Key Details
FSSAI has published two separate draft amendments in the Gazette of India on 16 October 2026. One would change an existing allowance in infant-food standards; the other would specify residue limits for tea.
Draft Amendment | Proposed Change |
|---|---|
Foods for Infant Nutrition | Prohibit the addition of sucrose and fructose to products intended for infants up to six months of age |
Contaminants, Toxins and Residues | Set a maximum residue limit in tea of 20 mg/kg for acetamiprid and 50 mg/kg for imidacloprid |
The infant-food draft invites objections and suggestions within 60 days of the Gazette’s availability to the public. FSSAI will consider representations before finalising it.
Infant-Food Proposal Removes an Existing Exception for the Youngest Age Group
Under the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020, lactose and glucose polymers are preferred carbohydrate sources. The existing rules permit sucrose or fructose when needed as a carbohydrate source, subject to a limit on their combined share of total carbohydrate.
The draft would remove that allowance for products intended for infants up to six months old. It does not propose a ban on every form of sugar in infant nutrition products, or extend the stated prohibition to all products covered by the regulations for children up to 24 months. FSSAI presents the change as a way to avoid unnecessary addition of sucrose and fructose during early infancy, alongside public-health advice on exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.
Tea Draft Sets Limits for Two Named Pesticides
A separate amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011proposes maximum residue limits for acetamiprid and imidacloprid in tea. If finalised, the figures would provide specified thresholds against which tea samples could be tested for compliance.
FSSAI says the proposal considers scientific assessments, international practices and crop-protection needs. Its comparison of the proposed acetamiprid limit with limits in Japan and the United States provides regulatory context; a comparison between countries does not, by itself, establish the level of consumer exposure from Indian tea.
The Proposals Require Different Responses
Infant-food manufacturers would need to assess formulations for the specified age group if the first amendment is finalised. For tea, growers, processors, testing laboratories and enforcement authorities would need a consistent basis for applying the two residue limits. The drafts share a food-standards process, but address distinct products, evidence and compliance systems.
What Is a Maximum Residue Limit?
A maximum residue limit (MRL) is the highest permitted concentration of a specified pesticide residue in a food commodity. Here the proposed limits are expressed in milligrams per kilogram of tea; 1 mg/kg equals 1 part per million. An MRL is a compliance threshold, not a statement that every tea sample contains that amount.
Policy Relevance
Infant nutrition: The proposal would replace a conditional allowance with a clear restriction for products intended for the first six months of life. Its scope makes accurate age-specific formulation and labelling important.
Tea standards: Specified limits can give laboratories and enforcement authorities measurable benchmarks. The consultation is an opportunity to examine the residue and dietary-exposure evidence behind the proposed values.
Regulatory status: Neither announcement changes the applicable standard yet. Businesses and enforcement authorities will need to work from the final notified text, which may differ from these drafts.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What formulation, testing and market-surveillance evidence will FSSAI need to enforce the resulting standards consistently — if they are finalised?
Follow the Full Press Releases Here: Draft Restriction on Sucrose and Fructose in Early-Infant Products | Draft Pesticide Residue Limits for Tea