The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) under the Ministry of Health is the agency with the mandate of ensuring safety and quality control and hygiene verification of food and pharmaceuticals.

Currently, this laboratory is housed in the same premises as the Ministry, and the design of the building is not suited for laboratory operations which imposes risks to the administrative personnel in other departments.

The project proposes to relocate and establish new laboratory premises with newer technologies to test food and pharmaceutical imports, local produce and exports which have increased rapidly.