FSSAI Packaging and Labelling Requirements: Ensuring Food Safety and Compliance

Every time you pick up a packaged food product in India, the label tells you a story-what’s inside, how it was made, and whether it’s safe for consumption. Behind this transparency lies a comprehensive regulatory framework established by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). These packaging and labelling requirements protect consumers from misleading claims and potential health hazards while helping food businesses maintain quality standards across the supply chain.

Understanding FSSAI’s role in food safety 🔗

Established under the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, FSSAI serves as India’s apex regulatory body for food safety. The organization develops and enforces standards for food products, including detailed specifications for how food must be packaged and labelled before reaching consumers. The Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011 form the foundation of these requirements, with subsequent amendments addressing emerging concerns and industry practices.

The primary objective of these regulations is threefold: protect food from contamination, preserve nutritional quality and sensory characteristics, and provide consumers with accurate information to make informed choices. Food business operators (FBOs) must comply with these requirements to obtain and maintain their FSSAI license.

Mandatory labelling requirements for pre-packaged foods 🔗

Every pre-packaged food sold in India must carry specific information on its label. The regulations mandate that label contents must be clear, prominent, indelible, and readily legible by consumers under normal conditions of purchase and use. Labels must be written in either English or Hindi in Devnagri script, though additional languages are permitted.

Product identification and ingredients 🔗

The food product must have its name clearly labelled to help consumers identify what they’re purchasing. This name should be descriptive and accurately represent the package contents. Beyond the product name, all ingredients must be listed in descending order of their weight or volume at the time of manufacture. When an ingredient itself contains multiple components, these compound ingredients must be declared along with a bracketed list of their constituents.

Specific names must be used for ingredients, though certain class titles are permitted for ingredients falling into particular categories. For instance, sources of fat like pork fat, lard, and beef fat must be declared by their specific names.

Nutritional information 🔗

FSSAI requires nutritional information to be provided in a standardised format. This includes details on energy (calories), total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars, added sugars, protein, and sodium. The information must be expressed per 100 grams or 100 millilitres and may additionally include per-serve values. This data can also be conveyed using a Barcode or Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN).

The percentage of Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) must also be indicated, referencing values published by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and FSSAI. A tolerance of 25 percent in declared nutritional values is permitted under the regulations.

Date marking and batch identification 🔗

Date marking is crucial for consumer safety. Labels must include the date of manufacture or packaging and either a “best before” or “use by/expiry” date. The term “best before” indicates when the food will remain fully marketable while retaining specific qualities, whereas “use by” signifies the date after which the food should not be consumed. These dates must be grouped together and displayed at one place on the label.

For products with a shelf life exceeding three months, the date format may use month and year only. Every package must also carry a batch number, code number, or lot number to enable traceability throughout the supply chain.

Allergen declaration requirements 🔗

Allergen labelling is a critical safety requirement. FSSAI has established eight major allergens that must be declared on food labels: cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt), crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk and milk products, and tree nuts. If any ingredient with known allergenicity is present, a warning must be included.

The allergen information may be depicted using easy-to-understand symbols. For products manufactured in facilities that also process allergens, statements like “May contain traces of [allergen name]” or “Manufactured in the same facility which processes [allergen name]” may be used. Raw agricultural commodities sold unprocessed-such as whole peanuts, pulses, cereals, fruits, vegetables, and spices-are exempted from allergen labelling requirements.

Vegetarian and non-vegetarian declarations 🔗

India has specific requirements for declaring whether food is vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Food packages must display distinct symbols: a filled green circle within a green square for vegetarian products, and a filled brown triangle within a brown square for non-vegetarian items. These symbols must appear on the principal display panel and help consumers quickly identify products suitable for their dietary preferences.

FSSAI logo and license number 🔗

Every packaged food product must display the FSSAI logo and license number on its label. The license number of the brand owner must be prominently displayed on the principal display panel. If the manufacturer, marketer, packer, or bottler differs from the brand owner, their license numbers must also appear on the label. This requirement ensures traceability and accountability throughout the food production chain.

Packaging material standards 🔗

FSSAI’s Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018 establish comprehensive requirements for packaging materials. The regulations recognise that packaging serves as the first line of defence in preserving food quality and preventing contamination.

Food-grade materials 🔗

All materials that come in direct contact with food must be of food-grade quality. This means they should be made of substances that are safe and suitable for their intended use, neither endangering human health nor causing unacceptable changes in food composition or sensory characteristics. Packaging materials must conform to Indian Standards (IS) specifications set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The regulations categorise packaging materials into several types: paper and board (conforming to standards like IS 6622 for greaseproof paper), glass containers, metal and metal alloys (such as tin plate conforming to IS 1993), and plastics. For plastic materials, specific standards apply-polyethylene must conform to IS 10146, polystyrene to IS 10142, and PET to IS 12252.

Migration limits 🔗

Plastic packaging materials must pass prescribed migration tests. The overall migration limit is set at 60 mg/kg or 10 mg/dm² when tested according to IS 9845, with no visible colour migration. Specific migration limits are also prescribed for various substances-for example, barium must not exceed 1.0 mg/kg, copper 5.0 mg/kg, and zinc 25.0 mg/kg.

Prohibited materials 🔗

Certain materials are explicitly prohibited. Newspaper or similar materials must not be used for storing or wrapping food. Containers made of rusty metal, chipped enamelled containers, and improperly tinned copper or brass containers render food unfit for consumption. Tin containers, once used, cannot be reused for food packaging. While recycled plastics were previously banned, recent amendments now permit their use when processed through FSSAI-approved recycling methods and meeting specific safety standards.

Primary versus secondary packaging 🔗

FSSAI distinguishes between primary packaging (material in direct contact with food) and secondary packaging (material enclosing primary packaging without direct food contact). Primary packaging must protect food integrity, maintain quality, prevent leakage, and withstand processing, storage, and transport conditions.

For multilayer packaging, the layer that comes in direct contact with food-or layers likely to contact food-must meet all specified requirements. Every food business operator must obtain a certificate of conformity from a NABL-accredited laboratory for packaging materials that directly contact food.

Special labelling requirements 🔗

Certain product categories have additional labelling requirements. Fortified foods must carry the “+F” logo along with the statement “Fortified with [name of fortificant]” and may include the tagline “Sampoorn Poshan Swasth Jeevan.” Organic foods must display FSSAI’s organic logo and comply with National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) or Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India) labelling requirements.

Products containing specific additives require warning statements. Foods with artificial sweeteners must carry appropriate declarations, and products containing added dietary fibre must state this on the label. Foods not suitable for particular consumer groups-such as those unsuitable for babies-must include prominent warnings.

Consequences of non-compliance 🔗

Failure to comply with FSSAI packaging and labelling regulations can result in serious consequences. Penalties include hefty fines, product recalls, and delays in product launches. In severe cases, FSSAI may suspend or cancel food business licenses. Beyond legal penalties, non-compliance damages consumer trust and brand reputation.

Labels must not be false, misleading, or deceptive in any way. Any description or presentation that creates an erroneous impression about the food’s character is prohibited. Health claims, when made, must be scientifically substantiated and comply with FSSAI’s advertising and claims regulations.

Staying compliant 🔗

For food businesses, maintaining compliance requires ongoing attention. Labels should be reviewed regularly against current FSSAI regulations, as amendments are issued periodically. Working with NABL-accredited laboratories ensures packaging materials meet required standards. Maintaining detailed records of suppliers, materials, and test certificates provides documentation for regulatory inspections.

E-commerce and direct selling platforms have additional obligations-they must provide consumers with mandatory label information before purchase, though certain details like batch numbers and manufacturing dates may be provided upon delivery.

What do you think? How carefully do you read food labels when shopping, and has allergen or nutritional information ever influenced your purchasing decisions?

References

1. https://fssai.gov.in/
2. https://www.fssai.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Packaging_Labelling_Regulations.pdf
3. https://envirocarelabs.com/decoding-nutritional-food-labelling-a-comprehensive-guide/
4. https://www.foodlabelsolutions.com/info-centre/Menu-Labelling/fssai-makes-menu-labelling-mandatory-for-restaurants-hotels-and-qsrs/
5. https://www.setindiabiz.com/blog/fssai-food-labeling
6. https://fssai.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Compendium_Packaging_01_02_2022.pdf
7. https://foodsafetyhelpline.com/fssai-notifies-the-new-packaging-regulation-2018/