Regulations 2 10 1 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 2.10.1 to 2.10.4 give a compositional standard for tea (black or oolong, Kangra, green and instant), coffee (green, roasted, ground, decaffeinated and soluble), chicory and coffee-chicory mixtures. The standards are short tables of ash, extract, fibre and, for coffee, caffeine. Tea and coffee packers, blenders and cafe chains can start with FSSAI registration for food manufacturers.
This article reads the text as amended up to 21 October 2024 (FSSAI chapter compendium consolidated to amendment 83; the amendment of 10 July 2025 does not change this chapter). Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in. A compendium is a reference consolidation; the Gazette text prevails.
Tea is made exclusively from the leaves, buds and tender stems of Camellia sinensis, and every tea table includes ash, extract and fibre limits. Iron filings in tea and Kangra tea may not exceed 125 mg/Kg, a parameter added by the amendment of 21 October 2024. A coffee-chicory mixture must contain not less than 51 per cent coffee by mass, and the percentage of each must be on the label. Flavoured tea makers must register with the Tea Board.
Tea: 2.10.1
| Clause | Product | A few parameters exactly as printed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tea (other than Kangra tea), black or oolong | total ash (m/m) not less than 4.0 percent and not more than 8.0; water extract not less than 32.0 percent; crude fibre not more than 16.5 percent |
| 2 | Kangra tea | grown in Kangra and Mandi valleys of Himachal Pradesh; total ash 4.5 to 9.0 per cent by weight; crude fibre not more than 18.5 per cent |
| 3 | Green tea | produced by enzyme inactivation, rolling or comminution and drying; total catechins not less than 9.0 percent and not more than 19.0 percent |
| 4 | Instant tea in solid form | dried water-dispersible solids from aqueous extraction; moisture not more than 6.0 percent by mass |
For tea, clause 1 prints that all figures are expressed on the material oven-dried at 103±2° C. Water soluble ash must be not less than 45.0 percent of total ash, alkalinity of water soluble ash (as KOH) between 1.0 and 3.0 percent, and acid-insoluble ash not more than 1.0 percent. As amended on 21 October 2024, iron filings (mg/Kg) are not more than 125 for tea and for Kangra tea. Pectinase enzyme may be added up to a level of 0.2% as a processing aid.
Flavoured tea. Tea may contain "natural flavours" and "natural flavouring substances", obtained exclusively by physical processes from materials of plant origin, in packaged tea only. Tea containing added flavour must carry the label declaration required by the packaging and labelling provision cited. Tea used to make flavoured tea must meet the tea standard, and flavoured tea manufacturers must register with the Tea Board before marketing; for flavoured instant tea the registration number must be on the label. If tea is sold without saying whether it is Kangra tea, the standard for tea in clause 1 applies. Our sister article on specific prohibitions covers the sale-side rule on flavoured tea.
Coffee: 2.10.2
| Product | Defining feature | Key parameters named |
|---|---|---|
| Green coffee | dried seeds of Coffea arabica, liberica, excelsa or canephora (robusta), husks removed | no artificial colouring, flavouring, facing or glazing substance |
| Roasted and ground coffee | cleaned green coffee roasted to a brown colour; ground from roasted coffee only | moisture not more than 5.0 percent; total ash 3.0 to 6.0 percent; aqueous extracts not less than 26.0 and not more than 35.0 percent; caffeine (anhydrous) not less than 1.0 percent |
| Decaffeinated roasted and ground coffee | decaffeinated in green form before roasting | the same tables, with caffeine (anhydrous) not more than 0.1 |
| Soluble coffee powder | from freshly roasted and ground pure coffee beans, powder or agglomerated granules | moisture not more than 4.0 percent; caffeine not less than 2.8 percent; dissolves readily in 30 seconds in boiling water and in 3 minutes in cold water at 16±2 °C |
| Decaffeinated soluble coffee powder | most caffeine removed | moisture 4.0; caffeine not more than 0.3 |
Soluble coffee powder may not contain chicory or any other added substances.
Chicory: 2.10.3
Chicory is the roasted powder from the cleaned and dried roots of Chicorium intybus, with or without edible fats and oils or sugar such as glucose or sucrose in a proportion not exceeding 2.0 percent by weight in aggregate. The table prints total ash (dry basis) not less than 3.5 and not more than 8.0 per cent, acid insoluble ash not more than 2.5 per cent and aqueous extracts not less than 55.0 per cent.
Coffee-chicory mixtures: 2.10.4
The standard covers four products: coffee-chicory mixture (roasted and ground), instant coffee-chicory mixture, and the decaffeinated versions of each. In every case the coffee content must be not less than 51 per cent by mass (on dry basis for the instant forms), and the percentage of coffee and chicory must be marked on the label. The mixture must not contain any other added substance.
| Product | Moisture | Total ash (dry basis) | Caffeine (dry basis) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee-chicory mixture | not more than 5.0 per cent | not more than 7.50 | not less than 0.6 |
| Instant coffee-chicory mixture | not more than 4.0 | not more than 10 | not less than 1.4 |
| Decaffeinated mixture, roasted and ground | 5.0 maximum | 7.50 maximum | 0.1 maximum |
| Decaffeinated instant mixture | 4.0 maximum | 10 maximum | 0.3 maximum |
Instant forms must dissolve in 30 seconds in boiling water and in 3 minutes in cold water. Our sister article on coffee-chicory and other Schedule II labels covers the label statements, and our post on FSSAI compliance for tea and coffee businesses covers the business side.
A practical example
Darjeeling Hills Trading packs a masala tea blend. The base tea must meet the tea standard, including iron filings of not more than 125 mg/Kg and water extract of not less than 32.0 percent. Any added flavour must be a natural flavour or natural flavouring substance, obtained exclusively by physical processes, with a label declaration, and the company must be registered with the Tea Board before marketing the flavoured tea. The wider beverage standards are in our article on carbonated drinks and packaged water.
Need help with tea and coffee standards?
Our team can compare your lab reports with the printed tables and prepare the licence application through FSSAI registration for food manufacturers.
Key takeaways
- Tea tables cover ash, water extract and fibre; green tea adds total catechins of 9.0 to 19.0 percent.
- Iron filings are capped at 125 mg/Kg for tea and Kangra tea, as amended on 21 October 2024.
- Flavoured tea makers must register with the Tea Board.
- Coffee-chicory mixtures need not less than 51 per cent coffee and a label showing both percentages.
- Soluble coffee powder may not contain chicory.
Read next
- Regulations 2.10.6 to 2.10.9: carbonated beverages, mineral water and packaged drinking water
- FSSAI compliance for tea and coffee businesses
- Beverage standards: water and juice
- Regulations 2.9.30 to 2.9.45: salt, seasonings, oleoresins and dried herbs
Disclaimer: Based on the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 as consolidated in FSSAI's chapter-wise compendium (to amendment 83 of 21 October 2024) and the First Amendment Regulations, 2025, as 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.