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 2.3.1 has three parts. It borrows the meaning of "insecticide" from the Insecticides Act, 1968, bars the direct use of insecticides on articles of food, and then sets a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) Table, in mg/kg, for named insecticides on named foods. The Table runs to serial 213 in the compendium. Exporters and processors can have residue reports read against it through FSSAI compliance support.
This article reads the text as amended up to 14 May 2026 (FSSAI Compendium Version IX dated 03.02.2026, consolidated to the notification of 17 October 2024; the Amendment Regulations, 2026 of 14 May 2026 do not touch regulation 2.3.1). FSSAI compendia are reference consolidations and the Gazette text prevails. Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in.
Subject to clause (3), no insecticides shall be used directly on articles of food; the proviso keeps fumigants registered and recommended for use on food by the Registration Committee under section 5 of the Insecticides Act, 1968 outside the ban. Clause (3) then fixes the Maximum Residue Limit in mg/kg for each insecticide in column (2) on each food in column (3). The Table was substituted on 24 December 2018 and amended on 17 October 2024. Where no MRL has been fixed, a tolerance limit of 0.01 mg/kg applies. Farm-gate traders, processors, exporters, importers and laboratories are all affected.
Clause (1): the meaning of "insecticide"
The expression "insecticide" has the meaning assigned to it in the Insecticide Act, 1968 (46 of 1968). The Act itself is not explained here. What matters for a food business is that the word follows that Act, so a product registered as an insecticide there is an insecticide here.
Clause (2) and its proviso: no direct use on food
Subject to clause (3), no insecticides shall be used directly on articles of food. The proviso says nothing in the regulation applies to fumigants that are registered and recommended for use as such on articles of food by the Registration Committee, constituted under section 5 of the Insecticides Act, 1968.
So there are two layers. The general rule prohibits direct use. The Table in clause (3) deals with the limits for the listed insecticides on the listed foods. A fumigant that fits the proviso falls outside clause (2).
Clause (3): the MRL Table
The insecticide specified in column (2) shall not exceed the Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) prescribed in column (4) for the article of food specified in column (3). The Table has four columns.
| Column | Heading | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| (1) | Sl. No. | serial number of the insecticide |
| (2) | Name of the Insecticide | for example "Acetamiprid" or "Sum of benomyl and carbendazim expressed as carbendazim" |
| (3) | Food | the crop or product, such as Rice, Chilli, Dried Chilli, Milk and Milk products |
| (4) | Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) in mg/kg | the figure for that line |
An insecticide has one serial number and may have many food lines under it. Serial 1 (2,4-Dichlorophenoxy Acetic Acid) has foods such as Sugarcane, Potato and Fruits. The food grains line under serial 1 carries several figures in one cell, for different grains, as printed.
Sample rows exactly as printed (MRL in mg/kg)
| Serial | Insecticide | Food | MRL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,4-Dichlorophenoxy Acetic Acid | Potato | 0.2 |
| 3 | Acetamiprid | Chilli | 2 |
| 3 | Acetamiprid | Dried Chilli | 20 |
| 3 | Acetamiprid | Rice | 0.01 |
| 8 | Anilophos | Rice | 0.1 |
| 9 | Atrazine | Maize | 0.01 |
| 10 | Azimsulfuron | Rice | 0.02* |
| 11 | Azoxystrobin | Potato | 7 |
A row is read across the line: the insecticide, then the food, then the limit. The same insecticide can have a different figure on a different food, and the figure for Chilli and the figure for Dried Chilli under serial 3 are separate lines.
The symbols and the closing notes
Below the Table the compendium prints these notes:
- The asterisk: "Maximum Residue Limit fixed at Limit of Quantification (LOQ)". A figure such as 0.02* is therefore at the LOQ.
- "F": "Maximum Residue Limit Calculation on Fat Basis". It appears against some milk lines, for example "0.1 (F)" in serial 13.
- "$": "The limit shall be for copper in the regulations 2.1 metal contaminants of the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins And Residues) Regulations, 2011 and as amended from time to time." Copper limits therefore sit with the metal Table; see our article on metal contaminants.
- "Note: Tolerance limit of 0.01 mg/kg shall apply in cases of pesticides for which MRL have not been fixed."
Some lines also carry a basis in words, such as a shell basis for eggs or a carcass fat basis for meat and poultry. The words sit next to the figure and are part of the limit.
An invented example: Deccan Spice Exports ships dried chilli. A residue report shows Acetamiprid on dried chilli. The report is read against serial 3, the Dried Chilli line, at the figure printed there. If a residue is found for an insecticide that has no line for chilli at all, the closing Note's 0.01 mg/kg tolerance is the figure printed for that case.
The amendment history
Regulation 2.3.1 was substituted by the notification of 24 December 2018 (footnote 14) and amended by the notification of 17 October 2024 (footnote 16). The Contaminants Amendment Regulations, 2026 in force from 1 December 2026 change other regulations (2.1, 2.2.1 and 2.3.2) but not this one.
Where to look next
Antibiotics and other drug residues are in regulation 2.3.2; see our articles on antibiotics in seafood and honey and on veterinary drug residues. For a general overview see pesticide residues and antibiotics in food. The Act's rule on pesticide residues and veterinary drugs is in section 21 of the FSS Act.
Exporters and processors who need to read a residue report against the Table can ask for FSSAI compliance support.
Need help with pesticide residue compliance?
A residue report is only as useful as the line it is matched to. Our FSSAI compliance support service helps you read reports against the Table, track the supplier side, and prepare for sampling.
Key takeaways
- Insecticides may not be used directly on food, except registered fumigants under the proviso.
- The MRL Table gives a limit in mg/kg for each insecticide on each named food.
- An asterisk marks a limit fixed at the Limit of Quantification, "F" a fat-basis calculation.
- A tolerance limit of 0.01 mg/kg applies where no MRL has been fixed.
- Copper limits are in the metal contaminants Table.
Read next
- Regulation 2.3.2(1)–(3): antibiotics in seafood and honey
- Regulation 2.3.2(4): veterinary drug residues
- Pesticide residues and antibiotics in food
- Section 21, FSS Act: pesticide residues, veterinary drugs and microbiological counts
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.