133 of 458 food safety samples in Udham Singh Nagar still without reports though the rule is 14 days; 9 of 18 posts vacant at Rudrapur's state food lab

Of the 458 samples taken by the food safety department in Udham Singh Nagar, reports for 133 have still not come, although under the rules a report must come within 14 days of a sample being taken. According to Amar Ujala, reports are pending for 95 of the 169 samples taken this financial year and 38 of the 289 taken in 2025-26; the department says 95 samples failed the standards. The delay is holding up action against adulterators and making it harder to stop adulteration during the festivals. The State Food and Drug Testing Laboratory in Rudrapur tests samples from all 13 districts of the state; it has about 40 machines and can test 3,000 samples a year, but nine of its 18 sanctioned posts are vacant. In two years the department has filed 78 cases and collected ₹28.02 lakh in fines. Assistant commissioner Lalit Mohan Pandey said staff have to explain the reason when a report does not come, and a letter has been sent to the government to fill the staff shortage.