The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act). It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
The FSS Act, 2006, was enacted to consolidate eight pre-existing laws, such as the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, which had resulted in a fragmented and inconsistent regulatory system. The FSSAI was formally established in 2008 and became operational in 2011, solving the problem of multi-level control by creating a single, science-based authority to ensure safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
The FSSAI works by laying down science-based standards for food articles, as mandated by the FSS Act. Key provisions include Section 31, which requires all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to obtain a license or registration, and Section 16, which outlines the FSSAI’s duties, such as regulating manufacture, storage, and import, and promoting public awareness. The Act also enforces general safety principles under Section 18, prohibiting food injurious to health, and provides for penalties, including fines and imprisonment, for non-compliance.
The FSSAI is directly connected to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which it enforces, and it replaced the older, repealed acts. Recently, the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Amendment Regulations, 2026, published on March 11, 2026, introduced changes to streamline the process. These amendments expanded the definition of "Petty Food Business Operator" to include street vendors and food truck operators, and changed the license validity to remain in effect until suspended or cancelled, rather than for a fixed period. A new mechanism of "deemed suspension" was introduced, where a license is automatically suspended for failure to pay the annual fee or submit the Food Safety Compliance Return.