E), a draft proposing an extension of the prior-intimation system for certain bioavailability and bioequivalence studies for new-drug approval in India.

This is a draft proposal. The notification listing alone does not confirm an enacted change, eligibility for a specific study or permission to begin a study.

CompliLab perspective: sponsors and study teams should review the complete draft, its proposed scope and subsequent final notifications before changing submission workflows. Study-specific regulatory and ethics requirements need separate confirmation.

Gazette notification published: 18 September 2026

FSSAI finalises updated requirements for laboratory and sample analysis

FSSAI has published the Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and Sample Analysis) Amendment Regulations, 2026, covering analysis timelines, methods of analysis and testing-report formats.

This is a final Gazette notification, not a draft consultation. Food laboratories and businesses using regulatory testing should review the official amendment alongside the principal regulations and confirm which provisions, timelines and report formats apply to their samples and activities.

CompliLab perspective: laboratories should review sample-receipt and reporting workflows, authorised test methods, report templates, escalation controls for delayed analysis and related quality-system documents. Businesses should confirm the current regulatory method, laboratory notification status, scope and reporting requirements before submitting samples.

This update is general information and does not replace the official Gazette text or a case-specific regulatory assessment.

Guidance reviewed: 21 September 2026

HPLC, LC-MS and GC-MS: separate method validation from instrument calibration and qualification

Reliable analytical results depend on a fit-for-purpose method, controlled instrument performance and documented evidence. Method validation, system suitability, qualification and calibration are related, but they are not interchangeable.

ICH Q2(R2) explains that analytical-procedure validation should demonstrate suitability for the intended purpose. Depending on that purpose, the validation plan may address specificity or selectivity, response and range, accuracy, precision, detection and quantitation limits, and robustness. ICH Q14 connects development knowledge, risk assessment, robustness and the analytical-procedure control strategy across the method lifecycle.

For HPLC, LC-MS and GC-MS work, laboratories should define the intended use, analytes and matrix; establish acceptance criteria; review installation, operational and performance qualification status; verify calibration and maintenance records; define system-suitability checks; control reference standards and solutions; and document data-integrity and change-control requirements.

CompliLab Advisory supports protocol planning, documentation review, gap assessment and coordination with competent instrument-service or calibration providers. We do not represent this consultancy as accredited calibration, testing or certification.

Source issued: 11 September 2026 · Comments sought by: 10 November 2026

TEC seeks inputs on revision of Essential Requirements for SD-WAN equipment

TEC has opened a consultation on revising the Essential Requirements for Software Defined Wide Area Network equipment, with stakeholder comments invited until 10 November 2026.

The consultation was issued on 11 September 2026. It is a draft consultation and does not by itself create a new binding requirement. Stakeholders should review the official consultation and any linked draft documents before deciding whether or how to respond.

CompliLab perspective: telecom and IT equipment clients should confirm the applicable Essential Requirements version and verify relevant EMC, safety, technical and security test requirements before finalising a testing or certification plan.

Source published: 23 July 2026

SFDA reports interception of non-compliant food imports after laboratory testing

Saudi Arabia’s SFDA reported preventing more than 301 tonnes of non-compliant food products from entering the Kingdom during the second quarter of 2026.

SFDA attributes the action to laboratory findings of microbial contamination and also reports inspection and enforcement activity across regulated establishments. The announcement underlines the practical importance of meeting Saudi technical and food-safety requirements before shipment.

CompliLab perspective: exporters should define the product, ingredients, process, packaging, shelf life and Saudi buyer requirements before selecting a test plan. Confirm microbiological criteria, contaminants, additives, labelling and certificate expectations against current SFDA requirements, then use a competent laboratory with methods and reporting limits suitable for the product matrix.

Sources published: 17 July 2026

FSSAI updates notified food-testing laboratory validity and LC-HRMS specifications

FSSAI has listed an updated validity order for notified food-testing laboratories and approved technical specifications for high-end LC-HRMS equipment.

Before sending a regulatory food sample, businesses should confirm that the selected laboratory’s current notification status and scope cover the product, matrix and required parameters. A laboratory name alone is not enough; method, scope and validity should be checked for the intended purpose.

CompliLab perspective: share the product, ingredients, destination market, buyer specification and required limits before testing. For residue, contaminant or high-resolution mass-spectrometry work, confirm the target analytes, reporting limits, method suitability and acceptance criteria with the laboratory before sample submission.

Source published: 12 July 2026

Codex adopts new and revised international food-safety standards

The 49th Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted new and revised texts covering microbiological control, allergen labelling, food additives and internationally traded commodities.

The adopted work includes revised guidance for controlling Campylobacter and Salmonella in chicken meat and Listeria monocytogenes in foods, precautionary allergen-labelling guidance, changes to additive provisions, and commodity standards for products including baker’s yeast, large cardamom and vanilla.

CompliLab perspective: exporters should compare the applicable destination-country law and buyer specification with relevant Codex texts. Review product classification, microbiological hazards, allergens, additives, contaminants, sampling and test methods before changing a compliance or testing plan; Codex adoption does not automatically replace national requirements.

Source published: 20 August 2026

BIS announces first licence under IS 19497:2026

BIS has announced the first all-India licence for carbon and low-alloy steel wire rods used for submerged-arc and gas-shielded-arc welding electrodes.

The announcement identifies IS 19497:2026 as the applicable standard for this licence. It is a product-certification development; the announcement alone does not establish a new mandatory deadline for every steel product.

CompliLab perspective: when planning a metals-testing enquiry, share the exact material grade, intended application and buyer specification. These details help distinguish a relevant test programme from a generic list of chemical or mechanical parameters.

Source edition: August 2026

August 2026 edition of Manak Samachar is listed by BIS

The BIS monthly newsletter page now lists its August 2026 edition, providing an official starting point for following standards and quality-related developments.

Use the official newsletter page to access the edition. A newsletter is a news resource, not a substitute for the relevant standard, scheme document or government notification.

CompliLab perspective: before changing a testing plan, check whether the underlying notice applies to your product and whether it is a draft, a published standard or a binding requirement. We do not infer new testing obligations from the newsletter listing.