Pharma & Healthcare Update: Regulatory Wrap 2025: Food Industry in India

Regulatory Wrap 2025: Food Industry in India

The most significant regulatory developments in India’s food sector in 2025 include:

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India discontinues “100%” claims on food labels and promotions.
• Food safety surveillance strengthened through QR-code integration and updated disposal norms.
• Environmentally compliant disposal norms issued for seized and expired food.

INTRODUCTION

India’s food industry in 2025 witnessed a continued regulatory focus on consumer protection, transparency and food-safety governance, with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (“FSSAI”) playing a central role in refining compliance expectations across the value chain. Regulatory interventions during the year reflected an emphasis on curbing misleading claims, formalising traditional food categories, enhancing traceability and consumer engagement, and reinforcing environmentally responsible practices. Together, these developments signal a shift towards more standardised, accountable and technology-enabled food regulation, aimed at strengthening consumer trust while providing clearer compliance pathways for Food Business Operators.

USE OF “100%” CLAIMS ON FOOD LABELS DISCONTINUED

In May 2025, FSSAI issued an advisory directing Food Business Operators (“FBOs”) to discontinue the use of the term “100%” on food product labels, packaging and related promotional materials.

The authority noted that “100%” is not defined under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (“FSS Act”) or the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims Regulations) 2018, and its use — whether standalone or with qualifiers such as “natural”, “pure” or “organic” — may mislead consumers regarding product composition or quality.¹

The advisory aims to prevent ambiguous or unsubstantiated claims and requires manufacturers and marketers to review and amend existing labels and advertisements to ensure compliance. Non-compliance may attract regulatory action under the FSS Act and the Advertising and Claims Regulations, including directions to modify or withdraw labels and advertisements, imposition of penalties, and suspension or cancellation of FSSAI licences.

FOOD SAFETY CONNECT QR-CODE ADDED TO FSSAI LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS

FSSAI issued an advisory dated July 25, 2025 directing FBOs that the QR-code for the Food Safety Connect App be printed on the front page of all FSSAI licence and registration certificates.

The Food Safety Connect App, enables customers to verify licence/registration status, lodge complaints about food safety or hygiene issues, report misleading claims, and access food-safety information via a digital platform. In furtherance of the advisory, all FBOs — including restaurants, cafés, dhabas, and other food outlets — must display their licence/registration certificate (with the QR-code) in customer-visible areas (e.g. entrance, billing counter, seating area).²

This move provides consumers a direct, convenient way to access the information pertaining to the food items and provides a traceability mechanism to determine the source and quality of the products in the market. It is intended to be a consumer centric move by the FSSAI and is aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability and consumer confidence in the food safety ecosystem.

FSSAI ISSUES ADVISORY ON ENVIRONMENTALLY COMPLIANT DISPOSAL OF SEIZED, REJECTED AND EXPIRED FOOD ITEMS

FSSAI issued an advisory dated November 3, 2025 mandating that seized, rejected or expired food items — including their packaging — must not be dumped into rivers, lakes, natural water bodies or open lands.³

The advisory instructs Food Safety Officers and other authorised enforcement officials that disposal of seized, rejected and expired food items (including their packaging) must follow approved environmentally-safe methods such as incineration at authorised facilities compliant with norms of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), composting or anaerobic digestion for biodegradable waste, or placement in sanitary landfills with leachate control. It also requires that disposal operations be supervised by designated Food Safety Officers (or authorised officials), video-documented, witnessed by at least two independent persons, and followed by submission of a disposal certificate to the relevant authorities. At the industry level, Food Business Operators are required to facilitate and comply with such disposal directions in respect of food items in their custody, under the supervision of the designated authorities.

The advisory is important as it ensures safe, environmentally compliant disposal of seized, rejected and expired food items, preventing environmental harm, eliminating the risk of unsafe food re-entering the market, and strengthening accountability in food-safety enforcement.

CONCLUSION

The regulatory developments in 2025 reflect a continued strengthening of India’s food-safety framework, with a clear focus on consumer protection, transparency and responsible industry practices. Through measures addressing misleading claims, formal recognition of traditional food categories, enhanced digital engagement with consumers and environmentally compliant disposal norms, FSSAI has reinforced a more standardised and technology-enabled regulatory approach.

Naveli Sharma, Shlok Siddhant, Tanya Kukade and Dr. Milind Antani
You can direct your queries or comments to the authors.

¹Accessible at: https://fssai.gov.in/upload/advisories/2025/05/683854948c294Advisory%20-%20100_%20claim.pdf

²Accessible at: https://fssai.gov.in/upload/advisories/2025/07/688a154f0130020250730181327470.pdf

³Accessible at: https://fssai.gov.in/upload/advisories/2025/11/6909856e1c82bSigned%20Advisory%20dt%2003.11.2025-%20Disposal%20of%20seized,%20rejected%20expired%20food.pdf