The CBIC issued Instruction No. 04/2025-Customs dated April 21, 2025, recognizing the National Food & Feed Reference Laboratory (NFFRL) in Kathmandu, Nepal, for food sample analysis under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011. This follows an MoU between FSSAI and Nepal’s DFTQC for food safety cooperation. NFFRL’s certificates for juice, jam, jelly, pickles, candies, ginger, fresh fruits and vegetables, and instant noodles will be accepted in India. Officers are requested to be sensitized on this matter.
Reference is invited to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s Order dated 04.04.2025 issued from File No. QA-12012/141/2021-QA-FSSAI (copy attached), on the above subject.
As stated in the said Order dated 04.04.2025, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC), Nepal, for cooperation in the field of food safety. One of the areas of cooperation under the aegis of the MoU is the mutual recognition of each other’s laboratories as per the policy prevailing from time to time.
Accordingly, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recognized the National Food & Feed Reference Laboratory (NFFRL), Kathmandu, Nepal, for the analysis of food samples under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, till the period of accreditation of the laboratory as per ISO/IEC17025 from NABL.
The analysis certificates issued by NFFRL, Kathmandu, Nepal, for the following food products shall be accepted by the relevant authorities in India dealing with food imports.
(i) Â Juice
(ii) Jam
(iii). Jelly
(iv). Pickles
(v). Candies
(vi). Ginger
(vii). Fresh fruits and Vegetables
(viii). Instant noodles.
In view of the above, it is requested that necessary action may be taken to sensitize officers under your jurisdiction regarding the said matter.
The Instructions can be accessed at: https://a2ztaxcorp.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/cs-ins-04-2025.pdf
