AIFPA

The Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has announced a significant revision in the investment and turnover limits for classifying enterprises under the MSME category with effect from April 1, 2025. Read More

The Government of India has withdrawn 20% duty on onion export, effective from 1 April 2025. A notification to this effect was issued by the Department of Revenue today on the communication of Department of Consumer Affairs. Read More

The food authority has issued a clarification with respect to testing of ‘in-shell’ nuts such as almonds by notified food testing laboratories. The FSSAI in an order has stated that labs are required to test only for the standards set for in-shell nuts and no other parameters. Read More

The Indian government has launched a series of subsidy schemes to strengthen the food processing industry, targeting units of all sizes—from micro to large-scale operations—to curb food wastage and improve the shelf life of perishable items like fruits and vegetables. The announcement came from Subrata Gupta, Secretary of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, during an interactive session hosted by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on Monday night. Read More

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced a new Kind of Business (KoB) for Anganwadi Centres (run under the Integrated Child Development Service), as these centres provide supplementary nutrition to every pregnant woman and lactating mother for 6 months after child birth and require to comply with the food safety norms. “To facilitate the scheme, the Food Authority has decided to introduce a separate Kind of Business (KoB) ‘Anganwadi (ICDS) Centre under the Food Service for Registration,” reads the order issued by FSSAI. The order added that such registration shall be free of cost. “Additionally, the registration fees for Anganwadi (ICDS) Centre will be waived, and they will be granted the registration certificate for five years,” the order added. This waiver of the registration fee will also be applicable for renewal of three registration certificates by all such Anganwadi Centres and to facilitate the registration, a manual is provided on the FoSCoS website. The waiver of the registration fee for Anganwadi Centres shall come into effect from the date of issuance of the order (March 12, 2025) and there shall be no refund for the existing applications under process. According to the FSSAI, the order will help in maintaining food safety compliance at such centres across the country.

The Union health ministry has banned the import, manufacture, sale and distribution of antibiotic chloramphenicol and nitrofurans class of drugs for use in any food-producing animal rearing system with immediate effect. Read More

In a decisive move to curb the distribution of non-compliant consumer goods, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), has launched a series of search and seizure operations targeting major e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart. Conducted in cities like Lucknow, Gurugram, and Delhi, these raids uncovered a large quantity of products lacking mandatory BIS certification, raising serious concerns about consumer safety. Read More

The food authority has issued a draft related to vegan regulations prescribing the certificate to be issued by the recognised authority of the exporting country. Read More

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has directed all States and Union Territories (UTs), to step up surveillance on Dairy Analogues throughout the month of March, keeping in view the ongoing festive season. This proactive measure aims to prevent food adulteration and mislabelling during the period of increased demand. This is in continuation with the ongoing product-specific monthly surveillance drives of FSSAI to tackle food adulteration and ensure compliance with food safety regulations. Read More

In a major step towards achieving 20% ethanol blending (E20) with petrol by 2025-26, the Central Government has notified a new scheme on March 6, 2025, aimed at converting sugarcane-based ethanol plants in Cooperative Sugar Mills into multi-feedstock-based ethanol plants. This move is expected to diversify ethanol production and accelerate the country’s transition to cleaner fuel alternatives. Read More