The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has officially notified the Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2025. These amendments, approved by the Central Government, will take effect from May 1, 2026. The update follows the draft notification released on October 3, 2024, which invited public feedback and was later finalized after considering the suggestions received.
The amendment introduces significant changes to Regulation 10 of the 2017 Import Regulations. It specifies that the manuals of methods of analysis, updated or adopted by FSSAI, must be used for testing imported food samples. If a particular method is unavailable in these manuals, laboratories may follow validated methods from recognized international standards such as AOAC, ISO, BIS, Codex Alimentarius, or other equivalent agencies.
Additionally, laboratories are now required to issue analysis reports in Form 2 within five days of receiving the samples, ensuring faster and more transparent reporting for import compliance.