Cereal Based 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 8 and 9 give the standards for the two cereal-based foods that complement an infant's diet after six months up to twenty-four months: milk cereal based complementary food (regulation 8) and processed cereal based complementary food (regulation 9). Each has a composition list, a nutrient table, optional nutrients and an additive list.
The text is read as amended up to 30 August 2022 (FSSAI Compendium Version II dated 04.01.2024, which also marks provisions published in a corrigendum dated 31.03.2021). FSSAI compendia are reference consolidations and the Gazette text prevails. Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in. Manufacturers can look at our central FSSAI licence service for the licensing step.
Both standards apply to products "in powder, small granules or flakes form" for infants after six months up to twenty-four months. The milk cereal based food is based on milk; the processed cereal based food must contain milled cereals and legumes combined accounting for not less than 75 per cent and sodium not exceeding 100 mg per 100 kcals of the ready to eat product. Neither may contain hydrogenated vegetable fats and oils.
Regulation 8: milk cereal based complementary food
Composition, 8(1)
- (a) Based on milk of cow, buffalo or other milch animals as specified under the Food Products Standards and Food Additives Regulations, 2011 or a mixture, and/or other nutrients or ingredients provided under these Regulations.
- (b) It may contain a variety of cereals, pulses, soybean, millets, fruits and vegetables or their products, egg or egg products, nuts and edible oil seeds after processing.
- (c) It may also contain edible vegetable oil, defatted edible oil seed extracts, protein concentrates, isolates or hydrolysates, milk solids, various carbohydrates, and salts such as phosphates and citrates. It shall not contain hydrogenated vegetable fats and oils.
- (d) It shall conform to the table of 16 serial numbers (parameter, requirement per 100 g, requirement per 100 kcal). Entries as printed:
| Serial | Parameter | Per 100 g | Per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moisture, per cent by weight, Max | 5.00 | - |
| 2 | Total protein including milk protein, per cent by weight (N x 6.25), Min | 15.00 | 3.20 |
| 2 | Milk protein (N x 6.38), per cent by weight, Min | 5.00 | 1.00 |
| 3 | Total fat (including milk fat), per cent by weight, Min | 7.50 | 1.60 |
| 4 | Total carbohydrates, per cent by weight, Min | 55.00 | 11.70 |
| 15 | Iron, mg | 3.00 - 7.00 | 0.60 - 1.50 |
| 16 | Zinc, mg | 2.50 - 5.90 | 0.50 - 1.25 |
- (e) Optional ingredients or nutrients, in a table of 18 serial numbers per 100 g and per 100 kcal, among them pantothenic acid, choline (Max 32.00 mg per 100 g), calcium (250.00 - 700.00 mg), taurine (Max 60.00 mg), L-carnitine (Min 5.00 mg) and others. A note says that text highlighted in the compendium shows a provision published in the corrigendum dated 31.03.2021.
Additives, 8(2)
Regulation 8(2)(a) lists additives permitted in 100 g of the ready-to-consume product, grouped as emulsifiers, acidity regulators, antioxidants, raising agent, thickeners, anticaking agent, packaging gases and enzymes. Entries as printed: Lecithins (INS 322) at 1500 mg; mono- and diglycerides and the fatty acid esters of glycerol (INS 471, 472a, 472b, 472c) at 5000 mg singly or in combination; carob bean gum, guar gum, gum Arabic, xanthan gum and pectins (INS 410, 412, 414, 415, 440) at 1000 mg singly or in combination; most acidity regulators, the anticaking agent silicon dioxide (INS 551), carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and alpha amylase at "GMP". One thickener row also carries a 2000 mg limit for cereal based foods that contain no gluten. Regulation 8(2)(b) allows the additives in Schedule I(d) for special nutrient formulations.
Regulation 9: processed cereal based complementary food
Composition, 9(1)
- (a) A product based on a variety of cereals, pulses including soybean, millets, nuts and edible oil seeds.
- (b) It shall contain milled cereals and legumes combined accounting for not less than 75 per cent.
- (c) The sodium content shall not exceed 100 mg per 100 kcals of the ready to eat product.
- (d) It may also contain other ingredients (protein concentrates, isolates and hydrolysates, essential amino acids, milk and milk products, eggs, edible vegetable oils, fruits and vegetables, nuts, honey, corn syrup, malt and various carbohydrates) but shall not contain hydrogenated vegetable oils and fats. Proviso: products containing honey or maple syrup shall be processed so as to destroy spores of Clostridium botulimum (as printed).
- (e) It may contain other vitamins and minerals, but any added nutrient shall not exceed the Recommended Dietary Allowances specified by the Indian Council of Medical Research or, if none are specified, the standards laid down by Codex Alimentarius Commission.
- (f) It shall conform to a table of 23 serial numbers. Entries as printed:
| Serial | Parameter | Per 100 g | Per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moisture, per cent by weight, Max | 5.00 | - |
| 2 | Total protein (N x 6.25), per cent by weight, Min | 15.00 | 3.20 |
| 3 | Total fat, per cent by weight, Max | 7.50 | 1.60 |
| 4 | Total carbohydrates, per cent by weight, Min | 55.00 | 11.70 |
| 15 | Iron, mg | 3.00 - 5.65 | 0.60 - 1.20 |
| 16 | Zinc, mg | 2.50 - 5.90 | 0.50 - 1.25 |
Footnote 1 to the table says that where the product is mixed with water or milk before consumption the minimum protein content shall be 15 per cent by weight, that the Protein Efficiency Ratio shall not be less than 70 per cent of that of casein which is 2.5, that amino acids may be added solely to improve the nutritional value of the protein mixture, and that only natural forms of L-amino acids shall be used.
Additives, 9(2), and the mono grain rule, 9(3)
The additive list in 9(2)(a) is structured like the one in regulation 8, per 100 g of the product ready for consumption, with the same groups and levels, and 9(2)(b) again allows the Schedule I(d) additives. Regulation 9(3) deals with products for specific conditions, where protein needs to be restricted and other cereals like wheat, soya, legumes and milk cannot be used: such a product shall be prepared with a single cereal like rice or ragi, with a minimum protein content of 6 to 9 per cent, and shall be conspicuously labelled "mono grain based complementary foods for use in specific conditions under medical guidance only".
How the two standards differ
| Point | Regulation 8 | Regulation 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Milk of cow, buffalo or other milch animals, and/or other listed ingredients | Cereals, pulses, millets, nuts and edible oil seeds |
| Cereal and legume share | Not stated as a percentage | Milled cereals and legumes combined not less than 75 per cent |
| Sodium limit | Table: optional sodium, 90.00 - 300.00 mg per 100 g | Not exceeding 100 mg per 100 kcals of the ready to eat product |
| Fat in the table | Total fat, Min 7.50 | Total fat, Max 7.50 |
| Special line | None | Mono grain products under medical guidance (9(3)) |
Regulation 9 puts a cap on total fat while regulation 8 sets a minimum; the text is read as printed.
An invented example
Millet Mornings Foods makes a ragi-based baby porridge for infants of eight months. Because it has no milk and is mainly cereal and pulse, it falls under regulation 9. It must keep milled cereals and legumes at not less than 75 per cent and sodium at not more than 100 mg per 100 kcals ready to eat. When it uses honey in a variant, it must be processed to destroy spores of Clostridium botulimum. A separate ragi-only line for babies who cannot take wheat, soya, legumes or milk would also need the mono grain label wording in regulation 9(3). Millet standards for ordinary foods are explained in the sister article on millet flours and breakfast cereals.
Need help with infant cereals?
Complementary foods sit between ordinary cereal standards and infant rules, and the choice between regulation 8 and regulation 9 drives everything that follows. Our central FSSAI licence team can help pick the right category, prepare the licence and check each nutrient against the table.
Key takeaways
- Both standards apply after six months up to twenty-four months, in powder, small granules or flakes form.
- Neither product may contain hydrogenated vegetable fats and oils.
- Regulation 9 needs milled cereals and legumes of not less than 75 per cent and sodium not exceeding 100 mg per 100 kcals.
- Honey or maple syrup products must be processed to destroy Clostridium spores.
- Mono grain products for specific conditions carry a fixed medical guidance label.
Read next
- Regulation 7: the infant formula standard
- Regulations 10 and 11: follow-up formula and traditional foods
- Millet flours, soy products and breakfast cereals
- Infant food and baby food standards: an overview
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.