FSSAI nutritional label testing
India’s labelling regulations require most pre-packaged foods to carry a nutritional declaration per 100 g or 100 ml, and per serving where a serving size is stated. The declared values have to be substantiated by analysis of the actual product — not calculated from a recipe or copied from a similar product.
Parameters in a standard label panel
The core declaration plus the parameters most often added for specific claims. Any claim on the pack — high protein, low fat, no added sugar — has to be supported by the corresponding analysis.
| Parameter | Unit | Basis | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | kcal | Per 100 g / 100 ml and per serve | Calculated from the measured macros |
| Protein | g | Per 100 g / 100 ml | Nitrogen conversion method |
| Carbohydrate | g | Per 100 g / 100 ml | By difference or direct |
| Total sugars | g | Per 100 g / 100 ml | Required in the declaration |
| Added sugars | g | Per 100 g / 100 ml | Needed for a no-added-sugar claim |
| Total fat | g | Per 100 g / 100 ml | — |
| Saturated fat | g | Per 100 g / 100 ml | Fatty acid profile |
| Trans fat | g | Per 100 g / 100 ml | Regulated limit applies |
| Cholesterol | mg | Per 100 g / 100 ml | Where applicable |
| Sodium | mg | Per 100 g / 100 ml | Often the parameter that surprises |
| Dietary fibre | g | Per 100 g / 100 ml | Needed for a fibre claim |
| Moisture and ash | g | Per 100 g | Supporting analysis |
What to send us
Declare a range you can defend
Natural products vary batch to batch, so a single analysis is a point estimate of a moving number. If your product is variable — a nut mix, a spice blend, anything with an agricultural input — test more than one batch before you fix the artwork. A declared sodium or sugar figure that a regulator’s own sample contradicts is a labelling non-compliance, and reprinting packaging costs far more than a second test.
Questions about this test
Can I calculate the panel from my recipe instead?
Calculation is useful for product development, but declared values should be substantiated by analysis of the finished product. Processing changes moisture, fat and sodium in ways a recipe calculation does not capture.
Do I need to re-test if I change a supplier?
If the ingredient materially affects a declared parameter, yes. A change of oil, flour or salt supplier can move fat, fibre and sodium enough to make the printed panel wrong.
What about a high-protein or low-fat claim?
Nutritional claims have defined thresholds, and the product has to meet them on analysis. Tell us the claim you want to make and we will test what is needed to support it — or tell you that the product does not qualify.