The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has relaxed its front-of-pack labelling requirements for coffee-chicory mixtures, offering manufacturers greater flexibility in packaging while extending the compliance deadline by a year to July 1, 2027.
The revised directive comes after food industry stakeholders flagged practical challenges in implementing the labelling requirements introduced through a notification issued on August 8, 2025. The original rules required manufacturers to display a prescribed boxed declaration on the front of coffee-chicory mixture packs from July 1, 2026.
According to FSSAI, several industry bodies represented that the mandatory boxed format was difficult to accommodate on smaller retail packs, particularly those with a principal display panel (PDP) measuring less than 100 sq. cm.
Acknowledging these concerns, the regulator has temporarily kept the earlier notification in abeyance while it processes a formal amendment to the regulations. In the interim, food business operators will be allowed to adopt a simplified text-based declaration on the front of the package.
Under the revised guidelines, manufacturers of both Coffee-Chicory Mixtures and Instant Coffee-Chicory Mixtures must clearly disclose the percentage composition of coffee and chicory on the principal display panel using the format: “COFFEE … %, CHICORY … %.”
FSSAI has also prescribed minimum font sizes for the declaration. Packs with a principal display panel of up to 100 sq. cm must display the information in a font size of at least 1 mm, while larger packs with a display area exceeding 100 sq. cm must use a minimum font height of 2 mm.
The extension of the implementation timeline to July 1, 2027, is expected to give manufacturers additional time to redesign packaging and exhaust existing inventory while the regulator finalises the amended labelling framework.
The move reflects FSSAI’s increasing willingness to fine-tune food labelling regulations in response to operational challenges raised by industry, even as it continues to push for greater transparency in packaged food disclosures. The regulator has in recent months intensified its focus on front-of-pack labelling and consumer information, amid broader efforts to strengthen food safety standards and improve nutritional awareness across packaged food categories.