The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has officially reclassified “food grade packaging material” as ‘critical to food safety’, marking a significant shift in regulatory emphasis. This change, announced on April 3, 2025, brings stricter compliance measures under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018.
🔍 What’s New?
- Mandatory Certificate of Conformity: All food packaging materials must now have a Certificate of Conformity issued by a NABL-accredited laboratory.
- Critical Non-Compliance Penalty: Any deviation in packaging compliance will now be treated as critical during inspections—attracting a 4-mark penalty, which could substantially affect the FBO’s overall inspection score.
🏭 Who’s Affected?
The revised standards apply across all sectors, including:
- General food manufacturing
- Milk and dairy processing
- Meat and poultry industries
- Fish and seafood processing
- Catering and food service units
✅ Action Plan for FBOs
To avoid penalties and ensure smooth inspections, food businesses are advised to:
- Source packaging only from NABL-certified vendors.
- Conduct regular compliance checks of packaging materials.
- Maintain updated records—including certificates, test reports, and supplier documentation.
- Train teams on the revised classification and inspection requirements.
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