Proof Over Promises: FSSAI Tightens Food Safety Rules, Makes Science Mandatory; What Changes

From January 1, 2026, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will require all applications seeking a food safety review or changes in food standards to follow a single, standardised format backed by robust scientific data.

When questions surface over the safety of what Indians eat, assurances will no longer suffice. Hard evidence will. India’s food regulator is tightening rules on food safety, making scientific proof not claims the deciding factor in what reaches consumers’ plates.

From January 1, 2026, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will require all applications seeking a food safety review or changes in food standards to follow a single, standardised format backed by robust scientific data. The decision follows concerns within the regulator that several earlier submissions were patchy, poorly structured, or missing critical information, undermining proper risk assessment.

The new framework does not trigger a blanket review of all foods already on store shelves. Instead, it comes into play when a company, industry body, or stakeholder approaches FSSAI—either to introduce a new product or to seek a scientific reassessment of an existing one. In such cases, the onus of proving safety will lie squarely with the applicant.

What changes?

Under the revised format, submissions must clearly spell out nutritional composition, actual consumption patterns among Indians, findings from toxicological studies, evidence on safe intake limits, potential allergy risks, and supporting scientific research. This data will be scrutinised by FSSAI’s Science and Standards Division and evaluated by expert panels, which will determine whether a product can be approved, continued, restricted, or subjected to stricter limits.

Officials stress that the sharper focus on Indian dietary habits is critical, especially as packaged and processed foods become more common. Data from other countries, they argue, often fails to reflect real exposure levels in India, where portion sizes, cooking practices, and sensitivities can vary widely.

“This is an important step to protect public health. Earlier, many foods were approved using limited or incomplete information. Since Indian food habits, portion sizes and sensitivities are very different from those in other countries, asking for proper proof about long-term safety, how much people eat and possible allergy risks helps make food rules more practical, science-based and safer for Indian consumers,” said Anjali Bhola, dietician at National Cancer Institute, Jhajjar, All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

To ease industry concerns, FSSAI has assured stakeholders that all data submitted for risk assessments will remain confidential and be used strictly for scientific evaluation and policy decisions. For consumers: When food safety is questioned, evidence not assumptions will decide what stays on the plate.