The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed state and union territory Food Safety Commissioners and Regional Directors to conduct a massive, nation-wide enforcement drive targeting spices throughout the month of October 2025.
The enforcement campaign, scheduled from October 1 to October 31, 2025, follows a “Pan India Surveillance on Spices” conducted between November 2024 and February 2025. This earlier surveillance, which covered thirteen spice commodities, revealed significant non-compliance across various parameters. Issues were observed with quality, contaminants, microbial count, and labeling requirements in the Indian spice market.
Scope of the Enforcement Drive
The upcoming drive is specifically mandated to check compliance with prescribed parameters, including labeling requirements, for thirteen specified whole and powdered spice products governed by the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.
The targeted products are:
- Black Pepper Powder and Whole
- Cardamom Powder and Whole
- Chilli Powder and Whole
- Cinnamon (Dalchini) Whole
- Coriander Powder and Whole
- Cumin Powder and Whole
- Turmeric Powder and Whole
Focus on Manufacturing Units at the Source
To ensure compliance is checked at the point of origin, the FSSAI has explicitly stated that the enforcement drive must be limited to manufacturing units only. Inspections and sampling of the listed spices must be conducted strictly in accordance with the provisions of the FSS Act, Rules, and Regulations.
Furthermore, any samples drawn during the drive must be sent to a laboratory accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) that possesses the full scope for testing all specified parameters under the relevant Food Safety and Standards Regulations.
All authorities are required to record the relevant data on inspection, sampling, and their outcomes on the FoSCoS or FoSCoRIS portals. A consolidated report detailing the samples collected and their corresponding test results must be submitted to the FSSAI by email no later than November 20, 2025.