Why FSSAI’s Standardised Risk Assessment Format Is a Game-Changer for Food Safety

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced a mandatory standardised format for submitting representations seeking scientific risk assessment, which will be effective from 1 January 2026. The directive ensures that all submissions are comprehensive, scientifically robust, and consistent, enabling smoother evaluation by expert panels. It also reinforces FSSAI’s commitment to evidence-based food safety regulation and improved regulatory transparency.

Inside FSSAI’s New Scientific Submission Framework

In a major step (effective January 1, 2026) to strengthen food safety regulation in India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a new office order requiring all requests for scientific risk assessment to be submitted in a standardised scientific format.

What Changes on Your Plate From January 2026

Gone are the days when food businesses, researchers or industry groups could send in informal requests for regulatory review. From now onwards, evidence and data are mandatory for FSSAI’s scientific panels to take up and act on any representation. Let us see what this means for food businesses, innovators and consumers across India.

Why This Order Matters

India’s statutory food regulator, FSSAI, set up under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, is tasked with laying down science-based food standards and regulating the safety of food from manufacture to sale. 

However, until now, many representations submitted to the Science and Standards Division lacked uniformity, sufficient data, or a clear scientific rationale. This made it difficult for expert panels to assess potential health risks or regulatory gaps. To fix this, FSSAI has introduced a mandatory standardised template for all submissions seeking risk assessment from safety concerns to product-specific queries or calls for regulatory change.

What’s New

Under the new order, all stakeholders must use a prescribed scientific submission format when asking FSSAI for a risk assessment. This online template (to be submitted via the NSC portal) requires detailed scientific and technical information, such as: 

• Title and Representative Details: Who is submitting the proposal and why? 
• Type and Purpose of Submission: Includes product risk assessment, policy suggestion, and standard change request. 
• Scientific Rationale and Global Status: Evidence from studies and international norms. 
• Toxicology, Allergenicity and Safety Data: Reports on key health risk indicators. 
• Domestic Consumption and Nutritional Data: Consumption patterns and habits and the nutritional information of the product/ingredient. 
• Regulatory and Trade Impact: Potential effects on industry, imports/exports, and economy. 
• Testing Methodology and Lab Details: Where and how testing is done and accreditation details. 

Important: A clear upgrade from the unstructured submissions of the past includes that the stakeholders must also include suggested outcomes and supporting scientific documents for the above information.

Who Must Comply?

This order applies to all parties who want a scientific evaluation from FSSAI:

• Food Business Operators (FBOs)
• Industry associations and trade bodies
• Research institutions and laboratories
• Nutrition scientists and citizen groups

In simple terms, if you want FSSAI’s expert opinion on a food safety or standards issue, you must now use the new format.

How and Where to Submit

From 1 January 2026, all such representations must be submitted exclusively through FSSAI’s NSC portal under the “Submit Representation” section. It is important to note that FSSAI will not accept informal emails or letters for risk assessment requests after this date. 

All submitted data will be treated as confidential and used only for scientific evaluation, standard development, and policy decisions.

What It Means for Food Innovation

For companies launching new ingredients or novel food products, this shift matters a lot. Under the old approach, many innovative proposals reached FSSAI with incomplete evidence, which slowed down reviews or led to repeated queries. 

Now, you must back every safety claim with hard data. Whether it is absorption rates, chronic toxicity studies, nutritional impacts, or consumption patterns, the new format forces a deeper scientific engagement upfront. 

This change aligns FSSAI with global best practices in food risk assessment and boosts regulatory predictability.

What It Means for Consumers

For everyday eaters, this change may not be visible on the grocery shelf, but its impact is real:

• Stronger science behind food approvals 
• Higher quality evidence used in safety decisions
• Reduced risk of poorly assessed ingredients entering food chains

In effect, this strengthens India’s food safety environment by demanding proof over promise. 

The Bottom Line

From January 1, 2026, FSSAI is changing the way it listens to scientific requests by insisting on standardised, data-rich submissions through an official portal. This move marks a clear shift to evidence-based regulation in India’s food safety ecosystem, encouraging transparency, consistency and deeper scientific scrutiny. 

Whether you are a food manufacturer, a scientist or a consumer advocate, it is time to adapt, because food safety decisions now rest on structured science, not scattered letters.

Summary 

• FSSAI has issued an Office Order on 24 December 2025 mandating a standardised format for submissions seeking scientific risk assessment.
• All stakeholders must now submit data-driven, structured proposals to enable effective review by Scientific Panels and the Scientific Committee.
• Submissions must be made only through the NSC portal under the “Submit Representation” module.
• The order comes into effect from 1 January 2026.