Food Chemical Regulations: Navigating FSSAI and EU Standards

The Numbering Systems

EU additives carry E-numbers (E330 for citric acid, E202 for potassium sorbate). FSSAI references INS numbers, which are the same as JECFA's international numbering system — and which usually align with E-numbers but not always. Always cross-check INS-to-E mapping rather than assuming equivalence.

Where the Frameworks Differ

Three areas account for most non-compliance findings:

• Use levels — maximum permitted concentrations differ between FSSAI and EU for the same additive in the same food category. Always check both.
• Food category coding — the EU uses a 18-category system; FSSAI uses 16 categories with different boundaries. A product slotted in category 8 in the EU may sit in 6 or 9 under FSSAI.
• Labelling — EU requires E-number or full chemical name; FSSAI requires INS or chemical name. Cross-border products may need dual labelling.

A Pragmatic Compliance Workflow

For products targeting both markets, the cleanest workflow is to design to the stricter of the two limits across every dimension, label dual-format from the start, and maintain a single technical file that maps additives to both INS and E-numbers. Retrofitting compliance after a product is in market is expensive; building it in at the formulation stage costs almost nothing.