FSSAI labelling regulations for food label reviews in India
FSSAI labelling regulations cover food declarations, batch codes and dates. Check the 2020 rules, relevant amendments and pack exemptions before approval.
FSSAI labelling regulations for pre-packaged food are set out in the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, read with the amendments that apply to that product and pack. Review the food name, ingredients, nutrition, symbols, allergens, business and licence details, batch identification and dates. Treat that list as the FSSAI label requirements for the review. An exemption can change which of them apply. Start at FSSAI's regulations index. The 2022 labelling compendium linked in this article is a historical baseline.
A checklist alone cannot approve a food label. Pack format, food category and the business role all change the checks. Confirm the wording in the relevant official text before anyone signs off the artwork.
FSSAI labelling checklist for artwork review
The table is a review checklist, not a print specification. It follows the broad areas in the 2022 labelling compendium. Because that PDF is a historical baseline, read later amendments before you treat a row as closed.
| Review area | Check before approval |
|---|---|
| General presentation | Required language, legibility, attachment to the pack and whether the labelling is misleading. |
| Food identity | The identifying food name and any product-specific naming requirements. |
| Ingredients | The ingredient declaration and whether an ingredient-list exemption applies. |
| Nutrition | The applicable nutrition declaration, including any exemption for the product. |
| Symbols and other declarations | Vegetarian or non-vegetarian declarations, applicable additive declarations and allergen information. |
| Business and licence details | Business name and address, FSSAI logo and licence information, considering the relevant business roles. |
| Traceability and dates | Batch, lot or code identification, plus applicable manufacture, packing, expiry or use-by marking. |
| Other particulars | Instructions for use and applicable import or product-specific declarations. |
| Pack layout | Principal display panel, lettering, exemption eligibility and any outer-pack or multi-unit obligations. |
Do not mark a row complete merely because some text appears on the artwork. Record which requirement applies and compare the proposed declaration with it. If you rely on an exemption, keep its conditions in the review record, because a blank field with no note will be read later as a missed declaration rather than a considered decision.
Net quantity, retail sale price and consumer-care particulars also need a Legal Metrology check. Do not treat them as an FSSAI-only exercise. Do not use the labelling compendium as the Legal Metrology text. Review that framework separately.
Batch numbers and date marking
Batch numbers on food products belong in the traceability review. Check the applicable batch, lot or code identification provision against the proposed pack. Keep this check separate from the date-marking review, even if both appear in one printed area. Both are review areas in the baseline provisions.
For date marking, identify the applicable manufacture or packing particulars and the expiry or use-by declaration. Do not treat "best before" and "use by" as interchangeable terms on food labels. Read the relevant provision before choosing the wording or date format on an FSSAI label. The official compendium provides the baseline date-marking material. Applicable amendments must also be considered.
A useful internal review separates two questions: which declaration applies, and whether the artwork presents it correctly. Avoid copying the date panel from another product without checking its basis. Similar-looking packs are not enough evidence for the same label treatment.
Why one label template is not enough
Pack format can change the FSSAI label design. Check principal-display-panel and lettering provisions, any claimed exemption and the treatment of outer or multi-unit packs. A small pack is not a blanket exemption from all information. Use the relevant format and exemption provisions rather than assuming that less space permits every declaration to disappear.
Food category changes the naming rules and any extra product-specific declaration, so check those before you copy a standard artwork template. For imported food, include a separate check of the applicable import particulars and business details. The baseline compendium covers these review areas, but a general checklist cannot settle every product's wording.
Use templates to organise the work. Leave the legal basis attached to each decision, including a decision that a declaration does not apply. That makes a later artwork revision easier to assess without repeating the whole review from memory.
Where to find the FSSAI rules and regulations PDF
Start at FSSAI's regulations index. Find the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 entry. It provides separate routes to the regulation, compendium and amendments.
If your search started with "food safety and standards packaging and labelling regulations 2011", use the 2020 Labelling and Display entry. Do not use an old combined packaging-and-labelling PDF as current labelling guidelines. The official index identifies the 2020 instrument.
The same index links to a compendium without showing its revision date or which amendments it includes. Do not assume that download is the historical 2022 PDF linked above.
FSSAI says a compendium can't be considered a legal document. Original notifications prevail. Downloading a convenient PDF does not finish the legal check. Read the relevant Gazette notifications when deciding what changed and when it applies. Keep the source documents used for each artwork decision, rather than saving only an undated checklist. The official index explains the compendium's status.
How to check amendments and application dates
FSSAI labelling rules change by notification. Keep the base regulation, the amendment notification and the application date separate. Because a date on the website is not an application date, it does not tell you when to change a label.
The official amendment table lists five entries, dated 10 September 2021, 9 September 2022, 11 October 2022, 8 August 2025 and 24 March 2026. These are index dates. They do not establish when artwork must change. Read each relevant notification's operative clauses, and any later direction, before you set an implementation date.
For coffee-chicory mixtures, include the later direction in that check. FSSAI's what's-new listing includes a direction on coffee-chicory labelling under the 2025 amendment, marked updated on 22 July 2026. Read the direction with the notification before you decide the label wording or the timetable. The listing does not establish the label wording or the timetable.
When recording a change, note the affected declaration and the source clause. Record the application date separately from the notification date. This is a suggested review method, not an additional statutory filing requirement.
A practical label-approval workflow
This order is internal practice, not a filing rule. It does not replace the notification that applies to the pack.
- Identify the food, pack format, intended market and relevant business roles. Keep these details with the artwork version under review.
- Obtain the base regulation through the official index. Check the amendment page and any relevant later directions.
- Assess each checklist area against the product and pack. Record the basis for exemptions rather than leaving unexplained blank fields.
- Check exact wording and layout against the applicable provisions. Include a separate Legal Metrology review where relevant.
- Save the reviewed artwork with its source documents and application-date decisions. Revisit the affected checks when either the product or the rules change.
For each source, save the document title and the version or notification used. Link the review comment to the affected artwork field. If a later amendment changes that field, the reviewer can find the earlier decision and its supporting PDF. This is suggested recordkeeping, not prescribed label content.
Keep unresolved questions visible before approving the artwork. A copied template should not stand in for a decision about the actual food and pack.
RegAffairs AI also provides a source-linked answer on Indian food labelling.