Introduction: Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has formulated Food Safety & Standards (Labelling & Packaging) Regulations 2011. These regulations are required to ensure that the food articles are safe and secure for consumption. These rules specify the standards for every material to be used for packaging and labelling. Some of the general regulations are described below:

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FSSAI Regulations for packaging:

• An FBO needs to ensure that the utensil or container used for preparing, packaging, and storing food articles is free from any rust or oxidation, it is not chipped or rusty if it is enamelled and is properly tinned if it is a copper or brass container.
• If the container is made of plastic then the plastic material needs to have various IS0 Certifications. For example, polyethylene containers need to be IS:10146 certified, polystyrene materials be IS:10142 certified and Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials need to be IS:10151 certified.
• For Canned products, an FBO needs to ensure that all the cans are securely packed and sealed, free from dents, rust, perforations and seam distortions and is free from any leaks.
• For milk and milk products, the bottling and filling should be done mechanically and sealing of milk containers should be done automatically. The wrapping and packaging should be done in such a manner that the milk does not come in contact with bacterial or fungal organisms.
• For packing of edible oil, the plates used for tin containers should conform to BIS Standards 1993 or 13955 or 9025 or 13954.
• For canned packaging of fruits and vegetables, the tin used need to be suitable, it should be packed in such a way that it could not be opened without tearing the FSSAI License no. and special identification mark of the manufacturer.
• For packaging of canned meat, the lacquer used to line the inside of the tin can needs to be resistant to Sulphur and should not be soluble in fat or brine. The meat needs to be hermetically sealed and processed keeping in view the commercial conditions of storage and transport.
• For packaging of drinking water, it needs to be packed in clean, hygienic, transparent, and tamperproof bottles and containers, made of polyethylene and conforming to IS:10146 or IS:10151 for Polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

FSSAI Regulations for Labelling

• The labeling of any pre-packed food product needs to be in English or Hindi only, it should not be described or presented in a way that is false, misleading, deceptive, or likely to create erroneous impressions in the mind of the consumer.
• The FSSAI Logo and the License number should be clearly displayed on the food packet. The name on the packet needs to be authorized by FSSAI, the information of ingredients should be listed in descending order of their proportionate weight or volume.
• If a food packet is a mixture of two ingredients, FBO shall display the quantity of both ingredients at the food packet.
• The nutritional information such as energy value in Kilo Calorie, and amount of protein, carbohydrate, sugar, and vitamins need to be displayed as per 100 gram, per 100 ml, or per serving on the food packet.
• If the pre-packed food is prepared using any kind of food additives such as acidity regulators, anticaking agents, antioxidants, colour retention agents, emulsifiers, emulsifying salt, firming agent, etc,  it should be clearly mentioned on the food packet.