Regulations explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Regulations 1 to 4 of the Organic Foods Regulations, 2017 give the commencement date, define the terms used, bar anyone from dealing in organic food unless the Regulations are met, and name the certification systems that organic food must follow. They also exempt small original producers who sell directly to the end consumer.
The text is read as amended up to 14 October 2021 (FSSAI Compendium Version II dated 01.06.2022). FSSAI compendia are reference consolidations and the Gazette text prevails. Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in. The Regulations were published in the Gazette under notification F. No. CPB/03/Standards/FSSAI/2016 dated 29 December 2017 and amended once, by the notification dated 14 October 2021.
Regulation 3 says no person shall manufacture, pack, sell, offer for sale, market, distribute or import any organic food unless the requirements of the Regulations are complied with. Under regulation 4, organic food offered or promoted for sale must follow one of the listed systems: NPOP, PGS-India, or another system the Food Authority notifies. Small original producers and producer organisations selling directly to the end consumer are exempt from those systems. Food business operators had to comply by 1 July 2018.
Regulation 1: title and commencement
Regulation 1(1) gives the title. Regulation 1(2) says the Regulations come into force on the date of publication in the Official Gazette, and that a food business operator "shall comply with all the provisions of these regulations by 1st July, 2018". The text therefore has two dates: the Regulations are in force from publication, and the operator's deadline for compliance is 1 July 2018.
Regulation 2: definitions
Regulation 2(1) defines eight terms. The ones that matter in practice are these.
| Clause | Term | What the text says |
|---|---|---|
| (b) | Accreditation body | Any agency recognised as such by the Food Authority, or recognised under the National Programme for Organic Production for accrediting certification bodies |
| (c) | Accredited Certification Body | An organisation accredited by an Accreditation body to certify organic products and to grant the right to use the certification mark on behalf of the Accreditation body |
| (d) | Claim | Any representation that states, suggests or implies that a food has particular qualities relating to its origin, nutritional properties, nature, processing and composition |
| (f) | National Programme for Organic Production | A Government of India programme giving an institutional mechanism for the National Standards for Organic Production, with a third-party certification control system, as notified by the Director General of Foreign Trade under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 |
| (g) | Organic food | Food products produced in accordance with specified standards for organic food production |
| (h) | PGS-India | A quality assurance initiative of the Department of Agriculture Co-operation and Farmer's Welfare which emphasises participation of producers, consumers and other stakeholders and operates outside the framework of third party certification |
Clauses (a) and (e) define the Act and the Food Authority. Regulation 2(2) adds that words not defined here but defined in the Act, Rules or other regulations carry those meanings. The definition of "organic food" is short: it points to standards, and the standards themselves sit in the systems named in regulation 4, not in these Regulations.
Regulation 3: the general bar
Regulation 3 reads: "No person shall manufacture, pack, sell, offer for sale, market or otherwise distribute or import any organic food unless they comply with the requirements laid down under these regulations." The verbs run from production to import, so a packer, a trader, an e-commerce seller and an importer are each caught on their own act. Whether a product is "organic food" is decided by the definition above, which turns on production to organic standards. A seller who uses the word "organic" on a pack is making a claim in the sense of clause (d), and a pack of that kind is worth checking through FSSAI label compliance before it is printed.
Regulation 4: the systems organic food must follow
Regulation 4(1) says organic food offered or promoted for sale "shall also comply with all the applicable provisions of one of the following systems":
- the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP);
- the PGS-India system; or
- any other system or standards the Food Authority notifies from time to time.
The word "also" matters. Compliance with a system is in addition to the rest of the Regulations (labelling, traceability and the other regulations, covered in the next article on regulations 5 to 8). The text does not say which system suits which operator; it requires one of them. NPOP works through third-party certification by accredited certification bodies. PGS-India, by its own definition, works outside third-party certification.
The exemption for direct sales (4(2))
Regulation 4(2) exempts organic food "marketed through direct sales by the small original producer or producer organisation, as determined by the Food Authority from time to time, to the end consumer" from the systems in 4(1). Three conditions are packed into the sentence: the seller is a small original producer or producer organisation, the Food Authority has so determined, and the sale is direct to the end consumer. The Regulations do not themselves define "small"; they leave that to the Food Authority.
Aggregators and intermediaries (4(3))
Regulation 4(3) was inserted by the notification of 14 October 2021. Aggregators or intermediaries who collect organic food from a small original producer or producer organisation and sell it directly to the end consumer are exempt from the systems in 4(1). But they "shall maintain records of traceability and comply with any of the provisions of the systems mentioned in sub-regulation (1)", and the food "shall not carry Food Safety and Standard Authority of India's organic logo". The exemption is therefore partial: records and some system provisions still apply, and the logo is not available.
An invented example: Green Roots Producer Company collects vegetables from its member farmers and sells them at a weekly stall to households. The producer organisation selling directly is covered by regulation 4(2). A separate aggregator, Meera Organic Hub, which collects the same vegetables and sells them at its own stall, falls under 4(3): it keeps traceability records, follows provisions of a system, and does not put the FSSAI organic logo on the produce.
How this fits with other provisions
Regulations 5 to 8 deal with labelling, traceability, compliance with the other regulations and display; regulation 9 deals with imports (see our article on regulation 9). For the overview of the instrument see organic food regulations and the Jaivik Bharat logo. The Act's rule on organic foods is in section 22 of the FSS Act. Businesses that handle organic lines can also read our general piece on FSSAI compliance for an organic food business and the how-to on getting organic certification.
Need help with labelling an organic range?
If you pack or sell organic lines, the label, the system you follow and your records have to line up. Our FSSAI label compliance team can review a pack against the Regulations before it goes to print.
Key takeaways
- Regulation 1(2): in force on publication; compliance by 1 July 2018.
- Regulation 3 bars manufacture, packing, sale, marketing, distribution and import of organic food unless the Regulations are met.
- Regulation 4(1): follow NPOP, PGS-India or another system the Food Authority notifies.
- Small original producers and producer organisations selling directly to the end consumer are exempt (4(2)).
- Aggregators selling directly to consumers get a limited exemption (4(3)): traceability records, system provisions and no FSSAI organic logo.
Read next
- Regulations 5–8: labelling, traceability and display of organic food
- Regulation 9: import of organic food
- Organic food regulations and the Jaivik Bharat logo
- Section 22, FSS Act: genetically modified, organic, functional and proprietary foods
Disclaimer: Based on the FSSAI regulations named above as consolidated in FSSAI's compendium versions or as published in the Gazette, with the later notifications the article names (consulted on fssai.gov.in on 2-3 October 2026). Later notifications and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provisions referred to should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.