FSSAI Labeling Regulations: Important Notes

Every prepackaged food must contain of the following particulars of declaration either in Hindi or
English, and if required, there could be use of other languages, but in addition to either of them.
The label should properly be affixed to the food package in a conspicuous manner.

Particular labeling requirements on food container:

1. Name of the food

2. List of Ingredients (name of ingredients must be in descending order of their composition
by weight or volume)
3. Nutritional Information (per 100 gm or 100 ml or per serving) for energy value in kcal; for
protein, carb or fat in g or ml; for any other nutrients as per the health claim is made such
as for fatty acid (in g) and for cholesterol (in mg). Numerical information on vitamins to
be disclosed in metric units. The compliance for putting nutrients on the label has been
exempted for raw agricultural products such as jaggery, soluble coffee, packaged drinking
water and alcoholic beverages.
4. Declaration regarding Veg or Non veg to be a green and a brown dot in a cubic box
respectively. The size of the symbol should be minimum 3 mm in diameter if the area of
PDP is up to 100 cm. Square., 4 mm for between 100 sq. cm. to 500 sq. cm, and 6 mm for
PDP about 500 to 1500 sq. cm. Symbol should be displayed close name of the product on
the label.
5. Declaration regarding food additives such as addition of colors or flavors and the same
must be declared in CAPITAL LETTERS [CONTAINS PERMITTED NATURAL
COLOR(S)]
6. Name and Complete Address of the Manufacturer: name and address of the manufacturer
and the unit if both are located at different places, and in case the manufacturer is not the
packer of the item, then name and complete address of packing or bottling unit as the case
may be. In case the food is imported into India then name and address of the importer in
India.
7. Net Quantity: Net quantity by weight or volume or number to be declared on food package.
If Food packed in a liquid medium, it shall carry a declaration of the drained weight of the
food.
 8. Lot/Code/Batch Identification: A mark of identification by which the food can be traced in
the manufacture and identified in the distribution on the label. This rule is inapplicable to
bread or milk packages
9. Date of Manufacturing/ Packing: Date, month and year of manufacture to be given on the
label, and this would be applicable when “Best before Date” of products is more than 3
months.
10. Best Before and Use by date: the month and year in capital letters up to which the product
is best for consumption and the declaration must be in CAPITAL LETTERS (BEST
BEFORE………MONTHS AND YEAR). Year may be given in two digits.
11. Country of Origin for imported food
12. Instructions for use: to correct the utilization of the food.

Principle Display Panel(PDP): information required under these Regulations shall be given on the
principal display panel of the package or container. Every information to be grouped together at
one place.

Area of PDP: If box is rectangular, forty percent of the product of height and width of the panel of
such container. If the box is cylindrical, round or oval then twenty percent of the product of the
height and average circumference of such container

Legal Metrology Act, 2009

The act is to enforce standards of weights and measures, regulate trade and commerce in weights,
measures of goods that are sold or distributed by weight or measure or number.

Section 4&5: every unit of weight shall in accordance with the metric system based on
international unit system. The base unit would be as follows;

Length in meter; mass in kilogram;

Section 11: Prohibition of quotation otherwise than in terms of standard units of weight, measure
or numeration (Prohibitory clause for contravening the general provisions of the act). It prohibits
exhibition of price list, publish an advert, indication of net quantity etc.
Section 15: The section empowers the inspection and seizure rights as conferred upon the director
or controller or any legal metrology office based on reasonable belief. And u/s 16, such seized
items shall be forfeited to the state government.

Section 17: every single manufacturer, dealer of weight or measure shall maintain such records
and registers.

Section 18: no person shall sell, pack, manufacture or possess for sale any pre-packaged
commodity unless such package is in such standard quantity or numbers with such declaration.
Every adverts mentioning the retail sale price of pre-packaged commodity shall contain a
declaration as to the net quantity or number of the commodity contained in the packaged.

Section 23: no person shall manufacture, repair or sell any weight or measure unless he holds a
license issued by the controller.

Section 24: Any usable measure or weights shall be verified at such place as ordered by the
controller.

Section 25: Penalty for not using/alteration the standard weight or measure. The penalty provisions
run up to section 47.

Section 48: the provision provides for compounding of offences under the act.

Legal Metrology (Packaging of Commodity) Rules, 2011

Important Definitions:

 Industrial Consumer: who buys packaged commodities directly from the manufacturer or
from an importer or from wholesale dealer for use by that industry and the package shall
have declaration 'Not For Retail Sale’.
 Institutional Consumer: which buys packaged commodities bearing a declaration ‘not for
retail sale’, directly from the manufacturer or from an importer or from wholesale dealer
for use by that institution and not for commercial or trade purposes. For purpose of affixing
liability under the LMA,2009 one must always look at the chain of purchase as to whether
one bought the stuffs from the manufacturer directly or there was an intermediary present.
 Chapter II is applicable to packages intended for retail sale. In furtherance, the applicability of
the chapter II is exempted for commodities weighing more than 25 kg. or 25 Liters, cement,
fertilizers or farm produce along with packaged commodities meant for institutional/ industrial
consumers.

Rule 6: Mandatory declarations that are to be followed under the chapter II (please note the
abovementioned exemption). Non observance of the same attracts penal provisions of the
Legal Metrology Act ranging from seizure, forfeiture of the stuff. The declaration must contain
the followings;

1. Name and address of the manufacturer, and where the manufacturer is not the
packer, then name and address of both the entities. If there is mention of name/ address
on the label without specifying whom it belongs to, it shall be presumed that it would
either be of manufacturer or packers.
2. Common or generic name of the commodity contained in the package.
3. Net Quantity of the packaged items, in terms of weight, measures, number shall be
mentioned as a part of the declaration.
4. Month and year when the commodity was either manufactured or imported to the
country of sale.
5. Best before if packed commodity is likely to be perished after a period, rendered to be
unfit for human consumption. Best before means the product would be safe for human
consumption and perfectly marketable, however the quality of the product starts
deteriorating after the mentioned date. While USE BY Date signifies that the product
should not be marketable after the mentioned date.
6. Retail Price of the package, maximum retail price inclusive of all taxes. And declared
as Max/Maximum retail price xxx or MRP Rs. xxx (incl. of all taxes)

Every package must contain of name, address, contact number and email of the person who would
be accessible in case of consumer complaint. Apart from the abovementioned, the act shall not
preclude any person from putting Bar code, GTIN or governmental schematic logo (Swachha
Bharat).

Rule 7: Principle Display Area, Size and Letters: Given in Table I of Rule 7, since the same is full
of intricacies, the observance of the same is very irregular even when it comes to the authority.
Rule 8: the declaration to be fixated on the PDP around above and below by a space equal to at
least the height of the numeral in the declaration.

Rule 12: Manner of declaration: declaration of quantity shall be expressed in terms of such unit of
weight, measure or number or a combination of weight, measure or number as would give an
accurate and adequate information to the consumer with regard to the quantity of the commodity
contained in the package. The units shall be in following format for different standards such mass
in kg, number, length if sold by linear measure. The declaration pertaining to measure or weight
shall not be affixed with words such as average, approximately, about, not less than etc., to avoid
any sort of ambiguities.

Rule 13: Statement of units, measure, weight: kilogram- gram; Meter- centimeter; Square Meter-
square decimeter, liter–milliliter (Use ‘L’ to avoid any confusion with 1 or I). When the weight or
any other unit is above than the given unit, the fraction of that particular weight or measure should
be put in decimals (ex- 1.2 kg)

Rule 18 accentuates that the wholesaler or manufacturer would be able to sell the pre-packaged
commodities directly to the institutional/industrial consumers. The commodity shall bear the
declaration as “NOT FOR RETAIL SALE” categorically on Principle display area. The omission
of the same would render such package not to be used/possessed by the institutional/industrial
consumer.

Rule 19 read with Section 15 of the LMA empowers any director. Legal metrology officer to
inspect any place where he has reason to believe that such goods are stored that are in contravention
to the act and rules pertaining to LMA and LMR.

Rule 25: the declaration containing the name and address of the manufacturer, identity of the
commodity, total number of retail packages (net quantity) to be there on every wholesale packages.

Exemption under Rule 26 on packages having net weight of less than 10 gm or 10 ml, any food
packet packed by hotel/restaurant (fast food items).

Rule 27: Every individual, firm company or association that is involved in pre-packaging any
commodity for sale, distribution or delivery, to make an application for registration (with a fee of
500 rs.) before director, controller under LMA to carry out abovementioned act legally. The
application shall contain name of applicant, address of the premises where the operation is
undertaken, and name of the commodity that is pre-packaged by the applicant. U/R 28, registration
of shorter address is also permissible.