E-commerce Food Companies Encouraged to Focus on Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance

On December 3, 2024, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) released an advisory aimed at e-commerce food business operators (FBOs) to enhance their adherence to food safety regulations.

The Food Regulatory Authority has specified six essential measures that e-commerce platforms must adopt to guarantee consumer safety and maintain product integrity. It has required that only claims verified on product packaging be displayed on online platforms.

The authority stated that this step is vital to avoid the spread of misleading or unverified claims, which could lead to regulatory consequences and a decline in consumer trust.

E-commerce companies are strongly encouraged to focus on training their last-mile delivery personnel, ensuring that staff know food safety protocols. This training should include safe food handling practices to minimize contamination risks during transit and guidelines on personal hygiene and proper sanitation procedures.

Furthermore, these companies need to deliver food and non-food items separately to prevent any potential cross-contamination.

Additionally, the advisory states that all products available on e-commerce platforms must adhere to the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. According to this regulation, food items must have a minimum shelf life of 30% or at least 45 days remaining before their expiry date at the time of delivery, guaranteeing that consumers receive fresh products.

E-commerce platforms must prominently showcase the FSSAI license of sellers to improve transparency. Additionally, sellers are required to display their hygiene ratings on the platform, enabling consumers to make informed decisions based on food safety standards, as stated in the advisory.

To enforce these new regulations, the FSSAI has announced that no e-commerce platform is permitted to list any seller without a valid FSSAI license or registration. This initiative seeks to eliminate unregistered sellers from the marketplace and ensure that food products comply with essential safety standards.

Earlier this November, the FSSAI convened with executives from e-commerce and quick commerce companies, along with numerous sellers. They were instructed to promptly implement measures to comply with the new guidelines, as the FSSAI is expected to enforce compliance strictly in the upcoming months.

Click here to view the official notification from FSSAI

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