On February 26, 2026, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a draft amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018. The amendment would add the following definitions to the Packaging Regulations:
Food contact material (FCM): “any material, including active and intelligent materials, article and product intended to come into contact with food and should not have any undesirable effect on the food and health”
Food grade contact material: “any material(s) that are used for manufacturing, processing, handling (including kitchenware, tableware, etc.), packaging, storage and transportation of food contact material should have demonstrated their compliance with specific safety standards under prescribed conditions and shall not endanger human and animal health and result in an unacceptable change in the composition and characteristics of food during its intended use”
Modified atmosphere packaging: “enclosure of food in a package in which the atmosphere inside the package is modified or altered to provide an optimum atmosphere for increasing shelf life and maintaining food quality”
Food packaging: “package to be used for the containment, protection, handling, delivery, and storage, transport and presentation of food, from raw materials to processed food, from the producer to the user or consumer, including processor, assembler or other intermediary”
Non-intentionally added substances (NIAS): “chemicals that are present in a food contact material (FCM) or food contact article (FCA) but have not been added for a technical reason during the production process”
Aseptic packaging: “process where a sterilized product is filled into a sterilized container and sealed in a sterile environment to prevent contamination”
