India Tightens Milk, Meat, Poultry Sales and Licensing Rules

India has introduced comprehensive restrictions on the sale of milk, meat, and poultry products through updated food safety regulations.

Compliance Analysis: Restrictions on Sale of Milk, Meat, and Poultry Products in India

India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced updated regulations governing the sale of milk, meat, and poultry products under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations. Below is a structured breakdown of the key compliance requirements based on the provided sources.

1. Applicable Regulations and Key Provisions

The following regulations impose restrictions or compliance obligations on the sale of milk, meat, and poultry products:

2. Specific Compliance Requirements for Milk, Meat, and Poultry

A. Milk Products

1. Licensing and Registration:
   • All primary milk producers must obtain FSSAI registration/license under the Draft Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Amendment Regulations, 2024¹.
   • Digitization of issuance: Licenses/registrations will be issued electronically¹.
   • Hygiene standards: Primary producers must adhere to FSSAI-prescribed hygienic practices (details not specified in sources)¹.

1. Infant Nutrition:
   • Sale of infant nutrition products is prohibited unless they bear the BIS Certification Mark (where BIS standards exist)².

B. Meat and Poultry Products

• No explicit restrictions on sale are introduced in the provided sources. However:
  • General food safety compliance applies under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including:
  • Mandatory FSSAI license/registration for all food businesses¹.
  • Adherence to hygiene and labeling standards (e.g., source traceability, expiry dates).
  • BIS/AGMARK certification: Earlier drafts (2023) proposed removing mandatory BIS/AGMARK certification for certain products to streamline compliance³. This may indirectly affect meat/poultry if they were previously covered.

C. Prohibited Practices

• Infant nutrition: Sale without BIS certification is prohibited².
• Sal-seed fat: Earlier restrictions (limited to bakery/confectionery use) are proposed for omission in the 2024 draft^{4, 5}. This does not directly impact milk/meat/poultry but signals FSSAI’s broader deregulatory approach.

3. Enforcement and Timelines

• Comment Period: Stakeholders may submit feedback within 60 days of notification (e.g., 6 January 2025 for Licensing Regulations¹).
• Adoption/Entry into Force: Dates are not specified in the drafts^{4, 1, 5, 3, 2}.
• Authority: FSSAI is the sole regulatory body for enforcement^{4, 1}.

4. Key Observations

1. No New Restrictions on Milk/Meat/Poultry: The 2024 drafts focus on removing outdated restrictions (e.g., Sal-seed fat) or digitizing processes (e.g., licensing) rather than imposing new bans^{4, 1, 5}.
2. Infant Nutrition: Strict BIS certification remains mandatory for infant foods².
3. Hygiene Focus: Primary milk producers must comply with FSSAI hygiene standards¹.
4. Deregulation Trend: The 2023 draft removed BIS/AGMARK redundancy for certain products, suggesting a shift toward simplified compliance³.

Summary Answer

India’s updated food safety regulations, particularly the Draft Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Amendment Regulations, 2024 and the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, impose digitized licensing, hygiene standards for milk producers, and BIS certification for infant nutrition products^{1, 2}. While no new restrictions on milk, meat, or poultry sales are introduced in the 2024 drafts, businesses must comply with existing FSSAI licensing, labeling, and safety norms¹. The 2023 drafts signal a deregulatory trend by removing redundant certifications (e.g., BIS/AGMARK)³, and the 2024 drafts propose omitting Sal-seed fat restrictions^{4, 5}. Stakeholders may submit comments within 60 days of notification¹. All regulations are enforced by FSSAI under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Sources

1. ↩ Draft Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Amendment Regulations, 2024 _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/SPS/NIND319.DOCX
2. ↩ Draft Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2021. _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/TBTN21/IND212.DOCX
3. ↩ Draft Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2023 _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/TBTN23/IND264.DOCX
4. ↩ Draft Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2024 _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/SPS/NIND316.DOCX
5. ↩ The Draft Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2024. _notification https://docs.wto.org/imrd/directdoc.asp?DDFDocuments/T/G/TBTN24/IND352.DOCX