Product & ingredient approval (NSF).
If your product or an ingredient isn’t covered by a standard, it may need FSSAI’s prior approval before it can be sold. Getting the categorisation right decides whether you need one at all.
Free 10-minute check · A regulatory advisor calls back within 2 working hours, Mon–Sat 10 am–7 pm · Government fee paid by you directly to FSSAI
Start with a free 10-minute call
No forms to understand. Just tell us what you sell and where. A person from our regulatory team calls you back.
- Free 10-minute check
- Filed within 3 working days of getting your documents
- Licence in your own name
- Government fee paid by you directly to FSSAI
Thank you. We have your details.
We will call you within 2 working hours (Mon–Sat, 10 am–7 pm).
Send on WhatsApp tooFind out if you need approval at all — and if you do, an application built to get through.
What’s at stakeSelling a non-specified food without approval can make it an offence under the Act; we check before you launch, not after.
Where the rule comes from
FSS (Approval for Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients) Regulations 2017
FSS (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Regulations 2011
We quote the regulation behind every requirement. Where FSSAI has not said something clearly, we tell you it is our advice, not the law.
You need this if…
- You use an ingredient not listed in the standards or the nutraceutical schedules
- Your product doesn’t fit any standardised category
- You want to exceed a level that needs approval
- You’ve been told your product is a “non-specified food”
What we’ll need from you
- Full formulation with quantities
- Source and specification of every novel ingredient
- Manufacturing process description
- Any safety or toxicology data you hold
- Intended category and target consumer
Exactly what you’re paying for.
Included
- Categorisation of the product and every ingredient
- A written note: approval needed or not, and why
- Application and safety dossier where needed
- Status tracking through FSSAI’s process
Not included
- FSSAI’s application fee (paid by you)
- Laboratory safety studies (commissioned by you, specified by us)
Anything outside scope is quoted in writing before we do it.
- A categorisation note that says whether approval is needed, and why
- The application prepared and filed
- Status tracking
Who does what, in order.
Most of the work is ours. Where something needs you, it says so.
After it’s done
- Label and claims aligned to the approval
- Central Licence category updated
- WeCategorise first
Standardised, proprietary, nutraceutical or non-specified — many products don’t need approval.
- YouShare the formulation
Ingredients, levels, specifications, source.
- WeBuild the dossier
Safety, usage and history of use, organised the way the application asks.
- FSSAI reviews
The authority may ask questions; we answer them.
The mistakes we see most.
A proprietary food made from standardised ingredients within limits needs no prior approval.
Gaps turn into queries — and queries into months.
Our promises, in writing
You get the fee before we start. If the scope changes, you hear it from us before it costs you.
We file on your own FoSCoS (FSSAI’s licensing website) account with your approval. Nothing to hand back if you ever leave.
Straight to FSSAI on FoSCoS. It never passes through us.
Each rule comes with its source, and we say clearly when something is our advice.
Common questions
Is proprietary food the same as non-specified food?
No. A proprietary food is made from standardised ingredients within permitted limits and does not need approval; a non-specified food or ingredient does. The difference decides months of time.
How long does approval take?
It depends on FSSAI’s review and any questions it raises. We tell you where your application stands at every stage.
Often needed alongside.
Label review
Every mandatory element, size and claim — before the print run.
See the serviceClaims & advertising review
Front-of-pack claims, ads, social posts and influencer copy — checked before FSSAI reads them.
See the serviceHealth supplements & nutraceuticals
Category, ingredient schedules, one-RDA ceilings, formats and label statements.
See the serviceGet a fixed quote — in writing, before we start.
Book a free 10-minute check. A person — not a bot — calls you back within working hours, tells you exactly which licence you need and what it costs, before you commit to anything.
- Government fee paid by you, directly to FSSAI
- Filed under your own FoSCoS login
- Fixed fee, confirmed in writing before we start
Not ready to talk? Get the free 2026 checklist or find your licence yourself.