Skip to content
Laddoo

The laws behind every flag

Laddoo invents nothing. Every flag traces back to a published Indian regulation or guideline, listed here in plain language.

Want the full record instead?

Every rule we apply, with its authority type, clause reference, source document and the state of our stored copy - plus the same set as JSON. No account needed.

Every rule and its citation/rules.json

FSSAI - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

The Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Regulations, under the FSS Act, 2006

FSSAI is India's food regulator. Its regulations say which additives may be used and how much, what must be printed on a label, limits for trans fat, and which substances are banned outright. These rules are the law for every packaged food sold in India.

  • FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - which additives are permitted and which are restricted.
  • FSS (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011 and 2020 - what a pack must declare, including allergens.
  • FSS (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 - things that may not be sold at all.
  • Potassium bromate ban, 2016, and the trans fat limit amendment, 2021.

9 rules we apply from this source

  • Amber

    artificial colour

    Artificial colour present and its declaration

    FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 - Reg. 6

  • Amber

    artificial color

    Artificial colour present and its declaration

    FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 - Reg. 6

  • Red

    cashew

    Cashew, a tree nut and declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    kaju

    Cashew, a tree nut and declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    groundnut

    Groundnut, a declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    peanut

    Groundnut, a declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    moongphali

    Groundnut, a declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Amber

    INS 102

    INS 102 tartrazine, a synthetic colour

    FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - Appendix A

  • Amber

    tartrazine

    INS 102 tartrazine, a synthetic colour

    FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - Appendix A

  • Amber

    INS 211

    INS 211 sodium benzoate, a preservative

    FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - Appendix A

  • Amber

    sodium benzoate

    INS 211 sodium benzoate, a preservative

    FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - Appendix A

  • Amber

    INS 635

    INS 635 disodium ribonucleotides, a flavour enhancer

    FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - Appendix A

  • Amber

    disodium ribonucleotide

    INS 635 disodium ribonucleotides, a flavour enhancer

    FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - Appendix A

  • Red

    maida

    Refined wheat flour; wheat is a declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    refined wheat flour

    Refined wheat flour; wheat is a declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    milk

    Milk, a declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    milk solids

    Milk, a declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    skimmed milk powder

    Milk, a declarable allergen

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)

  • Red

    wheat

    Wheat, a declarable allergen and the source of gluten

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)(i)

  • Red

    atta

    Wheat, a declarable allergen and the source of gluten

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)(i)

  • Red

    gehu

    Wheat, a declarable allergen and the source of gluten

    FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Reg. 5(14)(i)

PFA - Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954

India's older food law, now absorbed into the FSS Act, 2006

Before FSSAI existed, the PFA Act was India's main weapon against adulterated food. Its lists of known adulterants are still used to spot old tricks that should never appear on a modern label. A rule drawn from this source would be red, because these have no place in food at all. We have not published one yet, so today it flags nothing.

  • Adulterant lists from the PFA era - non-permitted colours, artificial sweeteners where not allowed, and fillers.
  • Anything on this list would be a hard red: not 'sometimes okay', just not allowed.

0 rules we apply from this source

  • No active rules from this source yet.

ICMR-NIN - Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024

Guidance, not law - from India's national nutrition institute

The Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Nutrition publish what a sensible everyday diet looks like. These are guidelines rather than laws, so a finding from them is neutral: a fact we put in front of you, never a breach.

  • Recommended amounts for added sugar, salt and fat in a daily diet.
  • Advice on refined flour, deep-fried food and ultra-processed snacks.
  • These findings tell you what is in the pack. They never say it is banned.

3 rules we apply from this source

  • Neutral

    invert syrup

    Invert syrup, counting toward declared total sugars

    ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 - Guideline 15 (minimise high fat, sugar, salt and ultra-processed foods), p. 94

  • Neutral

    invert sugar syrup

    Invert syrup, counting toward declared total sugars

    ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 - Guideline 15 (minimise high fat, sugar, salt and ultra-processed foods), p. 94

  • Neutral

    palm oil

    Palm oil present in the ingredient list

    ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 - Guideline 7 (use oils and fats in moderation), p. 51

  • Neutral

    palm fat

    Palm oil present in the ingredient list

    ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 - Guideline 7 (use oils and fats in moderation), p. 51

  • Neutral

    vegetable oil (palm)

    Palm oil present in the ingredient list

    ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 - Guideline 7 (use oils and fats in moderation), p. 51

  • Neutral

    palmolein

    Palmolein - palm oil under another name

    ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 - Guideline 7, Figure 7.2 (fatty acid composition of vegetable oils), p. 55

  • Neutral

    palm olein

    Palmolein - palm oil under another name

    ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 - Guideline 7, Figure 7.2 (fatty acid composition of vegetable oils), p. 55

A careful word

Laws change, and labels change faster. We keep this list updated, but a flag here is guidance for reading a label - not legal advice, and never a claim that a food is unsafe or unlawful. The regulation text itself is always the final word.

How a label photo becomes a flagWhat each flag meansBrowse the products
The Indian food laws behind every flag - Laddoo