FSSAI New Regulation 10 of Import Rules to Come into Force from 1 May 2026

· Regulation 10 – Laboratory – Analysis of Samples of Imported Articles of Food

[FSSAI Notification F. No. QA/11023/31/2022-QA-FSSAI(1) dated 27 October, 2025]

F. No. QA/11023/31/2022-QA-FSSAI(1).—Whereas a draft of the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Amendment Regulations, 2024, were published vide notification of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India number F. No. QA/11023/31/2022-QA-FSSAI(1), dated the 3rd October, 2024, in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part III, Section 4 as required under sub- section (1) of section 92 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006), inviting objections and suggestions from persons likely to be affected thereby, within a period of sixty days from the date on which the copies of the Official Gazette containing the said notification were made available to the public;

And whereas, the copies of the said Gazette were made available to the public on the 7th October, 2024;

And whereas the objections and suggestions received from the public in respect of the said draft regulations have been considered by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (e) of sub- section (2) of section 92 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006), the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, with the previous approval of the Central Government hereby makes the following regulations, further to amend the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017, namely: -

1. (1) These regulations may be called the Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2025.

(2) They shall come into force on 1st May, 2026.

2. In the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017, in regulation 10, -

(i) in sub-regulation (4), for clause (b), the following clause shall be substituted, namely: -

“(b) The manuals of the method of analysis, as amended or adopted by the Authority from time to time, shall be used for analysing the samples of food articles. However, in case the method for analysing any parameter is not available in these manuals, the Food Laboratory may adopt a validated method of analysis prescribed by AOAC/ ISO / Pearson’s/ Jacob/ IUPAC/ Food Chemicals CODEX/ BIS/ Codex Alimentarius/ Woodmen/ Winton-Winton/ Joslyn or any other internationally recognized regulatory agencies.”;

(ii) for sub-regulation (5), the following sub-regulation shall be substituted, namely:-

“(5) The notified laboratory or referral laboratory shall provide the laboratory analysis report duly signed by its Food Analyst or Director, as the case may be, in FORM - 2 within five days from the date of receipt of the sample.”.

[ADVT.-III/4/Exty./424/2025-26]

10. Food Analysis

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Regulation (4) and (5) of Regulation 10

(4) The notified or referral laboratory shall follow the following procedure for food analysis, namely:-

(a) on receipt of the sample of food from the Authorised Officer, the notified or referral laboratory shall immediately conduct a preliminary inspection of the sample to ascertain whether all the information required for testing is available or on the sufficiency of the sample quantity, and if there is any deficiency, the laboratory shall immediately inform the Authorised Officer of these deficiencies;

(b) the notified or referral laboratory shall comply with the test methods specified by the Food Authority with regard to the tests to be performed and the equipment to be used, for testing samples of different categories of articles of food:

Provided that in cases where the test method has not been specified by the Food Authority, the notified or referral laboratory shall comply with the specifications for testing that have been specified by the Codex Alimentarius Commission or the International Organisation for Standardisation or Director General Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India;

(c) the notified or referral laboratory shall bring to the notice of the Food Authority any new test or method of testing that it may seek to conduct on samples of any specific article of food, or any new equipment that it may seek to use but shall not commence using the test or method of testing or equipment unless so permitted by the Food Authority.

(5) The notified laboratory or referral laboratory, as the case may be, shall provide the laboratory analysis report duly signed by its Food Analyst in FORM - 2 within five days from the date of receipt of the sample.