The Indian food processing and supply industry is experiencing remarkable growth, fueled by shifting global trends, heightened consumer health awareness, innovative business models like cloud kitchens, significant technological advancements and a substantial surge in e-commerce activities within the sector.

Unsurprisingly, this expansion has led to an escalating need for comprehensive regulatory supervision of the food industry. India’s Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act) is a comprehensive framework of rules and regulations for the food industry. These regulations are applicable to a broad spectrum of entities classified as ‘food business operators.’ This encompasses importers, manufacturers, processors, packagers, and various intermediaries involved in the storage, transportation, or distribution of food products.

ELP offers a gamut of services in relation to food laws in India, including regulatory advice, policy advocacy and end-to-end litigation across all fora. Our strategic advisory and advocacy services stem from our unique experience and extensive understanding of the industry including:

• Registration or licensing requirements
• Categorization of food products and permissibility of ingredients and additives
• Specific requirements for special categories of food such as alcoholic beverages, nutraceuticals, organic food, vegan food etc.
• Labelling, display and packaging requirements
• Permissibility of advertising mechanisms and claims used
• Unsafe and substandard food, and need for food recall
• Imported foods and rectifiable errors
• Consequences in case of non-compliance including analysis of risks involved and seeking dispensations in certain cases
• Tax optimization across the food supply chain
• M&A and Joint Ventures
• Trade and customs related issues
• Litigation and arbitration across all fora