The Short Answer
Distinctive packaging in India has to share the pack with mandatory information from two sets of rules: the FSSAI Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 and the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. Plan the label layout before the branding, not after, and leave room for front-of-pack warnings that FSSAI is under Supreme Court pressure to introduce.
Why Brand and Compliance Must Be Designed Together
The commonest packaging failure in Indian D2C and FMCG is a beautiful front that cannot accommodate what the law requires. The veg or non-veg symbol must sit near the brand name on the front, net quantity has minimum sizes, and the back panel has to fit a long list of declarations. Retrofitting them breaks the design.
Designing both together also helps distinctiveness. When the regulated information has a planned home, the brand can use the remaining space boldly instead of crowding it with claims. See why D2C packaging looks alike for the design side.
What Must Appear on the Pack
For pre-packaged food, the two sets of rules together require roughly fifteen items. Some must be on the principal display panel, the part of the pack a shopper sees first; others can go on the back or side. Exact requirements vary by product category and pack size, so confirm specifics with a regulatory consultant.
| Item | Main source | Usual placement |
|---|---|---|
| Name of the food | FSSAI | Front |
| Veg or non-veg symbol | FSSAI | Front, near the product or brand name, on a contrasting background |
| Net quantity | Legal Metrology | Front (principal display panel), with minimum character sizes |
| MRP inclusive of all taxes | Legal Metrology | Principal display panel |
| Unit sale price | Legal Metrology (since 1 October 2022) | Next to MRP |
| List of ingredients | FSSAI | Back or side |
| Nutritional information | FSSAI | Back or side |
| Allergen declarations | FSSAI | With ingredients |
| FSSAI logo and licence number | FSSAI | Back or side |
| Manufacturer or packer name and address | Both | Back or side |
| Date of manufacture or packing | Both | Usually printed at the packing stage |
| Best before or use by | FSSAI | Usually printed at the packing stage |
| Batch or lot number | FSSAI | Printed at the packing stage |
| Country of origin (imports) | Both | Back or side |
| Consumer care details | Legal Metrology | Back or side |
Non-food packaged goods, such as cosmetics, are covered by Legal Metrology and their own sector rules rather than FSSAI.
The Front-of-Pack Warning Label Debate
Front-of-pack nutrition labelling is the biggest pending change for Indian food packaging. On 10 February 2026, the Supreme Court asked FSSAI to seriously consider warning labels for foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat. On 13 August 2026 it criticised the lack of progress. FSSAI has since proposed a red hexagonal warning label.
FSSAI also changed its stance in court, saying it will consider warnings for products high in any single nutrient of concern, rather than only those high in two or more. As of October 2026 the rule is not final, but the direction is clear. Practical steps for brands:
- Reserve space on the front panel where a warning could sit without covering the brand.
- Check your recipes against likely thresholds for sugar, salt and fat.
- Avoid printing long runs of packaging for affected products until the rule is settled.
- Make the brand recognisable without the full front, through colour, shape and symbol, in case the warning takes prominent space.
A Design Process That Keeps Both
Start with a compliance map of every mandatory item, its minimum size and its required panel, then design the brand system around it. Prototype on real pack sizes and materials, check legibility of the smallest required text, and have a regulatory review before printing plates are made. Changes after plates cost far more.
- Compliance map for every SKU and pack size.
- Brand hierarchy: brand, product name, variant, key claim, then everything else.
- Range system: how colours, shapes or illustrations distinguish variants.
- Dielines and prototypes at real size; 3D renders help check the pack on marketplaces; see 3D product visualisation.
- Regulatory review before artwork is released.
- Print proofs on the actual substrate.
Claims Need Care Too
Claims such as 'natural', 'fresh', 'pure' and health claims are regulated by FSSAI's advertising and claims regulations, and misleading claims can draw action under consumer protection law as well. Green and sustainability claims carry their own risk; see green branding without greenwashing.
This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Rules change, and requirements vary by product category, so confirm with a regulatory specialist before printing.
Where We Fit
Kalex designs product brand identities and packaging systems with compliance mapped from the start, plus 3D renders for marketplaces. See our product work for Tanline and Soaked, our brand identity service, or tell us about your product.