The work of this organization is to ensure safety and quality of food products and medicines being imported, manufactured, sold/distributed in the State.

The Government of Uttar Pradesh has established a separate Food Safety and Drug Administration directorate in the year 2008 with a definite aim to have effective and efficient control over the illegal import, manufacture, sale and distribution of not of standard quality, misbranded, spurious, adulterated and banned drug and adulterated and unsafe food products through the implementation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945, Drug (Price Control)  Order 2013, Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954 and Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011 and various Regulations there under.

The above regulations are implemented by the following sections of the department:

A. Drug Section :

To provide safe drugs and cosmetics with good quality and purity to the people of the state, the task is assigned to the Drug Section of the department for which following functions are performed:

• Licensing of Allopathic, Homeopathic Drugs and Cosmetics manufacturing establishments.
• Licensing of Allopathic Drug Sales Establishments
• Licensing of Blood Banks
• Licensing of Drug Testing Laboratories.
• Grant of various types of Certificates to the manufacturing units of the State viz: Licence validity certificate, Non-conviction certificate, Manufacturing and Marketing Certificate, Performance Certificate, Good Manufacturing Practices Certificate (G.M.P.), Good Laboratory Practices Certificate (G.L.P.), FFS technology certificate, WHO-GMP certificate, Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product(COPP) etc.
• Detection of any manufacture and sale of drugs/cosmetics without valid license.
• Collecting the Samples of drugs and cosmetics to check their quality and efficacy.
• Investigation and prosecution in respect of contravention of legal provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 & Rules, 1945, Drug (Prices Control) Order, 2013, Drugs and Magic Remedies(Objectionable Advertisement) Act.
• Taking administrative action against the drug manufactures and sellers for violations of license conditions.

B.Food Section

The Food Safety and Standards Authority came into force from 5th August 2011. By implementation of rules and regulations came under the said Act. it has created a possibility of getting trusted and wholesome quality food for the citizens of Uttar Pradesh.

Following functions are performed by the department:

• Registration and Licensing of all Food establishments, dealing in food articles as hotels, restaurants, eating houses, fast food, street food vendors, food selling shops, manufacturing units, whole sale units, retail sale units, hawkers, etc.
• Monitor the quality of food being manufactured and sold in the state as well as marketed in the state.
• Verifying the compliance of food laws on food articles and related units.
• Enforcing the act on banned and restricted food articles.
• Investigate and prosecute in respect of contravention of legal provisions relating to misbranded, sub-standard, unsafe, under violation of rule food article and dealing in prohibited food articles.
• Conduct awareness program to educate the masses, vendors as well as consumers.

C. Food and Drug Testing Laboratories

The department has one State food and drug testing laboratory at Lucknow and five regional Public Analyst Laboratories, one each located at Gorakhpur, Meerut, Jhansi, Varanasi and Agra which, at present, have facilities to test few categories of food articles only . The laboratories at Lucknow has separate wings for testing of Drug / Cosmetics samples received from drug inspectors of the state, which are drawn from drug manufacturing units, hospitals, nursing homes, medical stores, etc. and for testing food articles whose samples are received from Food Safety Officers of the state, which are drawn from food business operators, vendors, restaurants, sweet shops, departmental stores, milk dairies and hotels, etc.