Which rules apply to a label
Three sets of rules meet on a food label:
- FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2020. The core rules. They've been amended five times, most recently on 24 March 2026.
- Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011. A separate law, run by the Legal Metrology department, covering net quantity, MRP, consumer-care details and the font sizes for them.
- FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations 2018. Anything you say about the food: "natural", "fresh", "high protein", health claims.
Some products, such as health supplements and nutraceuticals, carry extra statements under their own regulations.
The mandatory elements (regulation 5)
- Name of the food
- List of ingredients, including additives by class and name or INS number
- Nutrition information
- Veg or non-veg mark
- Allergen declaration
- Name and complete address of the manufacturer, packer or importer
- FSSAI logo and licence number
- Net quantity
- Lot or batch number
- Date marking
- MRP
- Country of origin, for imported food
- Instructions for use, where needed
A pack missing one required element is misbranded. Under section 52 of the FSS Act that can mean a penalty of up to ₹3 lakh, and the fix is usually a reprint. Small packs and some foods have exemptions, so check before you leave something off.
The FSSAI logo and licence number
The FSSAI logo and your 14-digit licence or registration number go on the label together. A licence number starts with 1, a registration number with 2.
- Don't use the logo as a marketing device. FSSAI's notices have cited regulation 4(9) of the Advertising and Claims Regulations where the logo was used to promote a product. It shows you're licensed. It isn't an endorsement.
- Use proper artwork. We don't reproduce the logo here. Avoid logo files from random image sites, which are often redrawn or out of date.
- Importers: the importer's name and address and the FSSAI logo and licence number are among only five things that can be fixed by sticker at the customs warehouse. Everything else must be right on arrival.
FSSAI's FAQ also says the 14-digit number must appear on bills, cash memos and invoices.
The veg and non-veg mark
Since the 2020 regulations, vegetarian food carries a green filled circle inside a green square outline. Non-vegetarian food carries a brown filled triangle inside a brown square outline. The triangle replaced the older brown circle.
The mark goes on the principal display panel, and its minimum size grows with the panel's area under a table in regulation 5(4). Food service outlets have their own rule: businesses with a Central Licence, or outlets in 10 or more locations, must show veg or non-veg marks, calories and allergens on menus.
Nutrition information
A nutrition table gives values per 100 g or 100 ml, and per serve with the serving size, servings per pack and the percentage of daily value. The rows are energy, protein, carbohydrate with total and added sugars, total fat and sodium. Saturated and trans fat are declared where total fat exceeds 0.5%. Cholesterol applies to products with animal fat above that threshold.
The daily-value basis is an average adult's 2,000 kcal, with 67 g total fat, 22 g saturated fat, 2 g trans fat, 50 g added sugar and 2,000 mg sodium. Beware "nutrition label generators" that don't do this arithmetic. A table whose sugars exceed its carbohydrate, or whose energy doesn't add up, is an easy finding.
Allergens
The regulations list eight allergen groups, among them cereals containing gluten, milk, nuts and soy. The declaration is a separate statement, and it must name the actual source: "Contains wheat", not "Contains gluten"; "cashew", not just "nuts". A "may contain" line is for cross-contact, not for ingredients you use.
Dates, net quantity and MRP
- Dates. Show the date of manufacture or packing and an expiry or "use by" date. "Best before" alone isn't enough. For shelf lives up to three months, give day, month and year.
- Legal Metrology. Net quantity in a standard unit, MRP "inclusive of all taxes", and a consumer-care contact. The FSSAI regulations defer to Legal Metrology for the font sizes of these.
- Packer registration. If you pre-pack, register under rule 27 within 90 days of starting. The fee is ₹500, one time. See Legal Metrology.
Claims on the front of the pack
Words like "natural", "fresh", "pure", "100%" and "healthy" each carry conditions. FSSAI's recent notices show that product names, pictures and bold type can all be claims. A misleading claim or advertisement carries up to ₹10 lakh under section 53. Our label review checks every element and claim against the current text, and claims and advertising covers the wording.