The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act) is a consolidating statute enacted by the Parliament of India to govern food safety and establish a unified regulatory framework. It was created to solve the problem of fragmented food laws, which previously consisted of multiple regulations under different ministries, leading to overlaps and weak enforcement. The Act received the President's assent on August 23, 2006, and became fully operational on August 5, 2011, replacing eight older laws, including the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
The FSS Act works by establishing the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as the single apex body responsible for implementing the Act. The FSSAI, which operates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is mandated by Section 16 to lay down science-based standards for food articles and regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import. A key mechanism is the shift from a purely regulatory regime to one emphasizing self-compliance, placing the primary responsibility for food safety on the Food Business Operators (FBOs). The Act mandates licensing or registration for all FBOs and provides for graded penalties, such as a fine up to ₹5 lakh for selling substandard food (Section 52) and a minimum of 7 years' imprisonment and a fine up to ₹10 lakh if unsafe food causes death (Section 59).
The Act connects to various regulations, such as the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing & Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging & Labeling) Regulations, 2011. Recently, the regulatory framework has seen amendments, including the Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which amended the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011. Furthermore, the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Amendment Regulations, 2026, have been introduced to strengthen contaminant limits for products like pulse flours and edible oils, signaling a continuous move toward a more preventive and science-based approach.