IN Brief:
- FSSAI issued a 15 October advisory on temperature-controlled handling of perishable products including paneer, khoa, meat and fish.
- Food businesses must meet existing Schedule 4 hygiene requirements and use suitable vehicles and food-grade packaging.
- State inspection authorities and Indian Railways were asked to increase vigilance, with enforcement available for established breaches.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has directed food businesses to maintain prescribed temperatures and hygienic conditions when handling, storing and transporting perishable products. In an advisory dated 15 October 2026, the regulator highlights meat, fish and dairy foods including paneer and khoa, following concerns about consignments being handled outside suitable conditions. The communication reinforces existing obligations under India's food safety regime and calls for tighter inspection of storage and transport practices throughout the chain from sourcing to final delivery.
The advisory covers manufacturers, packers, storage businesses, transporters, distributors and sellers. FSSAI refers specifically to Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, which sets hygiene and sanitary conditions attached to food business licences. Temperature maintenance is already part of those requirements for relevant commodities. The new instruction gives enforcement authorities a current basis to examine compliance in the run-up to periods of increased food movement and demand.
Milk-based products such as paneer and khoa, together with meat and fish, are highlighted because microbial growth and deterioration can accelerate when goods are held beyond suitable temperature limits. The correct operating condition depends on the product and applicable standard, including whether it is chilled, frozen or otherwise processed. FSSAI's advisory calls for prescribed temperatures to be maintained during procurement, storage, transport and distribution. It does not replace the existing product-specific standards with one uniform numerical requirement.
Maintaining control across several facilities is more complex than keeping a refrigeration unit switched on. Goods may move from a processing area into temporary chilled storage, wait for loading, travel in a vehicle and pass through a wholesale depot before reaching a retailer. At each transfer, the time spent outside controlled conditions can influence the product's exposure. Operators therefore need procedures covering loading sequence, dock arrangements, container condition and the handover of consignments between businesses, with the applicable product temperature remaining the reference point.
FSSAI requires suitable vehicles that are clean, covered and hygienic, alongside food-grade packaging and appropriate secondary protection. The guidance warns against unsuitable gunny bags and coverings where their use could compromise food safety. Transport preparation consequently involves more than selecting a refrigerated truck: packaging must protect food against dust, moisture, pests, physical damage and cross-contamination during handling. Chilled temperature and hygienic containment work together, particularly for products passing through several loading and unloading operations before they are sold.
Primary and secondary packaging have different protective functions during food transport. Primary materials must be suitable for their intended contact with food, while cartons, crates or other protective units help products withstand movement and stacking. A leaking inner pack can expose a consignment to contamination; an inadequately protected outer load may allow damage even while the refrigeration system maintains the required temperature. FSSAI's practical requirements therefore address the condition of vehicles, the packaging used and the environment in which consignments are moved, rather than relying on a single end-point check.
Consignment records connect product origin and destination to the businesses handling each shipment. Businesses are asked to maintain appropriate records and traceability, and to produce invoices or other relevant documents when requested by competent officials. That information supports investigations when a batch has been mishandled. Temperature logs and transfer records can complement that information where they form part of the operator's control arrangements. The advisory specifically emphasises the availability of traceability and supporting documents during inspection.
FSSAI has addressed Commissioners of Food Safety in India's states and union territories, Indian Railways and the regulator's regional directors, asking them to instruct licensing authorities and food safety officers to maintain vigilance. Checks may take place during inspections and transport movements. Where authorities establish non-compliance, action can include seizure or destruction of affected products under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and its supporting regulations. The outcome depends on the conditions identified and the applicable enforcement provisions.
The October advisory places particular weight on demonstrable control as products move between production, storage and distribution. A food business can align its documented procedures with the relevant product temperature, suitable vehicles, food-grade materials and records linking each consignment to its origin and destination. Those are the elements the regulator has identified for strengthened inspection, providing a concrete compliance focus across processing sites, refrigerated carriers, wholesalers and sellers of perishable foods.
