Packaged food label wrong? FSSAI rules and how to complain

A packaged food label in India must carry the details listed in the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, and it must not describe the food in a false or misleading way. If it does, photograph the pack and bill, then complain on FSSAI's Food Safety Connect portal or app, to the State Food Safety Commissioner, or to the National Consumer Helpline on 1915. You can also file before a consumer commission.

This guide reads the 2020 Regulations (the Regulations), the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (the FSS Act) and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (the CPA). The Regulations have been amended since 2020, so this guide quotes only provisions that the amendments listed on FSSAI's labelling amendments page, up to the First Amendment of 2026, do not change. For a general complaint route on a faulty product, see Got a Defective Product or Bad Service? Filing a Consumer Complaint Without a Lawyer.

What a packaged food label must show

Labels may not describe food in a way that is "false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character in any respect" (regulation 4(3)), and contents must be clear, prominent and readily legible (regulation 4(7)). If you buy online, the label requirements must be provided to you "through appropriate means before sale", except the batch or lot number and the date markings (regulation 4(2)).

When is a food "misbranded"?

The FSS Act defines misbranded food in section 3(1)(zf). It includes an article "offered or promoted for sale with false, misleading or deceptive claims" on the label or through advertisement. Section 23(2) adds that labelling and presentation must not mislead consumers. Section 52(1) provides that a person who manufactures for sale, stores, sells, distributes or imports misbranded food "shall be liable to a penalty which may extend to three lakh rupees", and section 52(2) lets the Adjudicating Officer direct corrective action or destruction of the food. Section 68 deals with who adjudicates. Section 52 does not say that the penalty is paid to the person who complained.

What changes from 1 July 2027

FSSAI notified the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) First Amendment Regulations, 2026 on 24 March 2026, and they come into force on 1 July 2027, so they do not yet apply. Among other things, the notification:

• says logos notified under the FSS regulations "may not be given where the surface area of the package is not more than 100 square centimetres", but the information must be given on multi-unit packages (new regulation 8(1B));
• requires a package meant for non-retail sale to be clearly identifiable, for example with the statement "NON-RETAIL CONTAINER - NOT FOR DIRECT SALE TO CONSUMER" (regulation 10(4));

If a label looks wrong: what to do

1. Keep the evidence. Keep the pack, photograph every panel including batch number and dates, and keep the bill or order page. If you want the food tested, section 40 of the FSS Act lets a purchaser have it analysed by a Food Analyst on payment of fees, but you must "inform the food business operator at the time of purchase of his intention to have such article so analysed".
2. Complain to FSSAI. FSSAI says consumers can download its Food Safety Connect app to lodge and trace a grievance, and its Food Safety Connect portal lets you file one. See the Food Safety Connect page and the grievance page.
3. Or approach the State authority. FSSAI's grievance page says consumers can lodge food complaints with State authorities and "approach the Food Safety Commissioner". Under section 36(3)(g) of the FSS Act the Designated Officer functions include "to get investigated any complaint which may be made in writing" about a contravention of the Act.
4. Call the National Consumer Helpline. Its website lists toll free 1915 (8AM to 8PM), WhatsApp +918800001915 and an online portal.
5. File before the consumer commission. A complaint about goods sold may be filed with a District Commission by the consumer, and "may be filed electronically" (CPA section 35(1)). It will not be admitted unless filed "within two years from the date on which the cause of action has arisen", subject to a sufficient-cause exception (section 69). A false representation that goods are of a particular standard, quality, quantity or composition is listed as an unfair trade practice (section 2(47)(i)(a)).

What you can get back

If a District Commission finds the allegations of unfair trade practice proved, section 39(1) of the CPA lets it direct the opposite party, among other things, to replace the goods, "to return to the complainant the price" with interest as decided, pay compensation for loss or injury due to negligence, and "to discontinue the unfair trade practice". The CPA gives no fixed amount for a mislabelled food, and no outcome is promised. If you bought the product online, see also Can a seller refuse returns on sale items? What the law says.

Sources

• Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, Gazette of India, 18 November 2020, FSSAI.
• Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) First Amendment Regulations, 2026, Gazette of India, 24 March 2026, FSSAI.
• Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, FSSAI.
• Consumer Protection Act, 2019, Gazette of India, 9 August 2019.
• FSSAI, Grievance page and Food Safety Connect page.
• National Consumer Helpline, Department of Consumer Affairs.

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