As an agriculture-dependent economy, India always had the potential of being a productive food testing market. The market has been dominated by MNC’s with fewer domestic enterprises. Since the induction of FSSAI, there has been a renewed focus and increasing stringency on the quality of food and agri commodities traded in India and abroad. Therefore, the Indian food testing market is experiencing a robust growth at a CAGR of 11.8 percent for the domestic food testing industry till 2024. However, food testing is a sensitive sector that demands careful handling of resources and proper compliance of standards, which some emerging enterprises in this sector have lacked.
ITC Analytical Services being an NABL – ISO 17025 accredited, FSSAI recognized, and APEDA and EIC approved laboratory equipped with modern analytical instruments like LC MS/MS, GC MS/MS, ICP MS brings reliable, authentic and innovative food testing solutions backed by the legacy of the ITC Group being in every part of the food value chain. In a mere span of four years of its inception, ITC Analytical Services has already achieved 1.5 times more capacity than any of its competitors, all of which has been present in the market for over a decade.
Dr K Satya Murthy, Business Head of ITC Analytical Services, says, “We always keep the capacity ahead of the demand. We have a 5x capacity, and our internal requirements make our quality standards mandatory. We use talent from premium institutes and engage them for R&D, which makes our products and services stand out in the market. We prefer working in small interventions to reduce the turnaround time by increasing the capacity strictly according to guidelines.
ITC Analytical Services conducts Food testing and partner with stake holders across food and agri value chain for internal requirements and external customers like crop growers, traders, regulators, industry players(domestic and exports), farmers etc”.
Key Differentiator
Dr Murthy adds, "We are in every part of the food value chain starting from crop-growing, packaging & storage, manufacturing, branding, and selling. We use our wide exposure backed by ITC's legacy and derive methods that redefine our presence in the market. The food testing sector has a small but growing base, but ITC Analytical Services has shown tremendous growth in terms of consumers, product diversification and testing abilities. We have a strong foothold in both domestic and international markets achieved by our consumer-centric culture."
ITC Analytical Services has a philosophy of building on scientific endurance. The company as a whole is driven by excelling in each aspect of the food value chain. It is known for working in close relationships with its clients, aiding in the precision of their pain points and subsequently providing the necessary and desired solutions. The food testing process is categorized in three parts, namely sample preparation, instrumentation and quantification, and ITC Analytical Services has excelled in each within its short span in the food testing sector. Dr Murthy says, “We believe in taking small steps that ensure a good foundation for our market presence and also helps build strong client equity. We plan our business and our strategy over a two-three years horizon mostly because of the nature of operations and compliance certifications involved in the food industry”.
We always keep the capacity ahead of the demand. We have a 5x capacity, and our internal requirements make our quality standards mandatory
Leadership Mantra
ITC is a company that encourages empowering its people, nurturing their talent, and grooming competent professionals that ensure the best consumer satisfactory margins at every delivery. DrMurthy adds, “ITC Analytical Services has one of the best working environments in terms of guidance, motivation, tolerance towards failure, which is crucial to the scientific domain of work like food testing.” The company looks after workforce contributions and ensure performance appreciations and incentives to maintain its performance-driven and free-thought flowing work culture.
ITC Analytical Services is dedicated to working on the betterment of end-user experience. It started in Andhra Pradesh and recently gained a significant foothold in the Western Indian market. Dr Murthy concludes, “We are focused on increasing our consumer base and deliver food testing solutions on a pan-India scale and our mission is to enhance the safety and quality of Indian Agri Products, by pursuing excellence in analytical solutions”.
