Request a Demo1. Definition
According to Chapter 2.5 (Meat and Meat products) of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Meat Food Products means any product prepared from meat and other ingredients through various processing methods, in which meat is the major ingredient among all the essential ingredients. The Regulations exclude the following products from the definition of Meat Food Products:
Meat extracts, soup, stock, and meat sauces; and
Products containing fragments of meat, where the quantity of meat or meat product does not exceed 10% of the total weight of the final product.
2. Competent Authority
Competent authority | Responsibility |
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) |
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Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) |
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Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) |
|
3. Market Access Approval
3.1 FSSAI License
No person shall commence any food business unless the person possesses a valid license. All importers importing food items including food ingredients and additives for commercial use to India are under the purview of Central Licensing Authority appointed by the FSSAI. Prior to applying for a license from FSSAI, the importer must first register with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to secure a valid Importer-Exporter Code (IEC); if the IEC is suspended, revoked or cancelled by DGFT, the FSSAI import license shall be deemed cancelled. For more detailed licensing requirements, please refer to Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation 2011.
3.2 Mandatory Registration of Foreign Food Manufacturers
Foreign food manufacturing facilities of certain food categories, such as meat and meat products, including poultry, fish, and their products, are required to be registered with FSSAI before exporting such products to India. For this registration, the competent authority of the exporting country must provide the relevant facility information to FSSAI in the prescribed format. Upon review and acceptance of the submitted information, FSSAI updates the facility's registration status on its online ReFoM portal and generates a Unique Registration Number (URN), which can be accessed through the portal.
3.3 Integrated Veterinary Health Certificate (VHC)
The integrated VHC, which incorporates the DAHD's sanitary requirements and FSSAI' food safety requirements, are mandatory for the import of pork and pork products into India. The integrated VHC has to be certified by the exporting country along with the consignments to be exported into India.
3.4 Sanitary Import Permits (SIPs)
The import of livestock products, including meat and meat products, is subject to Sanitary Import Permits (SIPs), issued by the DAHD. SIPs must be obtained prior to shipping from the country of origin. The DAHD issues SIPs for livestock products based on the import risk analysis of the livestock products.
3.5 Designated Ports-of-Entry
Certain high-risk food products, including meat and meat products, shall be imported through designated ports-of-entry.
3.6 Bill of Entry & Inspection
The Importer/CHA/Customs broker shall file a Bill of Entry (BOE) at Customs Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT). The BOE is initially assessed by the Customs Risk Management System (RMS), and consignments requiring food safety clearance are referred to the Food Import Clearance System (FICS) under FSSAI for further processing.
The FSSAI clearance process includes document verification, visual inspection, sampling, and laboratory testing by an FSSAI-notified NABL accredited laboratory. High-risk food items, including meat and meat products, are subject to higher sampling rates.
If the sample complies with applicable food safety requirements, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) is issued to allow clearance; otherwise, a Non-Conformance Report (NCR) may be issued, rejecting the clearance of food consignment.
4. Product Compliance
4.1 Product Requirements
Meat and meat products in India must comply with the product requirements as shown in the table below:
Items | Provisions |
Product standards and food additives | Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2022 |
Contaminants, toxins, antibiotics and pesticide residues | Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulation, 2011 |
4.2 Label
Meat and meat products should follow the labelling requirements in the Food Safety and Standards (labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Food businesses should check Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 for the labelling item of consumer care details. Importers should also check Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017 for the labelling requirements for imported food products.
In addition to the general labelling requirements applicable for all prepackaged foods, food businesses should pay attention to specific requirements for meat and meat products. For instance, ingredients shall be listed by their specific names, particularly for those belonging to certain classes. When meat is used as an ingredient in another food product, and the labeling or presentation does not specify a particular type of meat, the source of the meat shall be clearly indicated. For more labelling guidance, please refer to ChemLinked FoodCheck on labelling.
* Global Food Compliance Service
We provide various market entry services to help stakeholders better understand exporting requirements, establish business, and secure a competitive place to facilitate trade development.
Covered Countries
China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, United States, European Union, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
Our Services
Food Ingredient Review
Label Review
Product Registration
Regulatory Consultation
Monitoring, Training and Customized report
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