The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has released a consultation paper outlining a proposal to restrict the registration facility for manufacturers of certain food products and categories. This move aims to further strengthen the compliance ecosystem and ensure higher safety standards for these specific items.
The consultation paper, dated May 1, 2025, highlights that the omission of mandatory BIS Certification for several food products in October 2024, including ‘Food for Infant Nutrition’, certain milk products, and ‘Packaged Drinking Water’ and ‘Mineral Water’, the FSSAI is now considering additional measures.
Currently, Food Business Operators (FBOs) manufacturing these products can obtain either FSSAI Registration or License based on their eligibility. The FSSAI notes that Registration involves fewer compliance obligations compared to Licensing, such as no mandatory six-monthly product analysis, no requirement for annual returns, and less stringent hygiene standards.
The FSSAI expresses concern that Registered FBOs may lack the necessary technical, financial, and infrastructural capabilities to guarantee safe production, particularly for technically demanding products like infant foods and packaged drinking water.
To address these concerns and strengthen compliance, the FSSAI has proposed the following:
Restriction on New Registrations & Transition for Existing Ones
The FSSAI proposes to disallow any new registrations and renewal of existing registrations for the manufacturing of the following products:
- ‘Food for Infant Nutrition’
- ‘Condensed milk sweetened, condensed skimmed milk sweetened, milk powder, skimmed milk powder, partly skimmed milk powder and partly skimmed sweetened condensed milk’
- ‘Packaged Drinking Water’
- ‘Mineral Water’
Under the proposal, only State or Central Licenses would be permitted for the manufacturing of these items. The FSSAI plans a special drive to convert existing Registered FBOs manufacturing these products to the License category. A reasonable transition period of six months is proposed to allow FBOs to shift and utilize existing packaging materials. Post-transition, the FoSCoS portal will be modified to remove these products from Registration Certificates.
Mandatory Pre-License Inspection
The FSSAI also proposes mandatory pre-license inspections for manufacturers intending to produce the following products/categories:
- Foods for infant nutrition (Food category 13.1 & 13.2)
- Non-carbonated Water-Based Beverages (Food category 14.1.4.2)
It is noted that pre-license inspection is already mandatory for Dairy Units and Packaged Drinking Water and Mineral Water.
The FSSAI is inviting stakeholders to submit their comments and suggestions on this proposal, along with a rationale, through a Google Form (links provided in the document) within 30 days from the date of the notice (May 1st, 2025). This consultation period will allow industry players and other interested parties to provide their feedback before the FSSAI finalizes its decision.
