The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), on October 1, 2025, issued a notification temporarily suspending its planned nationwide enforcement drive on spices (whole and powdered forms), which was scheduled to be conducted from October 1 to October 31, 2025.
This update follows an earlier communication dated 17th September 2025, where FSSAI had announced the enforcement drive based on findings from the “Pan India Surveillance on Spices” conducted between November 2024 and February 2025. The surveillance revealed significant non-compliance with respect to quality parameters, presence of contaminants, microbial load, and labelling issues in several spice products available in the market.
The planned enforcement drive aimed to assess compliance with the Food Product Standards and Food Additives Regulations, 2011, and was to focus on 13 spice varieties, namely:
- Black Pepper (Whole and Powder)
- Cardamom (Whole and Powder)
- Chilli (Whole and Powder)
- Cinnamon (Dalchini) Whole
- Coriander (Whole and Powder)
- Cumin (Whole and Powder)
- Turmeric (Whole and Powder)
As per the initial plan, the drive was to be carried out by the Commissioners of Food Safety of States/UTs and Regional Directors of FSSAI, specifically targeting manufacturing units to check compliance at the source. All samples collected during the drive were to be tested at NABL-accredited laboratories to ensure reliable and comprehensive analysis of all required food safety parameters.
However, in the latest notification dated 30th September 2025, FSSAI has directed all concerned authorities to keep the drive in abeyance until further orders. No enforcement action is to be taken based on the earlier instructions unless new guidelines are issued.
This temporary hold may allow for further coordination, clarification, or preparation before the nationwide initiative is resumed.
Key Takeaways:
- All enforcement actions are to be withheld until fresh instructions are issued.
- FSSAI’s enforcement drive on spices for October 2025 is postponed until further notice.
- The drive was prompted by non-compliance findings during national surveillance.
- Thirteen spices were targeted for inspection and testing at the manufacturing level.