Food companies are strengthening supplier audits, testing, traceability and recall systems as FSSAI steps up scrutiny of claims, labelling and safety practices.
The regulator has issued more than 150 notices to food companies in recent months over alleged misleading advertisements, false claims and labelling non-compliance. Companies named in regulatory action include Nestlé India, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola India, Mondelez India, Abbott India and Ferrero India. FSSAI has also acted against e-commerce platforms and food-service businesses, including product seizures and licence suspensions in some cases.
For manufacturers, checks begin before ingredients reach the production line. The Healthy Binge reviews supplier documents and tests incoming materials against its specifications. It says it conducts around 40 checks across raw materials, manufacturing and finished products. ZOFF Foods inspects incoming vehicles for hygiene and contamination, then samples consignments before releasing them for processing. Bharat Vedica says its ghee controls extend to audits of partner farms, covering animal management, feed, water and hygiene. It also sends samples from every received batch to an FSSAI-approved external laboratory.
Quality teams must be able to stop material that fails checks. The Healthy Binge says its quality team can halt production or dispatch, while ZOFF Foods says commercial and manufacturing teams cannot override a food-safety hold. ZOFF held around 5% of its batches over the past year because of moisture-related issues. A hold may mean testing is pending or a deviation needs investigation; it does not necessarily mean the product is unsafe.
Depending on the problem, a failed batch may be retested, reprocessed or rejected. Consumer complaints can also lead to investigations, additional testing, revised procedures or staff training.
Controls continue after dispatch. FSSAI’s recall regulations require distribution records that can identify affected batches and where they went. Manufacturers, importers and wholesale suppliers must maintain recall plans. The Healthy Binge conducts quarterly mock recalls to test its ability to trace products back to ingredients and forward through distribution.
When a recall is necessary, businesses must stop sales and notify the relevant authority immediately, and no later than 24 hours after becoming aware of the need. Since March 18, 2026, new recalls have had to be recorded through the Food Recall function on FSSAI’s FoSCoS platform.
Government data show that 518,559 enforcement samples were analysed from FY2022-23 to FY2024-25. During that period, 88,192 cases resulted in penalties, 3,614 in convictions and 1,161 licences were cancelled. The figures underline why food-safety responsibility now runs from supplier selection through to products already on the market.