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FSSAI issues draft norms proposing clarification regarding pkg of products
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Thursday, 30 April, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued a draft regulation proposing introduction of the clarification regarding packaging of food products.
Called the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026, this new framework aims at updating the existing 2018 standards, introducing precise definitions including of -food contact material, food grade contact material, modified atmosphere packaging, food packaging, non-intentionally added substance and aseptic packaging.
A major highlight of the amendment is the formal recognition of non-intentionally added substances, or NIAS. These are chemicals present in packaging that were not added for a specific technical reason during production but may still interact with the food.
By defining these substances, the new regulations signal a stricter approach to monitoring chemical migration and ensuring that packaging does not result in any unacceptable changes to the composition or characteristics of the food it holds.
Furthermore, the 2026 proposed regulations clarify terms for advanced packaging technologies.
These include modified ‘atmosphere packaging’, which alters the air inside a package to extend shelf life, and ‘aseptic packaging’, which involves filling sterilised products into sterile containers.
Under these regulations, ‘food contact material’ means any material, including active and intelligent materials, article and product intended to come into contact with food and should not have any undesirable effect on the food and health and ‘food contact material’ means any material(s) that are used for manufacturing, processing, handling (including kitchenware, tableware, etc.), packaging, storage and transportation of food contact material should have demonstrated their compliance with specific safety standards under prescribed conditions and shall not endanger human and animal health and result in an unacceptable change in the composition and characteristics of food during its intended use.
And, the use for the containment, protection, handling, delivery, and storage, transport and presentation of food, from raw materials to processed food, from the producer to the user or consumer, including processor, assembler or other intermediary comes under the definition of ‘food packaging’.
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