What Is the New Proposal?
The FSSAI has put forward a draft amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011. This proposal would make it mandatory for food manufacturers to maintain daily records of their production activities.
This includes logging the raw materials and ingredients used, tracking work-in-progress, recording production output, and keeping detailed storage records for finished products. The draft also emphasizes stricter stock management practices, requiring businesses to follow "first-in, first-out" (FIFO) and "first-expire, first-out" (FEFO) principles to ensure older stock is used or sold first. This systematic record-keeping aims to create a comprehensive paper trail from ingredient sourcing to final product storage.
The 'Why' Behind the Digital Paper Trail
The primary driver behind this proposal is to significantly strengthen food safety and traceability in India. In recent times, a rising number of consumer complaints on social media has put a spotlight on food quality and safety issues. FSSAI's objective is to create a system where the source of contamination or a substandard batch of food can be quickly identified. This enhanced traceability enables faster, evidence-based enforcement and more effective recalls in case of a food safety emergency. By documenting daily processes, regulators can gain a clearer picture of a manufacturer's operations, reducing disputes during inspections and aligning India's food safety framework with global best practices.
Who Will Be Affected?
The proposed regulations specifically target licensed food manufacturers and processors. This includes a wide range of businesses, from large-scale food producers and processing units to smaller manufacturing setups. However, the FSSAI has made a clear distinction to ease the compliance burden on certain sectors. The draft amendment explicitly excludes non-manufacturing food businesses such as pure traders, distributors, and retailers from the daily documentation requirement. This targeted approach ensures that the rules are applied where they are deemed most critical for safety and traceability—at the point of production. For the manufacturing sector, especially micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), this will mean adopting more systematic and potentially digital record-keeping systems.
Industry Hopes and Hurdles
For the food industry, the proposal presents both opportunities and challenges. The clear benefit is an increase in consumer trust and brand credibility. A transparent and well-documented production process is a mark of quality that can provide a competitive edge, especially for businesses looking to enter modern retail chains or export markets. On the other hand, the new requirements will increase the compliance burden. For smaller businesses, the cost and effort of implementing daily logging systems—whether paper-based or digital—could be a significant hurdle. Industry bodies will likely engage with the FSSAI during the consultation period to discuss the practicalities of implementation and seek a balance that ensures safety without stifling small business growth.
The Road Ahead for Implementation
It is important to remember that this is currently a draft proposal. The FSSAI has released the draft amendment to seek public and stakeholder feedback before the rules are finalized. This consultation process is a standard part of regulatory change in India, allowing industry players, consumer groups, and other experts to weigh in. Once the feedback period closes, the FSSAI will review the comments and may make adjustments before issuing the final notification. This proposal is part of a broader push by the FSSAI to modernize India's food safety ecosystem, which has recently included other reforms like perpetual licenses and a risk-based inspection system to ease the overall compliance burden.
