{"id":25872,"date":"2021-02-11T14:38:48","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T09:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/?p=25872"},"modified":"2025-12-11T17:14:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T11:44:16","slug":"fssai-guidelines-on-the-clearance-of-imported-food-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/fssai-guidelines-on-the-clearance-of-imported-food-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"FSSAI Guidelines on the Clearance of Imported Food in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">A variety of food products are imported in India from\ndifferent countries. It is very important to make sure that the imported food\nis safe and hygienic before making it accessible to consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are authorized officers as appointed by the Food\nSafety and Standards Authority of India to keep a proper eye and verify all the\nfood articles that are being imported at various ports in the country. The food\nimporters have to follow the mandatory guidelines and satisfy different norms\nand conditions to get the clearance of food while entering the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Food Import Clearance System\nunder FSSAI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The food authority <a href=\"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/fssai-license\" title=\"FSSAI License online\"><strong>FSSAI<\/strong><\/a> which is the regulator of food in India has norms for the import, labeling and packaging of products that are imported to India so as to put an end to the problems of sub-standard products that are entering the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FSSAI has the&nbsp;Food Safety and Standards (Food Import) Regulations, 2016&nbsp;for\noperating the process of food importers. Also, due to Covid-19 pandemic the Food Safety and Standard\nAuthority of India (FSSAI) decided to notify \u2018Food Import Clearance System\u2019 as\nessential service during the lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Provisions for Clearance of Imported\nFood in India<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Section 25 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006\ncontains provisions for import of food articles in India and says that no\nperson can import the food product:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Which is not safe and\nimproperly branded or sub-standard food or&nbsp;\nif any extraneous matter is contained in the food,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where license is required for\nimporting the food under any Act or regulations, except where it is according to\nthe conditions of the licence, and,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When any imported food is\ncontravening any provision of this Act or of any other rules or regulation made\nunder any other Act.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Further the FSSAI has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017 on March 9, 2017 mentioning the provisions for import of food in India and packaging and labelling of such imported food items which are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">License or Registration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All food importers should have the <a href=\"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/iec-registration\" title=\"Apply online for Import Export Code\"><strong>Import Export Code<\/strong><\/a> for importing food into India. These food importers should get themselves registered with the Director General of Foreign Trade. And they will have to obtain a license for import from the Central Licensing Authority in conformity with provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Imported Food\u2019s Shelf\nLife<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Only the food articles which have\na valid shelf life of not less than 60% during the import shall be cleared by\ncustoms while entering the country. &nbsp;The\nshelf life is the period between the manufacture date of the food article and the\n\u201cBest Before\u201d and \u201cExpiry date\u201d, whichever is earlier. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If in any case the imported food\nhas less than 7 days of shelf life then the importer has to present an application\nto the customs for furnishing them with a provisional certificate of no-objection.\nSubsequently, only when the food articles are satisfying with the requirements\nof the standards then can the authorized officer&nbsp;allow the import of the\nfood considering the no-objection certificate<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Imported Food\u2019s Packaging and Labelling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The packaging and labeling has to be according to the regulation, if not then the authorized officer shall decline the clearance by issuing a non-conformance certificate and such goods shall not be allowed to be imported in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sampling of food and Analysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The food articles shall be taken out for sampling and shall be tested and proper analysis of the food will be done by the customs. If any portion of the food article is not satisfying the criteria in the guidelines then the authorized officer shall decline that part and allow the rest of them for clearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-left\"><b>Read our article<\/b>:<mark style=\"background: #fffd03 !important;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/how-to-check-fssai-application-status\/\">How to Check FSSAI Application Status?<\/a><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No Objection Certificate and Non-Conformance Certificate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The authorized Officer may issue a \u201cNo-objection certificate\u201d if the food articles are satisfying all required provisions that are valid and are qualified for import. This certificate is valid for 30 days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if in case food article has failed to comply with the requirement then the authorized officer shall issue a \u2018Non-conformance certificate\u2019 citing the reasons of non conformance to the food importer, thereby, declining the import of such food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Framework Based on\nRisk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017\nendows with a risk based framework and a risk based inspection system under\nwhich FSSAI may timely evaluate the risks related with articles of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>FSSAI has the responsibility to ask the laboratories in exporting countries for former testing of food samples and then only such food articles shall be imported into India. FSSAI can also enter into a memorandum of understanding with significant agencies in the exporting countries for clearance of food imports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Requirements to be Fulfilled by the Food Importer<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Requirements-to-be-Fulfilled-by-the-Food-Importer.png\" alt=\"Requirements to be Fulfilled by the Food Importer\" class=\"wp-image-25880\" width=\"529\" height=\"322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Requirements-to-be-Fulfilled-by-the-Food-Importer.png 985w, https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Requirements-to-be-Fulfilled-by-the-Food-Importer-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Requirements-to-be-Fulfilled-by-the-Food-Importer-768x469.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 529px) 100vw, 529px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Authorities for Review Process of Imported\nFood at the Entry Ports<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>First Committee<\/strong>&#8211; This is chaired by director at imports, FSSAI . Importer can file review application with the grounds of appeal to the Director against the non conforming certificate issued by authorized authority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Apex Committee<em>:<\/em><\/strong> This is chaired by <em><strong>Chief Executing Officer<\/strong><\/em><sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chief_executive_officer\"><em><strong>[1]<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/sup>, FSSAI. If the importer is not satisfied with the First Committee he may file a review application with the grounds of appeal to the Apex committee.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Steps Taken for well\nOrganized Food Import Clearance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>FSSAI has simplified the process of advance filing of bill of entry in Food Import Clearance System (FICS) from customs to minimize the clearance time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>FSSAI has allowed provisional Non Objection Certificate for imported pre-packaged import goods so as to reduce clearance time and also heavy congestion at the entry ports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>49 laboratories have been identified across the country for testing and analyzing the food samples and the time taken while testing the sample is continuously monitored.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>FSSAI has developed Food Import Rejection Alert (FIRA) for capturing non- compliances of all the imported foods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The FSSAI is strict with the guidelines for importing the food articles. The necessary criteria of the clearance have to be mandated with for allowing the import of the food articles. Hence, the Customs Authorities are responsible for scrutinizing the documents, conduct proper inspection, perform &nbsp;sampling and testing in &nbsp;order &nbsp;to &nbsp;decide &nbsp;whether&nbsp; the imported food articles are in conformity &nbsp;to &nbsp;the proper &nbsp;safety &nbsp;and &nbsp;quality &nbsp;norms and standards as has been established and given under various Food Safety and Standards Regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017 thus provides with a complete procedure for the clearance of imported food articles inside India and also make sure that efficient inspection and investigation of food articles are regularly done to guarantee that life and health of consumers are protected and safeguarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"text-left\"><b>Read our article<\/b>:<mark style=\"background: #fffd03 !important;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/regulation-of-fssai-on-vigilance-safety-of-packaged-foods\/\">Regulation of FSSAI on Vigilance &amp; Safety of Packaged Foods<\/a><\/mark><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A variety of food products are imported in India from different countries. It is very important to make sure that the imported food is safe and hygienic before making it accessible to consumers. There are authorized officers as appointed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to keep a proper eye and verify [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":25878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[150],"tags":[1524],"acf":{"service_id":"318"},"authorName":"Kandarp Vanita","authorImageUrl":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image_2021_02_01T09_09_44_024Z.png","authorDescription":"Kandarp Vanita has done masters in Corporate and Commercial Law from WB National University of Juridical Sciences. She has 3 yrs of experience in drafting legal documents &amp; dissertations. Being a curious reader, she is also passionately into providing legal backups and comprehensive understandings in every aspect of Law to the firms.","postViews":10958,"readingTime":4,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25872"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25872"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70712,"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25872\/revisions\/70712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/corpbiz.io\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}