FSSAI Drafts New Standards for Minor Seed Oils and Edible Seeds

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued draft amendment regulations to further amend the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. The proposed amendments introduce standards for “Minor Seed Oils” such as chilli seed oil, muskmelon seed oil, okra seed oil, and tomato seed oil, prescribing quality parameters, contaminant limits, hygiene requirements, and labelling norms. The draft also proposes standards for edible seeds meant for direct human consumption, including vegetable and oilseeds like sunflower, sesame, flaxseed, watermelon, and pumpkin seeds, along with limits for moisture, free fatty acid content, and foreign matter. Additionally, FSSAI proposes permitting Potassium polyaspartate as a food additive in grape wines up to 100 mg/kg. The notification invites objections and suggestions from stakeholders within sixty days before finalisation. The amendments aim to strengthen food quality regulation, improve consumer safety, and expand regulatory recognition for emerging food products and additives.

FOOD SAFETY AND STANDARDS AUTHORITY OF INDIA
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 21st May, 2026

F.No. SS-T0FA(NOTI)/4/2025-Standard-FSSAI.— The following draft of certain regulations further to amend the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, which the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India proposes to make with previous approval of the Central Government, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (e) of sub-section (2) of section 92 read with section 16 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006) is hereby published as required under sub-section (1) of section 92 of the said Act for the information of all persons likely to be affected thereby and notice is hereby given that the said draft regulations shall be taken into consideration after the expiry of the period of sixty days from the date on which copies of the Gazette containing this notification are made available to the public.

Objections or suggestions, if any, may be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, FDA Bhawan, Kotla Road, New Delhi- 110002 or sent on email at regulation@fssai.gov.in

Objections or suggestions, which may be received from any person with respect to the said draft regulations before the expiry of period so specified, shall be considered by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

Draft Regulations

1. These regulations may be called the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2026.

2. In the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, (hereinafter referred to as the said regulations), –

(1) in regulation 2.2, after sub-regulation 2.2.9 relating to “Solvent Extracted Crude Vegetable Oils (not for direct human consumption)”, the following sub-regulation shall be inserted, namely: –

“2.2.10 Minor Seed Oils (Chilli seed oil, Muskmelon seed oil, Okra seed oil and Tomato seed oil)

1. Description.-

The material shall be obtained from clean, sound and mature seeds of the specified plant(s) using methods that do not alter inherent qualities of the oil. The oil shall be clear and free from rancidity, adulterants, sediment, suspended and other foreign matter, separated water and added colouring and flavoring substances or mineral oil. These oils shall conform to the following standards: –

There shall be no turbidity after keeping the filtered sample at 30°C for 24 hours. Test for Argemone oil shall be negative.

Further, if the oil is obtained by the method of solvent (hexane) extraction, it shall be supplied for human consumption only after refining and it shall conform to the standard laid down under regulation 2.2.1(16). The oil so refined shall not contain hexane more than 5.0 mg/kg. The oil obtained by pressed method shall be free from hexane residues.

2. Food Additives. –

Refined oil may contain food additives permitted in Appendix A.

No additives permitted for use in pressed oil.

3. Contaminants, Toxins and Residues. –

The product covered in this standard shall comply with the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011.

4. Food Hygiene. –

The product shall be prepared and handled in accordance with the guidance provided in Schedule 4 to the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011 and any other such guidance provided from time to time under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006).

5. Labelling. –

The product covered by this standard shall be labelled in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.”;

(2) in regulation 2.3, after sub-regulation 2.3.65 relating to “Colouring Foods”, the following sub-regulation shall be inserted, namely: –

“2.3.66 Edible seeds

1. Edible seeds for direct human consumption are seeds obtained either from vegetable and oilseed. The product
may be raw, roasted, coated and/or salted. Sweeteners, spices and condiments and any other ingredients suitable to the product may be added. The product shall be sound, whole, clean, sufficiently dried, uniform in colour and free from living or dead insects, rancidity, visible foreign matter, visible moulds, rodent contamination and added colouring.

2. The product may be of following types:

a. Edible Vegetables Seeds: It includes seeds from watermelon, cucumber, muskmelon, pumpkin, etc.

b. Edible oilseed: It includes seeds from sunflower, sesame, flaxseed, etc.

3. The product shall conform to the following requirements, namely: –

(3) in Appendix A, under the heading “IV. Use of Food Additives in Food Products”, in Table 14, against the entries relating to Food Category System 14.2.3 (Grape wines), in column (3), after the food additive “Mixture of Mono and diglycerides of oleic Acid” and the entries relating thereto, the following shall be inserted, namely: –

RAJIT PUNHANI, Chief Executive Officer
[ADVT.-III/4/Exty./108/2026-27]

Note: The Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 were published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part III, section 4 vide notification number F. No. 2-15015/30/2010, dated 1st August, 2011 and last amended vide notification number F.No. STD/43-FA-Notifications/2024, dated 10^th July, 2025.