The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on 15th November 2021 has notified the FSS (Genetically Modified or Engineered Foods) Regulations, 2021 which shall be applicable to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs) or Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) intended for direct use as food or for processing and Food or Processed food containing Genetically Modified ingredients produced from but not containing LMOs or GEOs or GMOs.
Genetically Modified or Engineered Food means food and food ingredients composed of or containing genetically modified or engineered organisms obtained through modern biotechnology, or food and food ingredients produced from but not containing genetically modified or engineered organisms obtained through modern biotechnology.
No person shall manufacture, store, distribute, sell or import in the country any food or food ingredient, as the case may be, derived from Genetically Modified Organisms, except with the prior approval of the Food Authority.
The application for the approval of the Food Authority may be submitted in Form-I along with the documents and fees as specified by the Food Authority from time to time and in case a Genetically Modified or Engineered Food does not contain any LMOs, the application for the approval of the Food Authority may be submitted directly in Form-II.
All food products having individual Genetically Engineered (GE) ingredients 1% or more shall be labelled. The labeling shall be as “Contains GMO/Ingredients derived from GMO”.
