Understanding the FSSAI mandates
To strengthen the transparency in the food industry, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has made it mandatory for food business operators (FBOs) dealing with Dairy Analogues to upload a detailed product specification document by June 30, 2025. This announcement applies to all FBOs whose FSSAI licenses or FSSAI registrations include the endorsement “Analogue in the Dairy Context.”
The directive is intended to create a standardised approach to how Dairy Analogues are identified and represented in the market. With growing variations and lack of compositional standards, FSSAI’s mandate brings regulatory uniformity and consumer protection into sharper focus.
Why Dairy Analogues Require Clarity
Dairy Analogues products that resemble traditional dairy in function and appearance but are formulated differently have grown increasingly popular.Currently, the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR) do not currently define a fixed composition for dairy analogues. This considerable variation in how these products are formulated, often raising concerns about transparency and misleading representation.
Currently, proprietary foods must disclose ingredients and additives but this hasn’t extended broadly to dairy analogues. FSSAI’s move aims to fill this regulatory gap, ensuring that manufacturers explicitly disclose their product’s structure and ingredients for better consumer awareness and compliance monitoring.
How Food Businesses Operator (FBO) Comply for product specification
To meet the new requirement, eligible FBOs must take the following steps:
- Prepare the product specification using the Annexure-2 format provided in the official communication.
- Log into the FoSCoS portal, and go to the ‘Modification’ tab.
- Select ‘Apply for Modification in License/Registration’, then choose ‘Communication Details/Supporting Documents [Non-Form C Modification without fee]’.
- Under this section, upload the file under ‘Product Specification Document – by Manufacturers of Dairy Analogues.’
Additionally, FBOs who hold the Dairy Analogue endorsement but do not manufacture such products must upload a self-declaration on their company letterhead confirming this.
Miscompliance for license modification
FBOs failing to meet the compliance deadline of June 30, 2025, may face regulatory scrutiny. While there is no fee involved for this modification, licensing authorities have been directed to monitor compliance strictly. Non-compliance could result in penalties, delays in license renewals, or other regulatory actions.
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