Labeling of the package

Labeling of package is done to inform the customer about the product, which is
present in the package.
Food labeling can be defined as the primary means of communication between the
producer and the seller of food on one hand and the purchaser and consumer on the
other.

Food Labeling
A label displays information regarding the product, which is typically printed on the
packaging. It is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a
container or article.

A label may also be printed directly on the container or article. A label not only
describes the product and its uses, but also provides instructions and crucial
precautionary measures (if any) that need to be taken care of. It essentially informs
consumers of the properties of a product.

Food Labelling hence serves as a primary link of communication between the

manufacturer and consumer and covers both food safety and information of consumer
interest.
FSSAI guidelines on packaging and labelling of food products Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous body established by the
Government of India under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

It usually sets standards for food so that there is no chaos in the minds of
consumers, traders, manufacturers and investors. Since the FSSAI is the authority
on all food-related things in India, FSSAI registration and observance of FSSAI
rules is a must.
Food safety and standards (packaging and labelling) regulations, 2011

Packaging: General Requirements

1. A utensil or container made of the following materials or metals, when used in

the preparation, packaging and storing of food shall be deemed to render it unfit
for human consumption: —
a. containers which are rusty;

b. enameled containers which have become chipped and rusty;

c. copper or brass containers which are not properly tinned

d. containers made of aluminium not conforming in chemical composition to IS:20

specification for Cast Aluminium & Aluminium Alloy for utensils or IS:21
specification for Wrought Aluminium and Aluminium Alloy for utensils.
2. Containers made of plastic materials should conform to the following Indian
Standards Specification, used as appliances or receptacles for packing or storing
whether partly or wholly, food articles namely: —

(i) IS: 10146 (Specification for Polyethylene in contact with foodstuffs);

(ii) IS: 10142 (Specification for Styrene Polymers in contact with foodstuffs);

(iii) IS: 10151 (Specification for Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), in contact with
foodstuffs);

(iv) IS: 10910 (Specification for Polypropylene in contact with foodstuffs);

(v) IS: 11434 (Specification for Ionomer Resins in contact with foodstuffs);

(vi) IS: 11704 Specification for Ethylene Acrylic Acid (EAA) copolymer;

(vii) IS: 12252 - Specification for Poly alkylene terephthalates (PET);

(viii) IS: 12247 - Specification for Nylon 6 Polymer;

(ix) IS: 13601 - Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA);

(x) IS: 13576 - Ethylene Metha Acrylic Acid (EMAA);

(xi) Tin and plastic containers once used, shall not be re-used for packaging of
edible oils and fats; Provided that utensils or containers made of copper
though not properly tinned, may be used for the preparation of sugar
confectionery or essential oils and mere use of such utensils or containers
shall not be deemed to render sugar confectionery or essential oils unfit for
human consumption.

3. General packaging requirements for Canned products,

I. All containers shall be securely packed and sealed.

II. The exterior of the cans shall be free from major dents, rust, perforations and
seam distortions.

III. Cans shall be free from leaks.

Mandatory labeling requirements of prepackaged foods indicate that every package of
food shall carry the following information on the label:

Name of the food

List of ingredients
Declaration of food additives
Name and address of manufacturing units/ importer
Country of origin
Net contents and drained weight
Lot/Code/Batch identification
Date of manufacture or packing
Date marking i.e. Expiry date and Best Before Date
Instructions for use
The Gazette of India stipulates that all food products packed should have a
label indicating whether it is totally vegetarian or not.
A green dot contained in a green square indicates vegetarian origin, whereas, a
brown dot in a brown square denotes that the product or ingredients are non-
vegetarian.
Apart from these, the Gazette of India stipulates certain additional mandatory
requirements on packaged food items.

These include quantitative labeling of ingredients and international irradiated

foods symbol in close proximity to the name or brand of the food.
Labelling:

General Requirements

1. Every pre-packaged food shall carry a label containing information as required here
under unless otherwise provided, namely, —

2. The particulars of declaration required under these Regulations to be specified on

the label shall be in English or Hindi in Devnagri script: Provided that nothing
herein contained shall prevent the use of any other language in addition to the
language required under this regulation.

3. Pre-packaged food shall not be described or presented on any label or in any

labeling manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an
erroneous impression regarding its character in any respect;

1. Label in pre-packaged foods shall be applied in such a manner that they will not
become separated from the container;
 5 Contents on the label shall be clear, prominent, indelible and readily
legible by the consumer under normal conditions of purchase and use;
6 Where the container is covered by a wrapper, the wrapper shall carry the
necessary information or the label on the container shall be readily
legible through the outer wrapper and not obscured by it;
7 License number shall be displayed on the principal display panel in the
following format, namely:

Provided that the existing products of a unit shall comply with the requirement of this
clause on and after the six months of commencement of the Food Safety and
Standards (packaging and labelling) Amendment Regulation, 2013.
Labelling of pre-packaged foods

In addition to the General Labelling requirements, every package of food shall

carry the following information on the label, namely, —

1. The Name of Food: The name of the food shall include trade name or
description of food contained in the package
2. List of Ingredients: Except for single ingredient foods, a list of ingredients
shall be declared on the label in the following manner: —
(a) The list of ingredients shall contain an appropriate title, such as the term
―Ingredients‖;
(b) The name of Ingredients used in the product shall be listed in descending
order of their composition by weight or volume, as the case may be, at
the time of its manufacture;
(c) A specific name shall be used for ingredients in the list of Ingredients;
(d) Where an ingredient itself is the product of two or more ingredients, such a
compound ingredient shall be declared in the list of ingredients, and shall be
accompanied by a list, in brackets, of its ingredients in descending order of weight
or volume, as the case may be: Provided that where a compound ingredient,
constitutes less than five percent of the food, the list of ingredients of the
compound ingredient, other than food additive, need not to be declared;

(e) Added water shall be declared in the list of ingredients except in cases where
water forms part of an ingredient, such as, brine, syrup or broth, used in the
compound food and so declared in the list of ingredients:

Provided that water or other volatile ingredients evaporated in the course of

manufacture need not be declared; Provided further that in the case of dehydrated
or condensed food, which are intended to be reconstituted by addition of water, the
ingredients in such reconstituted food shall be declared in descending order of
weight or volume as the case may be, and shall contain a statement such as
Ingredients of the product when prepared in accordance with the directions on the
label‖;
(f) Every package of food sold as a mixture or combination shall disclose the
percentage of the ingredient used at the time of the manufacture of the food
(including compound ingredients or categories of ingredients), if such ingredient–

i.) is emphasized as present on the label through words or pictures or graphics; or

ii.) is not within the name of the food but, is essential to characterize the food and
is expected to be present in the food by consumers, and if the omission of the
quantitative ingredient declaration will mislead or deceive the consumer. Provided
that where the ingredient has been used as flavoring agent, the disclosure of such
ingredient is not required:

Provided further that where the drained net weight is indicated on the label as
required or in case of such food products where specific provisions are stipulated
under these Regulations or where a pictorial representation of a serving
suggestion is made for consumer information and use, the disclosure of such
ingredient is not required
 Provided further that in case of any bottle containing liquid milk or liquid
beverage having milk as an ingredient, soft drink, carbonated water or ready-to
serve fruit beverages, the declarations with regard to addition of fruit pulp and
fruit juice shall invariably appear on the body of the bottle.

3. Nutritional information – Nutritional Information or nutritional facts per 100

gm or 100ml or per serving of the product shall be given on the label containing
the following: —
(i) energy value in kcal;
(ii) the amounts of protein, carbohydrate (specify quantity of sugar) and fat in
gram (g);
(iii) the amount of any other nutrient for which a nutrition or health claim is made:

Provided that where a claim is made regarding the amount or type of fatty acids or
the amount of cholesterol, the amount of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated
fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in gram (g) and cholesterol in milligram
(mg) shall be declared, and the amount of trans fatty acid in gram (g) shall be
declared in addition to the other requirement stipulated above;
(iv) Wherever, numerical information on vitamins and minerals is declared, it shall
be expressed in metric units;

(v) Where the nutrition declaration is made per serving, the amount in gram (g) or
millilitre (ml) shall be included for reference beside the serving measure; Provided
that the food claimed to be enriched with nutrients, such as, minerals, proteins,
vitamins, metals or their compounds, amino acids or enzymes shall give the
quantities of such added nutrients on the label.

Provided that — (i) the nutritional information may not be necessary, in case of
foods such as raw agricultural commodities, like, wheat, rice, cereals, spices, spice
mixes, herbs, condiments, table salt, sugar, jaggery, or non –nutritive products, like,
soluble tea, coffee, soluble coffee, coffee-chicory mixture, packaged drinking
water, packaged mineral water, alcoholic beverages or fruit and vegetables,
processed and pre-packaged assorted vegetables, fruits, vegetables and products
that comprise of single ingredient, pickles, papad, or foods served for immediate
consumption such as served in hospitals, hotels or by food services vendors or
halwais, or food shipped in bulk which is not for sale in that form to consumers.
(ii) The compliance to quantity of declared nutrients on the label shall be
according to the established practices.

4. Declaration regarding Veg or Non veg –

(i) Every package of ―Non-Vegetarian‖ food shall bear a declaration to this

effect made by a symbol and colour code as stipulated below to indicate that
the product is NonVegetarian Food. The symbol shall consist of a brown
colour filled circle having a diameter not less than the minimum size
specified in the regulation, inside a square with brown outline having sides
double the diameter of the circle.

(ii) (ii) Where any article of food contains egg only as Non-Vegetarian
ingredient, the manufacturer, or packer or seller may give declaration to this
effect in addition to the said symbol.
(iii) Every package of Vegetarian Food shall bear a declaration to this effect by a
symbol and colour code as stipulated below for this purpose to indicate that
the product is Vegetarian Food. The symbol shall consist of a green colour
filled circle, having a diameter not less than the minimum size specified,
inside the square with green outline having size double the diameter of the
circle.
5. Declaration regarding Food Additives-

(i) For food additives falling in the respective classes and appearing in lists of
food additives permitted for use in foods generally, the following class titles
shall be used together with the specific names or recognized international
numerical identifications: Acidity Regulator, Acids, Anticaking Agent,
Antifoaming Agent, Antioxidant, Bulking Agent, Colour, Colour Retention
Agent, Emulsifier, Emulsifying Salt, Firming Agent, Flour Treatment
Agent, Flavour Enhancer, Foaming Agent, Gelling Agent, Glazing Agent,
Humectant, Preservative, Propellant, Raising Agent, Stabilizer, Sweetener,
Thickener:
(ii) Addition of colours and/or Flavours—
6. Name and complete address of the manufacturer
7. Net quantity
8. Lot/Code/Batch identification
9. Date of manufacture or packing
10. Best Before and Use By Date
11. Country of origin for imported food
12. Instructions for use