Regulation 2 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.
Regulation 2.13 starts from a ban: save for what the regulation itself permits, no food shall be processed by radiation. It then sets the classes of food that may be irradiated, the dose limits in kilo Gray (kGy) for each purpose, the approval of irradiation facilities, the records, a ban on re-irradiation, a packaged-only sale rule and a label with the Radura logo in green. Spice exporters, dry fruit processors and food packers who use irradiation can start with FSSAI compliance support.
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.
Irradiation is allowed only for the classes in Table 1 and the allied products in Table 2, within the printed dose limits, in a facility approved and licensed under the Atomic Energy (Radiation Processing of Food and Allied Products) Rules, 2012. Irradiated food must be sold only in pre-packaged condition and every package must carry the Radura logo in green with the declaration "PROCESSED BY RADIATION". Food once irradiated is not re-irradiated unless these regulations specifically permit it.
2.13.1: the dose of radiation
Clause (1) says that, save as provided in clause (2), no food shall be processed by radiation. Clause (2) lets foods named in Tables 1 and 2 receive a dose not in excess of the quantity those tables specify at the time of radiation processing. Clause (3) requires routine quantitative dosimetry during operation, with records kept as the Atomic Energy (Radiation Processing of Food and Allied Products) Rules, 2012 provide.
Table 1 (as amended on 21 October 2024 for Class 1) lists eight classes, each with purposes and a minimum and a maximum dose in kGy. A few entries exactly as printed:
| Class | Food | Purpose | Dose limit, kGy (minimum, maximum) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Bulbs, stem and root tubers, rhizomes and fresh spices including ginger, garlic and turmeric | Inhibit sprouting | 0.02, 0.2 |
| Class 1 | the same | Reduction of microbial load | 2.0, 5.0 |
| Class 3 | Cereals and their milled products, pulses, nuts, oil seeds, dried fruits | Insect disinfestation | 0.25, 1.0 |
| Class 4 | Fish, aquaculture, seafood and their products (fresh or frozen) and crustaceans | Elimination of pathogenic micro organisms | 1.0, 7.0 |
| Class 6 | Dry vegetables, seasonings, spices, condiments, dry herbs, tea, coffee, cocoa and plant products | Microbial decontamination | 6.0, 14.0 |
The remaining classes are Class 2 (fresh fruits and vegetables, other than Class 1: delay ripening, insect disinfestation, shelf-life extension and quarantine application), Class 5 (meat and meat products including poultry, fresh and frozen, and eggs), Class 7 (dried foods of animal origin) and Class 8 (ethnic foods, military rations, space foods and ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook or minimally processed foods, with sterilization at 5.0 to 25.0 kGy). Several classes also list shelf-life extension and control of human parasites or moulds as purposes.
Table 2 covers allied products: packaging materials for food, food additives, and health foods, dietary supplements and nutraceuticals, each with insect disinfestation (0.25, 1.0 kGy), microbial decontamination (5.0, 10.0 kGy) and sterilization (10.0, 25.0 kGy). The packaging materials row prints microbial decontamination and sterilization only.
2.13.2: requirements for radiation processing
No irradiation facility may be used to treat food unless it has been approved and licensed under the 2012 Rules, complies with the conditions for approval, operation, licence and process control, and irradiates in accordance with those Rules. No food or irradiated food may leave the facility unless it was irradiated in accordance with the Rules and a certificate of irradiation, indicating the dose and the purpose of irradiation, is provided by the facility. The Regulations name no fee or application form for the facility licence; that sits under the Atomic Energy Rules.
2.13.3 and 2.13.4: restrictions and records
- Radiation processing must conform to the dose limit, the radiation source and the conditions specified for each type or category of food under the 2012 Rules.
- Irradiated food must be identified so as to prevent re-irradiation, and food once irradiated shall not be re-irradiated unless these regulations specifically permit it.
- Personnel must have the minimum qualifications and training prescribed under the 2012 Rules.
- Any treatment by radiation must be recorded by the facility as those Rules specify.
2.13.5 to 2.13.7: standards, storage and sale
Radiation processed food must comply with all the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act and the regulations made under it that specify standards for that food. So irradiated spice must still meet its spice standard; see our article on whole and ground spices. Save as otherwise provided, no person shall irradiate for sale, store for sale or transport for sale irradiated food, and irradiated food may be offered for sale only in pre-packaged condition. Our sister article on conditions for sale under the Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales Regulations covers the sale-side rules.
2.13.8: labelling
The label of food treated with ionizing radiation must carry a written statement indicating the treatment close to the name of the food. All packages must bear the Radura logo in green colour and the declaration:
PROCESSED BY RADIATION. Name of the Product. Purpose of Radiation Processing. Operating License No. Batch Identification No. (BIN) (as provided by facility). Date of Processing.
Related regulation 1.2 definitions of irradiation, irradiated food and the irradiation facility operator are summarised in our article on definitions and structure.
A practical example
Konkan Spice Exports sends turmeric rhizomes to a licensed irradiation facility to reduce microbial load. Under Table 1, Class 1, the dose must stay within 2.0 to 5.0 kGy for that purpose. The facility issues a certificate of irradiation with the dose and purpose, the operator keeps the dosimetry records, and the retail pack carries the green Radura logo and the "PROCESSED BY RADIATION" block with the batch identification number. If the product is irradiated again, it breaches the ban on re-irradiation unless a regulation specifically permits it. The overview of food irradiation standards gives the wider picture.
Need help with irradiated food compliance?
Our team can map a product to its Table 1 class, check the facility documents and review the label. Start with FSSAI compliance support. The next chapter, on gluten and hemp seed, is covered in our article on regulations 2.14 to 2.16.
Key takeaways
- No food may be irradiated except as Tables 1 and 2 permit, within the printed dose limits.
- The facility must be approved and licensed under the 2012 Atomic Energy Rules and must issue a certificate of irradiation.
- Irradiated food must not be re-irradiated unless these regulations specifically permit it.
- It may be sold only pre-packaged, with the green Radura logo and the "PROCESSED BY RADIATION" declaration.
- Class 1 was amended on 21 October 2024 and now lists two purposes with separate doses.
Read next
- Regulations 2.14 to 2.16: the gluten category and hemp seed products
- Food irradiation standards under FSSAI
- Regulation 2.12: proprietary food
- Conditions for sale, clauses 11 to 20: Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales Regulations
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.