JSA Newsletter | Food and Consumer | July and August 2025 Edition

Please click here to download the Newsletter as a PDF.

The recently signed India–United Kingdom (“UK”) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (“CETA”) marks an important milestone for India’s agriculture and food processing sector. By removing tariffs on a wide range of products, CETA provides duty-free access for Indian exports to boost exports to the UK by nearly 20% over the next 3 (three) years and contribute to India’s broader target of reaching USD 100 billion (US Dollar one hundred billion) in agricultural exports by 2030. India bound tariff barriers are to be lowered for UK exports of whiskeys and some other spirits. CETA protects certain sensitive areas of Indian food-agri sector, ensuring a balance between global trade opportunities and domestic interests. Overall, the CETA should act as a foundation for more cross-border partnerships, collaborations & joint ventures, and business expansion (especially brownfield).

Alongside trade developments, strong regulatory action is being taken to reinforce food safety and consumer protection in the domestic market, particularly in the growing e-commerce food segment. A high-level meeting between the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (“FSSAI”) and leading online platforms focused on tightening standards across the supply chain. Platforms were directed to clearly display license or registration numbers on all receipts and invoices, update and disclose warehouse information on the Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) portal, upload photographs to demonstrate hygiene compliance, ensure expiry/use-by dates are visible at the consumer interface, and mandate training and certification for all food handlers through the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) programme. They were also reminded to comply fully with the Food Safety and Standards (“FSS”) Act, 2006, and warned of strict action for lapses in adherence.

At the policy level, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (“MoAFW”) has rolled out a comprehensive roadmap to ensure sustainable growth in farming. Priorities include improving crop productivity, lowering costs, securing fair prices for farmers, diversifying production, strengthening post-harvest value chains, and enhancing climate resilience to reduce crop losses. Reflecting these efforts, provisional estimates from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) through the National Statistics Office (NSO) indicate that the agriculture and allied sectors are set to grow at 4.6% Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2024–25, highlighting the sector’s stability and potential.

To further strengthen consumer confidence, FSSAI has introduced new standards for meat sausages, updated specifications for food additives, and intensified enforcement actions and inspecting more than 8,000 (eight thousand) e-commerce food storage facilities. Collectively, these developments signal a stronger push towards building safer, more transparent, and globally competitive food systems in India.

This edition of the JSA Foods and Consumer Newsletter highlights recent (July 2025 to August 2025) regulatory developments focused on consumer protection and the food businesses in India.

Public utility services[1]

To ensure uninterrupted supply of essential goods and maintain industrial harmony, the Central Government has declared the industries engaged in Food stuffs which is covered under item 6 of the First Schedule to the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (14 of 1947), to be a public utility service for a further period of 6 (six) months with effect from July 1, 2025.

Amendment made to the food product standards[2]

FSSAI has issued the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2025, amending the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. These will come into force on February 1, 2026. Some of the key amendments are as follows:

1. the refractive index at specified temperatures for several edible oils, such as – palm oil, palmolein, palm kernel oil and palm superolein are modified;
2. clause 2A is added to Regulation 2.5.2 (meat and meat products – comminuted or restructured meat products), which lays a comprehensive new standard for meat sausages (fresh or cooked). The clause details the standards, preparation, processing and storage requirements of fresh or cooked meat sausages. Detailed procedures for mincing, emulsification, stuffing, linking, cooking (to 75°C internal temp for cooked sausages), cooling, chilling, and freezing (to -18°C or lower for frozen) are specified. Storage temperatures of 4°C for fresh/chilled and -18°C or lower for frozen sausages are mandated. India has a growing market of frozen, fresh and ready to eat supply of meats by e-commerce entities. These changes would be of interest to them as well as any back-to-back service providers they engage;
3. new standard is inserted for both dehydrated tarragon, whole and dehydrated tarragon, powder. The new clause details the definition, compositional requirements as well as the chromatographic requirements for tarragon;
4. provisions relating to preparation of food colours are amended. The standard for ‘food colour – preparation and mixtures’ are revised. The new clause specifies that these preparations, containing 1 (one) or more permitted food colours, must conform to prescribed standards and may include specific diluents or filler materials (a comprehensive list of 29 (twenty-nine) permitted diluents/fillers is provided);
5. requirements for solid and liquid preparations, and total dye content declarations on labels, are also detailed; and
6. new enzymes derived from genetically modified microorganisms are added to Table 11A.

Copper limits in hops pellets[3]

FSSAI has withdrawn their order dated October 28, 2022[4] (“2022 Order”), regarding copper limits in hops pellets, which are used in brewing beers. All imported consignments of hops pellets will follow the copper limits of ‘foods not specified’ category under FSS (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulation, 2011 i.e. 30 (thirty) milli gram/kilo gram; as distinguished from the 1000 (one thousand) parts per million, that was the standard per the European Food Safety Authority, to which the 2022 Order mandated adherence.

Display of food safety connect mobile app Quick Response code/download link at food premises[5]

To strengthen food safety surveillance and consumer empowerment, FSSAI has developed a user-friendly platform, called ‘Food Safety Connect app’, that allows consumers to:

1. lodge complaints regarding food safety and hygiene issues
2. report misleading claims made on food products
3. access basic information about licensed/registered FBOs;
4. stay informed about food safety initiatives and alerts.

Any complaint lodged through the app, is automatically routed to the concerned jurisdictional authority of the food business, ensuring prompt redressal and minimising delays in addressing food safety grievances.

For ease of access, FSSAI has made the Quick Response (“QR”) code of the Food Safety Connect App available on the front page of the FSSAI licence and registration. All FBOs, including restaurants, dhabas, cafes, eateries and other food service establishments (“Relevant FBOs”), are advised to:

1. prominently display the license/registration copy containing the QR code to download the Food Safety Connect mobile application at customer-visible areas within the premises for being in compliance with Condition of License number 1 of the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. This requirement is further reiterated vide press release on August 1, 2025; and
2. feature the QR code/link to download the Food Safety Connect mobile application on digital assets of the food business, such as websites or online ordering platforms, wherever applicable.

This measure is aimed at empowering consumers by providing them with a direct and user-friendly platform for grievance redressal. The Relevant FBOs have also been asked to feature the QR code or a direct download link for the ‘food safety connect’ app on their digital assets, including websites and online ordering platforms, wherever applicable.

It remains to be seen how proactively Relevant FBOs comply with this requirement as, with the QR Code already made available in the public domain, it does not require significant infrastructural investment or business model modification by them. At the same time, it would be interesting to note how strictly the FSSAI tracks this compliance.

Ayurveda Aahara covered under FSS (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022[6]

To offer clarity, standardization, and consumer safety, FSSAI (under collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush), has provided a list of Ayurveda Aahara covered under Category A under the FSS (Ayurveda Aahara) Regulations, 2022 (“2022 Regulations”).

In a novel approach, FBOs can rely on the ingredients and mode of preparation for the Category A products from the 2022 Regulations, which would lend authenticity to their products for end consumers. Further, FBOs have an ongoing option of requesting the FSSAI to include additional Ayurveda Aahara not presently listed in Category A, by providing suitable information and supporting documents on the authenticity of the requested inclusion.

Reports suggest that the Indian ayurvedic products market (that includes ayurvedic foods but is larger set) was at INR 875.9 billion last yearand projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR)of over 16% for the next several years. This presents robust opportunities for FBOs to leverage the credibility and certainty that the amended 2022 Regulations present.

Vegetable Oil Products Production and Availability (Regulation) Amendment Order, 2025[7]

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has amended the Vegetable Oil Products Production and Availability (Regulation) Order, 2011. Some of the key amendments are as follows:

1. new definitions of ‘adjudicating officer’, ‘appellate authority’, ‘director’, ‘nodal officer’ etc. are inserted;
2. a producer who intends to produce, stock for sale or offer for sale vegetable oil, vegetable oil product, solvent extracted oil, must make an application to the director as specified. The director may after making necessary enquiries, issue the registration certificate;
3. every producer must furnish monthly return by the 15^th (fifteenth) day of the succeeding month to the director in respect of:

• • each vegetable oil received and used by the processing unit as raw material and each vegetable oil product manufactured, sold/imported/exported during the past 1 (one) month in a form specified by the director;
  • the stocks held and the quantities and varieties of solvent extracted oil, produced/dispatched by him during the preceding one month; and
  • the stocks held and the quantities and varieties of oil-bearing material used during the preceding one month.

4. the director/nodal officer/their appointed representative may inspect any premises, records, vehicles, or vessels related to the production/supply/distribution/import/export of vegetable oil products. The related stocks may be seized if they have reason to believe that the actual production or sales do not match the reported data. All producers are required to provide the necessary information to the director; and
5. every producer must comply with the order or direction given to them.

Enhancement of financial assistance under national mission on edible oils[8]

MoAFW has extended financial assistance to oil palm farmers across the country under the National Mission on Edible Oils – Oil Palm (“NMEO-OP”), for various components such as planting material, maintenance/management, intercropping in oil palm fields, installation of drip irrigation systems, machinery support, and replanting of old gardens. In addition, a price assurance mechanism in the form of Viability Gap Payment (VGP) has been introduced to safeguard farmers against price fluctuations and ensure remunerative returns. Some of the rate of assistance of the components under NMEO-OP, are:

1. for purchasing of planting material, INR 20,000 (Indian Rupees twenty thousand) per hectare for indigenous and INR 29,000 (Indian Rupees twenty-nine thousand) per hectare for imported seedlings (including transport cost) will be provided to the farmers for entire land holding for the 1^st (first) year;
2. for maintenance/management, intercropping in oil palm fields (gestation of 4 (four) years), INR 42,000 (Indian Rupees forty-two thousand) per hectare will be provided to farmers in General States and INR 50,000 (Indian Rupees fifty thousand) for Indian States in the northeast region; and
3. for installation of drip irrigation systems as per Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

FSS (Labelling and Display) First Amendment Regulations, 2025[9]

FSSAI has amended the amend the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, by providing a specific label declaration for every package containing a mixture of coffee and chicory (blended) and instant coffee-chicory mixture to be placed on the front of the package. The label will provide the percentage of coffee and chicory separately. The amendments will come to effect on July 1, 2026. With several new coffee brands emerging successfully in recent years, this change next year allows businesses to pivot their business model and create a differentiator for themselves in the eyes of the consumer, especially from a premiumisation perspective.

This Newsletter has been prepared by:

Vivek K Chandy Joint Managing Partner

Saurya Bhattacharya Partner

Shika Suresh Senior Associate

For more details, please contact [email protected].

[1] Notification no. – CG-DL-E-01072025-264283, dated July 1, 2025

[2] Notification no. – CG-DL-E-17072025-264741, dated July 14, 2025

[3] FSSAI order no. – TIC/2/2023-IMPORTS-FSSAI, dated July 14, 2025

[4] 1832/Misc/ FSSAI/Imports/ 2022

[5] FSSAI advisory no. – F. No.RCD-18001/1/2021-Regulatory-FSSAI(E-2682), dated July 25, 2025

[6] FSSAI order dated July 25, 2025

[7] Notification no – CG-DL-E-02082025-265189, dated August 1, 2025

[8] PIB, release ID – 2151353, dated August 1, 2025

[9] Notification no. – CG-DL-E-13082025-265397, dated August 12, 2025