Laws & rights
Indian food safety laws
The Acts, rules and regulations that govern food safety in India, each with its official source.
FSS Act, 2006 (2006)
This is the foundation law behind almost everything else on this site: FSSAI's existence, food business licensing, the meaning of 'adulterant' and 'unsafe food', and the penalty structure for violations.
FSS Rules, 2011 (2011)
These rules set out how the Act is enforced in practice: who the officers are, how laboratories are notified, and how adjudication and appeals proceed.
Licensing & Registration Regulations, 2011 (2011)
This is the regulation behind the 14-digit FSSAI number every legitimate food business must display. Checking this number is one of the simplest things a consumer can do.
Food Products Standards & Additives Regulations, 2011 (2011)
These are the composition standards that make a product 'sub-standard' or 'misbranded' if it fails to meet them, and they govern whether an additive found in a food is legal.
Contaminants, Toxins & Residues Regulations, 2011 (2011)
These limits are the benchmark a laboratory applies when assessing contamination such as heavy metals, aflatoxins or pesticide residue.
Packaging Regulations, 2018 (2018)
Packaging that is not food-grade can itself contaminate food; these rules set the safety bar for packaging material.
Labelling & Display Regulations, 2020 (2020)
This is the regulation behind almost every element described in our labelling guide; it is the most consumer-facing of FSSAI's regulations.
Advertising & Claims Regulations, 2018 (2018)
These rules are what makes a misleading food advertisement or label claim a punishable offence (section 53 of the FSS Act), separate from the Consumer Protection Act's advertising rules.
Food Recall Procedure Regulations, 2017 (2017)
This is the regulation behind the Recalls section of this site: it defines when and how a recall should happen and who can initiate one.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (2019)
This is the general consumer-rights law a food consumer can use alongside, or instead of, FSSAI's food-specific channels, for example to seek compensation or challenge a misleading food advertisement.
Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 (2011)
The FSS Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 explicitly point to these rules for net quantity, retail sale price and consumer-care declarations, so the two laws work together on a food label.
PFA Act, 1954 (1954)
You may still see this Act referenced in older articles, case law or packaging. It is historical: current food safety enforcement in India is under the FSS Act, 2006 and its regulations, not the PFA Act.