Restriction on Import-Export of Food Products in India
ITC-HS clarifications of import-export of food products in India
Schedule 1 of Indian trade clarification based on harmonized system (itc-hs) deals with the classifications of export & import items and provides for the food items that are prohibited from being imported into India
| S. No. | Exim Code | Item Description |
| 1 | 0208 90 10 | Other meat and edible meat offal, fresh, chilled or frozen of wild animals |
| 2 | 0209 00 00 | Pig fat, free of lean meat and poultry fat, not rendered or otherwise extracted, fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, in brine, dried or smoked |
| 3 | 0410 00 10 | Edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included of wild animals |
| 4 | 0504 00 31 | Guts of other animals for natural food casings of wild animals |
| 5 | 0504 00 41 | Guts other than for natural food castings of wild animals |
| 6 | 0504 00 51 | Bladders & stomachs of wild animals |
| 7 | 0505 10 10 | Feathers of a kind used for stuffing; down of wild birds |
| 8 | 0505 90 21 | Other feather (excluding for stuffing purpose): of wild birds |
| 9 | 0505 90 31 | Powder and waste of feathers or parts of feathers: of wild birds |
| 10 | 0505 90 91 | Skins and other parts : of wild birds |
| 11 | 0506 10 11 | Bones, including horn-cores, crushed: of wild animals |
| 12 | 0506 10 21 | Bone grist :of wild animals |
| 13 | 0506 10 31 | Ossein :of wild animals |
| 14 | 0506 10 41 | Bones, horn cones & parts thereof, not crushed:of wild animals |
| 15 | 0506 90 11 | Bone meal of wild animals |
| 16 | 0506 90 91 | Other :of wild animals |
| 17 | 0507 10 10 | Ivory |
| 18 | 0507 10 20 | Ivory powder and waste |
| 19 | 0510 00 91 | Ambergris, castoreum, civet and musk; cantharides; bile, whether or not dried; glands of wild animals |
| 20 | 0511 91 10 | Fish nails |
| 21 | 0511 91 20 | Fish tails |
| 22 | 0511 91 30 | Other fish waste |
| 23 | 0511 99 21 | Sinews and tendons of wild life |
| 24 | 0511 99 92 | frozen semen other than bovine embryo of wild life |
| 25 | 1501 00 00 | Pig fats (including lard) and poultry fat, other than that of heading 0209 or 1503 |
| 26 | 1502 00 10 | Mutton tallow |
| 27 | 1502 00 20 | Fats, unrendered (excluding mutton tallow) |
| 28 | 1502 00 30 | Rendered or solvent extraction fats |
| 29 | 1502 00 90 | Other fats of bovine animals, sheep or goats, other than those of heading 1503 |
| 30 | 1503 00 00 | Lard stearin, lard oil, oleostearin, oleo-oil and tallow oil, not emulsified or mixed or otherwise prepared |
| 31 | 1504 10 99 | Other fats and oils and their fractions, of fish or marine mammals, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified |
| 32 | 1504 20 30 | Sperm oil |
| 33 | 1504 20 90 | Other fats and oils and their fractions of fish, other than liver oils |
| 34 | 1504 30 00 | Fats and oils and their fractions of marine mammals |
| 35 | 1506 00 10 | Neats foot oil and fats from bone or waste |
| 36 | 1506 00 90 | Other animal fats and oils and their fractions, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified |
| 37 | 1516 10 00 | Animal fats and oils and their fractions |
| 38 | 1517 10 10 | margarine of animal origin |
| 39 | 1517 90 30 | Imitation lard of animal origin |
| 40 | 1518 00 40 | Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their fractions, boiled, oxidised, dehydrated, sulphurised, blown, polymerised by heat in vacuum or in inert gas or otherwise chemically modified, excluding those of heading 1516 : inedible mixtures or preparations of animal or vegetable fats or oils of this chapter, not elsewhere specified or included -other |
| 41 | 1522 00 10 | Degras |
| 42 | 1522 00 20 | Soap stocks |
| 43 | 1522 00 90 | Other |
| 44 | 3507 10 11 | Microbial rennet: animal rennet |
| 45 | 3507 10 19 | Other enzymes; prepared enzymes not elsewhere specified or included |
| 46 | 3507 10 91 | Animal rennet |
| 47 | 3507 10 99 | Other animal rennet |
| 48 | 4302 19 40 | Tiger-cat skins |
| 49 | 4303 10 10 | articles of apparel and clothing accessories of wild animals covered under wild life protection act,1972 |
| 50 | 4303 90 10 | other articles of fur skin of wild animals covered under wild life protection act,1972 |
Laws On Import Of Food Products In India
Statutory provisions for import of articles of food
Section 25 of the FSS act, 2006 provides that no person shall import into India –
- Any unsafe or misbranded or sub-standard food or food containing extraneous matter;
- Any article of food for the import of which a licence is required under any act or rules or regulations, except in accordance with the conditions of the licence; and
- Any article of food in contravention of any other provision of this act or of any rule or regulation made thereunder or any other act. The act further provides that the central government shall, while prohibiting, restricting or otherwise regulating import of article of food under the foreign trade (development and regulation) act, 1992, follow the standards laid down by the food authority under the provisions of this act and the rules and regulations made thereunder.
India Specific Labelling Norms- Tricky For Food Importers
Reportedly, the regulations of labelling imposed on imported food products have been a consistent matter of controversy as it was difficult for the food importers to comply with India specific labelling norms such as brown and green dots to separate vegetarian and non-vegetarian items as well as nutritional information, source and product origin.
In November, 2013, the FSSAI had banned several food consignments at ports wherein the authority insisted that pasting of stickers is not allowed. Instead, it wanted details printed on the product pack before they were shipped to India.
As a consequence of the stringent law over 200 tonnes of imported gourmet chocolates from around the world, including brands such as godiva, guylian, lindt and mars, were banned at Indian ports and airports.
Ban On Import Of Certain Food Products In India
In 2011, the FSSAI as a stringent effort towards ensuring safety of food products had banned the import of milk and milk products from China. The import of chocolates and chocolate products and candies/ confectionary / food preparations with milk and milk solids as an ingredient were also included in the ban. The ban was imposed because of contamination of milk and milk products with melamine in china, consumption of which could lead to fatal diseases.
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FSSAI License Registration in India
FSSAI Guidelines for restaurants and FBOs amid COVID-19
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To know more about Food Law, FSS Act & FSSAI in India.