And egg 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 2.5 defines the terms used for meat and then sets standards in two parts: sub-regulation 2.5.2 for meat and poultry products (canned, comminuted, cured, dried, cooked, fresh meat of several animals, marinated, fermented and casings) and 2.5.3 for eggs. A new clause 2A on meat sausages is inserted by the First Amendment Regulations, 2025, in force 1 February 2026. Meat processors, poultry packers and egg product makers can start with FSSAI registration for food manufacturers.
This article reads the text as amended up to 10 July 2025 (FSSAI chapter compendium consolidated to amendment 83 of 21 October 2024, and the First Amendment Regulations, 2025 of 10 July 2025, in force 1 February 2026). Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in. A compendium is a reference consolidation; the Gazette text prevails.
Meat must come from animals slaughtered in a licensed abattoir. Chilled products are held at or below 4 °C and frozen products at or below minus 18 °C. Comminuted or restructured products need a minimum of 50% meat, and the new sausage clause, in force from 1 February 2026, sets meat at 50, 60 or 65 per cent for fresh, cooked or smoked, and dry or fermented sausages. Additives follow Appendix A and microbiology follows Appendix B.
Regulation 2.5.1: definitions
"Animal" covers ovines, caprines, suillines, bovines and domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and includes poultry and fish. The definitions that follow, as substituted by amendment, cover carcass, meat (all edible parts, including edible offal, of any food animal slaughtered in an abattoir), offal, edible offal tissue, "meat food products" (meat as the major ingredient, excluding meat extracts, soup, stock and sauces and products with meat not exceeding ten percent of weight), slaughter, slaughter house (a licensed place with ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection by a veterinarian) and egg (eggs-in-shell, other than broken, incubated or cooked). Our post on the Schedule 4 conditions for meat processing units covers the licensing hygiene side.
Regulation 2.5.2: the product standards
| Clause | Product | Defining feature | Key parameters named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canned or retort pouch meat | thermally processed in sealed containers, commercially sterile | no change on incubation at 35 °C for 10 days or 55 °C for 5 days; F0 value standardised |
| 2 | Comminuted or restructured meat | ground, chopped or flaked meat, emulsions and steak-like pieces | meat, lean meat, fat, binders, moisture |
| 2A | Meat sausages (from 1 February 2026) | minced meat stuffed in casings | meat, moisture, total ash by sausage type |
| 3 | Cured or pickled, cooked or smoked meat | curing with salt, nitrite and phosphates, pickling, smoking | storage temperatures |
| 4 | Dried or dehydrated meat | low-moisture (aw below 0.60) and intermediate-moisture (aw 0.60 to 0.85) | water activity and moisture |
| 5 | Cooked or semi-cooked meat | thermal core temperature of 75 °C | storage temperatures |
| 6 to 11 | Fresh, chilled or frozen rabbit, pork, beef, chevon, mutton and poultry meat | carcasses, cuts and edible offal | moisture, protein and fat ranges; storage and consumption periods |
| 12 | Marinated meat | meat mixed with a marinade | permitted ingredients |
| 13 | Fermented meat | starter culture, ripening and drying | pH range of 4.5 to 5.5 |
| 14 | Animal casings | intestines, oesophagus and bladder, dried or wet salted | defect list |
Clause 2 (comminuted or restructured meat). These products need a minimum of 50% meat (lean meat, fat and edible offals), with lean meat not less than 25% of the formulation. Maximum fat is 30% for pork, 25% for other food animals and 15% for birds and rabbits. Extenders or binders are allowed up to 3.5% in the finished product; products with more than 3.5% binders or extenders or more than 2.0% isolated soy proteins must be labelled "Imitation". Final moisture may not exceed four times the protein content plus 10% (4P+10%), and added water plus fat may not exceed 40%. Low fat products have not more than 10% fat and extra lean products less than 5%. Mechanically recovered meat from poultry has no usage limit; from other food animals it is limited to 20% of the meat portion.
Clause 2A (meat sausages), inserted by the First Amendment Regulations, 2025, in force 1 February 2026. The clause applies to fresh or cooked sausages and sets processing steps: mincing, emulsification, stuffing and linking, cooking to an internal temperature of 75 °C and cooling to below 40 °C. Fresh sausages must reach 4 °C within 12 hours, and frozen sausages are stored at minus 18 °C or lower.
| Sausage type | Meat, minimum (w/w) | Moisture, maximum (w/w) | Total ash, maximum (w/w) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh | 50% | 65% | 3% |
| Cooked or smoked | 60% | 60% | 3% |
| Dry or fermented | 65% | 50% | 3% |
The clause adds that the comminuted or restructured standard in clause 2 applies in addition.
Fresh meat (clauses 6 to 11). Each clause defines the animal's meat, the chilled and frozen forms (chilled between 0 °C and 4 °C for pork, beef, chevon, mutton and poultry; 0 to 7 °C for rabbit) and gives ranges for boneless meat. Examples as printed: boneless chevon moisture 74% to 76%, protein 20% to 22% and fat 2% to 4%; poultry meat moisture 60% to 74.86%, protein 19.50% to 23.20% and fat 3.50% to 18%. Beef covers bovine animals including buffaloes and Mithun, with separate fat ranges for buffalo and Mithun meat. Chilled meat is consumed within two to four days and frozen meat within ten or twelve months as each clause prints.
Common conditions. The note after clause 11 applies to all products in 2.5.2: compliance with notifications on veterinary drugs, a ban on genetically modified techniques, limits on feeding meat or bone meal, a bar on processing porcine products in facilities used for bovine, ovine or caprine animals, and inspection and certification for imports. See our sister article on veterinary drug residues.
Regulation 2.5.3: egg and egg products
| Clause | Product | A few parameters exactly as printed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresh eggs | not washed or dry-cleaned, collected at least once weekly; ambient storage consumed within 2 weeks of laying and refrigerated storage within five weeks |
| 2 | Frozen egg products | pasteurised at 61 to 63 degree C for 5 minutes; frozen egg white minimum solids 10.5, egg yolk 40.0, whole egg 22.0 |
| 3 | Egg powder | maximum moisture 2.0% in whole, yolk and white powder |
| 4 | Liquid egg products | held at 4 °C or below for up to 7 days; same solids minimums as frozen products |
| 5 | Pickled eggs | vinegar-based or oil-based; acidity as acetic acid minimum 0.8 and 0.6; sodium chloride maximum 3.0 |
Pickled eggs were added by amendment 83 of 21 October 2024; the vinegar route prints a pickling solution of vinegar and water (50:50), eight per cent common salt and aging of forty-eight hours.
A practical example
Harbour Meats plans a chicken sausage line. From 1 February 2026 a fresh sausage must carry at least 50% meat, with moisture not above 65%, and cooked sausages must be cooked to an internal temperature of 75 °C. The company must also meet the clause 2 limits on binders, with a label word "Imitation" if the binder level is above 3.5%. Our post on the licence for meat and fish processing covers the licence, and our overview of meat and poultry standards gives the broader picture.
Need help with meat and egg standards?
Our team can review your formulation against the clause, the storage conditions and the label through FSSAI registration for food manufacturers. The next chapter, on fish, is in our article on fish and fish products.
Key takeaways
- Meat must come from animals slaughtered in a licensed abattoir.
- Chilled products are kept at or below 4 °C and frozen at or below minus 18 °C.
- Comminuted products need at least 50% meat and "Imitation" labelling above 3.5% binders.
- The sausage clause 2A, in force from 1 February 2026, sets meat, moisture and ash by type.
- Pickled eggs were added by the amendment of 21 October 2024.
Read next
- Regulation 2.6: fish and fish products
- Meat and poultry standards under FSSAI
- Licence for meat and fish processing
- Schedule 4 to the Licensing Regulations: meat processing units
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.