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Selling food in India

In India, food falls under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the regulations FSSAI makes under it. Food businesses hold an FSSAI licence or registration, labels follow the Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020, and net quantity, price and consumer care details follow the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Regulator
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Main law
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
Labelling
FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020
Label language
English or Hindi in Devanagari script
Before trading
An FSSAI licence, or registration for petty businesses
Imports
A central import licence and FSSAI clearance at the port

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Does the business need an FSSAI licence or a registration, and from whom? Read more
  2. 2What does the label have to show, and in which language? Read more
  3. 3Which declarations come from the Legal Metrology rules? Read more
  4. 4Can the claims on the pack be made? Read more
  5. 5Is the packaging food grade, and is it covered by plastic EPR? Read more
  6. 6How does the food come into India? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Licensing and registration

Who needs an FSSAI licence, who can register instead, and what the operator answers for.

  • Section 31 of the FSS Act requires a licence to start or carry on a food business; petty food manufacturers and small operators register instead.
  • Under the Licensing and Registration Regulations, registration covers petty food businesses with an annual turnover of up to Rs 12 lakh.
  • Schedule 1 lists the businesses licensed by the Central Licensing Authority, including importers of food and operators in two or more states.
  • A licence or registration is granted for one to five years.
  • Section 26 places responsibility on each food business operator for food that meets the Act at each stage under its control.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each licence and registration with the products and sites it covers, dated, and shows when one is close to expiry. Ask about this

Labelling and display

The particulars a pre-packaged food label shows under the Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020.

  • The regulations were notified on 17 November 2020; FSSAI's compendium gives 1 January 2022 for the labelling chapter.
  • Labels are in English or Hindi in Devanagari script; another language may be added if it does not contradict them.
  • Particulars include the name of the food, ingredients in descending order by weight, nutrition information per 100 g or 100 ml and per serve as a percentage of RDA, additives by class and INS number, and the lot or batch number.
  • Vegetarian food carries the green-circle logo and non-vegetarian food the brown-triangle logo.
  • The brand owner's name and address, and the FSSAI logo and licence number, appear on the label; an imported food also carries the importer's.
  • Dates are the date of manufacture or packing and an expiry or use-by date; for shelf life of up to three months they are given as day, month and year.
  • Allergens are declared with "Contains", and a "May contain" statement covers cross-contact.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your label artwork against these particulars and shows which are missing, with the regulation behind each. Ask about this

Legal metrology declarations

Net quantity, price, origin and consumer care details on pre-packed commodities.

  • Rule 6 of the Packaged Commodities Rules lists the declarations: the manufacturer, packer or importer, the country of origin for imported goods, the common or generic name, net quantity in standard units, the retail sale price and consumer care details.
  • The retail sale price is the maximum retail price in Indian currency, inclusive of taxes.
  • A unit sale price, such as per kg or per litre, is declared beside the retail price, under the 2021 and 2022 amendments.
  • E-commerce entities display the mandatory declarations on the listing, except the date of manufacture.
  • From 1 July 2027, listings of imported goods on e-commerce platforms carry a searchable and sortable country-of-origin filter (G.S.R. 312(E), 27 April 2026).

How we help: Compliant Always checks the pack against the rule 6 declarations alongside the FSSAI particulars, so both sets are read on one label. Ask about this

Claims and advertising

What a label or advert may say about the food.

  • Sections 23 and 24 of the FSS Act bar labelling and advertisements that mislead.
  • The Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018 require claims to be truthful, unambiguous and scientifically substantiated.
  • Words such as "natural" and "fresh" may be used only under the conditions the regulations set.
  • A food may not claim to prevent, treat or cure a disease, and new reduction-of-disease-risk claims need FSSAI's prior permission.

How we help: Compliant Always sets each claim on your pack beside the conditions for it, so the evidence you hold is visible next to the claim. Ask about this

Packaging and plastic EPR

Food contact materials and producer responsibility for plastic packaging.

  • The Packaging Regulations, 2018 require packaging that touches food to be of food grade, and set Indian Standards for paper, metal and plastic materials.
  • Printing inks meet IS 15495, the printed surface may not touch the food, and newspaper may not be used to wrap or carry food.
  • Under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, producers, importers and brand owners using plastic packaging register on the CPCB centralised portal for extended producer responsibility.
  • The 2026 amendment requires recycled plastic packaging to conform to IS 14534:2023 and carry the marking.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps packaging suppliers' declarations and test reports with each pack format, dated, and shows which are missing. Ask about this

Import clearance

How imported food is cleared at the port.

  • Section 25 of the FSS Act bars imports of food that does not meet the Act and its regulations.
  • Under the Import Regulations, 2017, the importer holds a central import licence from FSSAI and an Import-Export Code from the DGFT.
  • As notified in 2017, food is imported with at least 60% of its shelf life remaining.
  • The importer files an integrated declaration with Customs, which passes to FSSAI's import clearance system for document checks, visual inspection and sampling, before a no objection certificate is issued.
  • Some label particulars, such as the importer's details and the FSSAI logo and licence number, may be added by sticker in a customs-bonded warehouse.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the import licence, certificates and test reports with each lot, so the papers for clearance are in one place. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
Brand ownerThe label, its claims, and the FSSAI licence number shown on it.The label read against the particulars, with the regulation behind each gap.
ManufacturerFood that meets the Act at the stages under its control (section 26), under its own licence.Specifications, test reports and licences kept with each product and lot.
ImporterA central import licence, the importer's details on the label, and clearance of each consignment.Supplier documents read and dated before the goods are shipped.
E-commerce sellerThe FSSAI and legal metrology information shown on the listing before sale.Listing details compared with the record for the product.

Central and state rules

FSSAI sets the standards; Commissioners of Food Safety in the states enforce them, and state licensing authorities license businesses that are not under the Central Licensing Authority.

States license cosmetics manufacture, enforce food and legal metrology rules through their own officers, and run excise on alcohol.

Shipping out of India?

Exporting food from India

Questions businesses ask

Do I need an FSSAI licence to sell food in India?
Yes, unless the business is small enough to register instead. Section 31 of the FSS Act requires a licence; petty food businesses with turnover of up to Rs 12 lakh register. Importers hold a central licence.
Which language does a food label have to be in?
English or Hindi in Devanagari script, under the Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020. Other languages may be added if they do not contradict the mandatory information.
What must a pre-packaged food label show in India?
The name, ingredients, nutrition information, veg or non-veg logo, additives, brand owner's name and address, FSSAI logo and licence number, net quantity, retail sale price, consumer care details, lot number, dates and, for imports, the country of origin and importer.
How are allergens declared on Indian food labels?
With a "Contains" statement for listed allergens such as cereals containing gluten, crustacea, milk, egg, fish, nuts and soy, and sulphite at 10 mg/kg or more. A "May contain" statement covers cross-contact.
What do the green and brown symbols on Indian food mean?
A green circle marks vegetarian food, and a brown triangle marks non-vegetarian food, under the Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020.
Does the label need a maximum retail price?
Yes. The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 require a retail sale price in Indian currency, inclusive of taxes, with a unit sale price beside it.
How much shelf life must imported food have?
The Import Regulations, 2017, as notified, require at least 60% of the shelf life to remain at the time of import. Check FSSAI's current text for amendments.
Can labels be corrected after food arrives in India?
Some can. Particulars such as the importer's name and address and the FSSAI logo and licence number may be added by sticker in a customs-bonded warehouse before clearance.
Can a food label claim health benefits in India?
Only claims that are truthful and scientifically substantiated under the Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018. Claims to prevent, treat or cure disease are not allowed, and new disease-risk-reduction claims need prior permission.
Does food sold online need the label information too?
Yes. FSSAI requires the mandatory label information to be shown before sale, except batch and dates, and the Legal Metrology rules require the listing to show the rule 6 declarations except the date of manufacture.
Who recalls unsafe food in India?
The food business operator. Section 28 of the FSS Act requires it to withdraw food that does not comply, and the Food Recall Procedure Regulations, 2017 require manufacturers, importers and wholesalers to have a recall plan.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in India?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including India's central regulators and the state rules that sit beside them. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in India and what your paperwork needs to show.

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