The Akshaya Patra Foundation said the mini lab is equipped with modern technology and high-precision testing instruments for evaluating food products from farm to plate.
It said laboratory services will help minimize potential hazards, protect consumers from food safety scares and improve health and wellness by maintaining nutritional levels.
The Lucknow lab will cover 20 kitchens pan India and dc more than 50 analyses per day.
Shridhar Venkat, CEO of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, thanked the Tata Trust for helping set up the second lab.
Food testing services cover chemical, microbiological, physical and sensory examinations (more than 60 parameters) to analyse and ensure safety and quality of raw materials and finished products.
The lab ensures compliance with international regulations such as chemical residues, pathogenic bacteria, allergens, additives and nutritional content.
The first lab opened last year in Ahmedabad has completed more than 5,000 analyses of various raw materials and finished products.
Akshaya Patra Foundation said it is the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme serving food to over 1.6 million children in 26 locations across 11 states in India.