CHAPTER 2: COMPANY PROFILE

EQUINOX LABS

Equinox have 14+ years of experience in Food, Water & Air Testing services and a leader in
Food Safety Auditing started by Ashwin Bhadri- CEO, Equinox labs. They are an FSSAI
Approved, NABL Accredited Lab with a PAN – India presence.

They use the latest technology to deliver best in class services for a 360° approach to Safety
& Compliance. They have delivered 50,000+ solutions in Testing and Compliance. They
have trained 40,000+ people on Food Safety, FSSAI & Environmental safety.

The company has over 250 in-house experts catering to 14,000+ Clients across Food and
Corporate sector. This organization has teamed up with several Food SMEs and
conglomerates, along with Corporate for ensuring complete Safety and Health– Audits,
Testing, Consultations, and FoSTaC – to name a few.

It all started with an idea to provide a one-stop Testing and FSSAI Compliance solutions,
using the latest technologies and innovations. With time, Equinox Labs has grown from just a
Testing Laboratory to a Food Safety Management, largely involved with FSSAI in their
decision-making process on pivotal regulations. The company’s credibility can be attributed
to the invaluable benefits the clients have achieved by associating with Equinox Labs.

Equinox Labs’ experience of working with diverse food businesses, has given us an edge.
From Corporate to Caterers, Hotels to Food Manufacturers, Institutes to Industries – The
company’s in-house Testing and Compliance Experts have provided State-of-The-Art
Solutions for a continued Safety and Health Management.

Equinox Labs was formed with a vision of offering an end to end solution for customers with
respect to Food, Water and Air Quality.

The focus has always been on delivering a great experience to our Customers through on time
delivery of reports, solutions for problems in Food, Water and Air, and overall value addition.

As an FSSAI Notified Laboratory, along with NABL accreditation, they can now go the extra
mile for our valuable clients and touch the lives of millions by ensuring they are made
available good quality food products, potable water and a clean environment by improved
testing and valuable solutions.

The organisation has worked around one common purpose – Improving lives by Ensuring
quality and Innovation. They abide by the vision to provide only the best service to our
customers for enhanced safety and good health.
Purpose- Improving Lives by Ensuring Quality and Innovation.
Core values at Equinox Labs: 
                        1. We Deliver Great Results.
   We are all leaders with a deep commitment to deliver results.
We measure, review and publicly display performance metrics.
                       2. We Continuously Improve. 
        Using Innovation we remain ahead and are ready for change. We
               continuously look for ways to improve ourselves and the work we do
                       3. We Help Each Other Succeed. 
                           We don’t let our egos come in the way when helping others because
                           we know that when we share everyone wins. We believe there is enough
                           for everyone. We treat teammates as family.
                      4. We Practice Open Communication.
                         We encourage getting feedback and listening to opinions of others – 
                          as a way to progress together. 
                     5. We Have Fun While Serving Others.
                         We enjoy what we do while making a difference one interaction at a time.
                   

Accreditations and Certifications-

Equinox Labs has grown over the years to become a good and reliable service partner for
many. They have also set benchmark standards in sampling, testing analysis of food products
and environment quality.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is India’s sole governing authority which
monitors the Food Business of the country. Equinox Labs is an FSSAI Notified Laboratory,
which, along with the NABL Accreditation, substantiates our test reports in more than 169
countries.

FSSAI notification enhances trust factor and credibility in terms of quality, both among the
FBOs and consumers, which ultimately fills the loopholes with respect to food safety and
health.
NABL has certified Equinox prominently for their environmental and food testing services.

Advantages of being NABL-Accredited is that importing and exporting products with their
NABL-certified test reports become very easy. After getting an NABL-Accredited testing
report, you do not need to re-test. Most importantly, you can have greater access for your
products in both the domestic and global marketplace.

Being an ISO 9001:2015 certified lab, all services are in accordance with International
Organization for Standardization ISO 9001:2015.

They focus on Food, Water, Environment Testing and assure prompt, accurate and reliable
services.

Equinox at Million Lives aim towards spreading awareness on the issues of food which
affects Millions of lives across the country. They initiated the project POSHAN with a desire
for educating the people belonging not only to the urban community but also to the rural
community on food hygiene, healthy and nutritious food. Food is the basic requirement of all
human beings. At Million Lives Foundation work towards spreading awareness and training
the citizens of this country on Education and training are used as the medium for addressing
the ‘What’ and ‘Why’ questions of our mission. The team of dedicated volunteers address
‘How’ of the question by actively conducting audits of the establishments where the food is
prepared and offering suggestions that are in compliance with the FSSAI standards.
Safety and Health are two sides of the same coin, possessing equal significance in
determining the overall quality of the food. The importance of nutrition for children cannot
be overlooked.

The project ‘Poshan’ is directed and was initiated to address this very cause and deliver direct
training to the children accompanied by their teachers and parents. Nutrition and safety begin
first at home and then at school where the child spends most of his day and hence, the
volunteers of ‘Poshan’ are dedicated to educating the children primarily with the modules
prepared after gaining the prior understanding of the current food safety situation.

Equinox use preventive health approach to achieve our mission and attempt to eliminate the
disease before it occurs. They strongly believe that health is an important factor affecting the
overall participation of an individual in the economic development of the country. Million
Lives Foundation is actively working towards helping the citizens of this country get access
to food which is healthy and safe for consumption thereby, contributing to the overall health
of an individual.

VISION OF THE COMPANY

Equinox Labs was formed with a vision of offering an end to end solution for customers with
respect to :-

Food, Water and Air Quality.

Our focus has always been on delivering a great experience to our Customers through on time
delivery of reports, solutions for problems in Food, Water and Air, and overall value addition.
Mr. Ashwin Bhadri (CEO) is proud to say that as an FSSAI Notified Laboratory, along with
NABL accreditation, we can now go the extra mile for our valuable clients and touch the
lives of millions by ensuring they are made available good quality food products, potable
water and a clean environment by improved testing and valuable solutions.

Equinox as an organization has worked around one common purpose – Improving lives by
Ensuring quality and Innovation. Equinox abides by their vision to provide only the best
service to our customers for enhanced safety and good health.

The Mission of the company

Introduction to: FSSAI

 The food safety and standards authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under food
safety and standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various acts & orders that have hitherto
handled food related issues in various Ministries and departments.

 FSSAI has been created for laying down science based standards for articles of food and
to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of
safe and wholesome food for human consumption also therefore responsible for protecting
and promoting public heath through the regulation and supervision of food safety.

 The Act also aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food
safety and standards, by moving from multi- level, multi- departmental control to a single line
of command. To this effect, the Act establishes an independent statutory Authority – the Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India with head office at Delhi. Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI) and the State Food Safety Authorities shall enforce various
provisions of the Act.

Services:
1. Food Testing
 Food test

Foods usually provide daily energy and nutrient requirements. The calorific value, the
nutrition and the taste are not the only aspects of the food that you have to worry about.
We recommend food testing to be done, ensuring faster lead times with accurate test results.

 Sensory evaluation

Sensory analysis is the science used to evaluate consumer foods or beverages that accurately
determine and measure the senses, such as sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing and feelings.
Food products are controlled based on the above parameters, which help manufacturers and
distributors in the decision-making process.
 Nutrition labelling

Nutrition labelling enables consumers to make informed choices about the nutritional
characteristics of foods, such as protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre, sodium, etc.
Equinox Labs will help you find out the essential properties that must be mentioned in all
foods sold that meet the requirements of the Indian Nutrition Labelling Act.
 Usability analysis

Usability analysis is an important step before introducing a new product or modifying an

2. Environmental monitoring
 Indoor air quality

We breathe 25 kg of air daily. Research has shown that indoor air is 2-5 times more pollutant
than outdoor air. Chemicals, mold, particle contamination and poor ventilation contribute to
poor indoor air quality in the workplace, which affects productivity. Equinox helps
companies control their indoor air quality and offers solutions to improve and maintain
indoor air quality.
 D G emission monitoring

DG Emissions have been a major cause of environmental concern as diesel generators emit
high levels of atmospheric and noise pollution. Equinox will help you understand why DG
Emissions is making progress towards a sustainable environment.
 Noise testing

Interrupting noise is hampering the hearing capacity of 1.1 billion people in India. The
insecure sound level can be 85 hours for 8 hours or 100 minutes for 15 minutes. According to
the CPCB, it is mandatory to check the noise annually. In office premises, it must not exceed
the legal level, i.e. 90 dB and 45-50 db.
3. Food safety management
 Audits and inspections

FSSAI control and verification is a key point in the Food Safety Management System
(FSMS), which shows the level of compliance of the Food Industry Operator (FBO) with the
FSSAI.
 Supplier management

Supplier Management is a complete on-board deployment and operation process for food
vendors serving food businesses and corporate companies. It works with hygiene, FSSAI
compliance and the latest technology to deliver the best results and advanced solutions.
 FoSTaC certified trainings for food entrepreneurs

The Indian Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) has launched a new initiative
called FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification). The FSSAI and Equinox have been
linked to the launch of the Food Safety Oversight Program. All food business operators
(FBOs) must have a Food Consumers Commissioner trained in the FoSTaC Training
Program.
 FSSAI Compliance

Product approval and labelling validation are two important parts of the food safety
management system, ensuring compliance with the FSSAI [Indian Food Safety and Standards
Authority]. The Food Safety Management Plan, in accordance with the complete
documentation and standard operating process, is essential for business to be FSSAI
compliant.

4. Water Testing

 Industrial water testing

The water supplied to industrial sites must be clean, mineral-rich and germ-free. Precisely
tested industrial water provides modern industrial water treatment techniques for safe
industrial water.
  Drinking water test

Ever wondered what's in your drinking water? Often contaminated with organic and
inorganic impurities such as; high arsenic, fluoride and microorganisms or pathogens.80% of
infectious diseases caused by water pollutants, therefore it is important to test drinking water.
Without a good water supply, people can count against all sorts of illnesses.
 Borehole water testing and tanker water testing

Borehole and tank water are used by many households and small businesses in areas with
little or no municipal water supply. Equinox Labs is fully equipped to carry out full water
tests on tankers to ensure reliable drinking and drinking water.

PROCESS AT EQUINOX

1. Creating database / cold visits to Target.

2. Calling and scheduling an appointment for meeting.

3. Meeting concerned person to know their requirement.

4. Meeting the client, understanding their requirements and sending a proposal for the same.

5. After sending the proposal, within next 3 days follow up was taken to take the process
ahead.

6. If required, second round of meeting was conducted for negotiations or to meet higher
authority.

7. After signing an agreement, and converting the client, proforma invoice was made.

8. Details were sent to Key Account Executive (KAE) team to arrange collections from client
site.

9. KAE‟s had to generate visit report, and arrange collection agents to pick up for samples.

10. Collection agents then use to go at client site to collect the sample with ice box and sterile
kits.

11. Once samples come into lab, were put in sample room for labeling and then forwarded to
the lab for testing.

12. After testing the samples, within next 7 working days, reports were generated where soft
copy was e-mailed to client and hard copy was couriered at client site.