Check your packaged food label against FSS Labelling Regulations 2020 — mandatory declarations, font size rules, allergen labelling, and nutritional display requirements.
The Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2020 replace the earlier 2011 regulations and introduce significant new requirements for packaged food labels in India. These regulations are enforced by FSSAI and non-compliance can result in product recall, cancellation of FSSAI licence, and penalties up to ₹10 lakhs under the FSS Act 2006. The checklist above covers the most commonly violated requirements — a complete reading of the regulations themselves is always recommended before finalising label artwork.
Added sugars vs total sugars: The 2020 regulations introduced a mandatory requirement to declare added sugars separately from total sugars in the nutritional table. Many brands that updated their labels post-2011 have not updated this field. This is one of the most frequently found non-compliances during FSSAI inspections.
Trans fat declaration: Trans fat must be declared in the nutrition table. The FSS (Limit on Trans Fats in Oils and Fats) Regulations 2021 capped trans fat at 2% of total fat in industrial food products. If your product contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (PHVO) in any form — including from co-packer ingredients — you must declare trans fat content.
Serving size with household measure: The serving size must be expressed in grams or millilitres AND in a household unit (e.g., "1 serving = 30g (approx. 1 small bowl)"). Stating only grams without a household reference is non-compliant.
Allergen boldface in ingredient list: The nine Schedule IX allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat/gluten, soy, fish, shellfish/crustaceans, sesame) must be emphasised within the ingredient list itself — typically in bold — in addition to appearing in a separate "Contains" statement.
All packaged food products sold in India must display either the green dot (vegetarian) or brown dot (non-vegetarian) symbol. The symbol must be a solid-coloured dot or circle inside a square border, in the specified colours (Pantone 362C for veg, Pantone 4625C for non-veg), with a minimum size of 3mm × 3mm. A product is classified as non-vegetarian if it contains any animal-derived ingredient including dairy, eggs, honey, gelatin, or any meat/fish derivative — even in trace quantities or as an additive.
Font size requirements under Regulation 6 are based on the total surface area of the pack (not just the label panel). For packs with surface area greater than 100 cm², the minimum font x-height is 1.0mm. For packs with surface area less than 100 cm², the minimum is 0.75mm. For very small packs (sachet format below 10 cm²), certain declarations may be reduced or placed on a pendant tag. The x-height is measured on lowercase letters — a font that appears large in uppercase may still fail the minimum x-height test.
The FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2020 are in force. Products launched before the notification date had a transition period; all new products and label reprints must comply fully. If you are redesigning your label for any reason — new flavour, new pack size, new co-packer — use the 2020 regulations as your compliance benchmark.
No — online sale of packaged food in India requires FSSAI registration. E-commerce platforms (Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit) require your FSSAI number during seller onboarding and it must appear on your product label. Selling without FSSAI registration is an offence under the FSS Act 2006.
FSSAI registration or licence covers your entity and manufacturing/packing facility, not individual products. However, products in certain categories (proprietary foods, novel foods, foods with health claims) require a product approval before launch. For standard food categories like roasted snacks and packaged nuts, no product-specific approval is required — your facility licence covers all compliant products manufactured there.
Under the FSS Act 2006, selling food with misleading labels or non-compliant mandatory declarations can attract a penalty of ₹3–10 lakhs per violation. Repeated violations or violations causing health risk attract higher penalties and potential criminal prosecution. FSSAI inspectors can also order immediate product recall and suspension of your FSSAI licence.
Disclaimer: This checklist is a guidance tool based on FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2020. It does not cover all requirements for all product categories and is not a substitute for professional regulatory advice. Always have your final label artwork reviewed by a qualified food technologist or regulatory consultant before printing. FMCGMath is not responsible for compliance decisions made on the basis of this tool.