Seven FSSAI labelling mistakes that delay product launches
Labelling errors rarely stop a formulation, but they routinely stop a launch. Here are the seven we correct most often before a pack goes to print.
Read the article →Indian food manufacturers lose export opportunities less often on taste or price than on the audit, the certificate of analysis and the label. Overseas buyers apply their own market's requirements, and those are usually stricter than domestic compliance.
Certification is the entry ticket
Most organised importers require a GFSI-recognised certification - BRCGS, FSSC 22000 or SQF. HACCP alone is increasingly insufficient for retail supply. Certification takes six to nine months from a standing start, so it should begin before the buyer conversation, not after.
Know the destination's specific limits
- Pesticide residues: EU maximum residue levels are frequently stricter than Indian limits, particularly for spices and tea.
- Aflatoxin and mycotoxins: a common rejection cause for nuts, spices and cereals.
- Permitted additives: colours and preservatives permitted in India are not universally permitted elsewhere.
- Ethylene oxide: still a leading cause of EU alerts on Indian spice and food ingredient shipments.
- Allergen labelling: the required list differs by market and mislabelling triggers recalls.
Build the documentation pack
Specification sheet, certificate of analysis per lot, allergen declaration, nutritional analysis from an accredited lab, shelf-life justification, HACCP plan summary, traceability procedure and the relevant certificates. Buyers ask for all of these, usually with a two-day deadline, and being able to send them immediately signals competence.
Test at an accredited lab in advance
Do not wait for the buyer's test to discover a residue issue. Screen your own product against destination limits early. Finding a problem in your own lab is a project. Finding it at the port of entry is a rejection, a return freight bill and a market entry on a watch list.
Get the label right for the destination
Nutrition panel format, units, language requirements, importer details, batch coding and date format all vary. Labels are a common reason for shipments being held, and it is the cheapest problem on this list to prevent.
Start with one market
The temptation is to prepare for everywhere. It is faster and cheaper to become genuinely compliant for one market, ship successfully, and then extend. Each additional market is far easier once the underlying systems exist.