Date Marking explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Regulation 5(10) to (15) covers the time-sensitive and safety-critical parts of a label: how dates are marked and which foods need no expiry date, how imported food is labelled and its country of origin decided, instructions for use, the list of allergens and the symbol for products not meant for consumption.
The text is read as amended up to 24 March 2026 (FSSAI Compendium Version VIII dated 09.09.2025; the First Amendment Regulations, 2026 apply from 1 July 2027 and do not change these sub-regulations). FSSAI compendia are reference consolidations and the Gazette text prevails. Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in. Brands can check their date marking and allergen wording through our FSSAI label compliance service.
"Date of manufacture or packaging" and "Expiry/Use by" must be declared and grouped together at one place; the date-of-minimum-durability marking may be added as optional or additional information (the Regulations print it under its usual two-word name). Allergens are declared as "Contains ..." for eight listed groups, and possible cross contamination as "May Contains ...". Imported food carries its country of origin, and a black cross in a square marks food not meant for human consumption.
Regulation 5(10): date marking
- (a) "Date of manufacture or packaging" and "Expiry/Use by" shall be declared on the label. The date-of-minimum-durability marking may also be used as optional or additional information.
- (b) The manner of declaring: the day, month and year using the DD/MM/YY format for products with a short shelf life of up to 3 months; the month and the year for products with a shelf life of more than three months, in un-coded numerical sequence, except that the month shall be indicated by capital letters and abbreviations (at least the first three letters of the month) may be used. A proviso (marked as amended in the compendium) says that for products with shelf life of more than three months the "DD/MM/YY" format may also be used.
- (c) In addition to the expiry or use by date, any special storage conditions shall be declared if the validity of the date depends on them; storage conditions after opening the pack may also be specified.
- (d) An indication of "Expiry" is not required for the following foods: fresh fruits and vegetables including unpeeled and uncut potatoes (i); all types of wine (ii); alcoholic beverages containing 10% or more by volume of alcohol (iii); vinegar (iv); sugar boiled confectionery (v); food grade salt for industrial use (vi); solid sugars (vii); and chewing gum and bubble gum (viii).
- (e) "Date of manufacture or packaging" and "Expiry/Use by" shall be grouped together and given at one place.
- (f) "Date and time of manufacture" shall be declared on packed meals served in airlines, railways and mobile catering units.
The Regulations leave the size of date lettering to the Legal Metrology law (see regulation 6).
Regulation 5(11) and (12): imported food and country of origin
Labelling requirements for imported products are governed by the Import Regulations, 2017 in addition to the Labelling and Display Regulations (5(11)); see regulation 6 of the Import Regulations. Regulation 5(12)(a) requires the country of origin to be declared on the label of food imported into India. Regulation 5(12)(b) adds that when a food undergoes processing in a second country which changes its nature, the country in which the processing is performed, resulting in a change in HS Code at the 6 digit level, shall be considered the country of origin for labelling. Importer details are in regulation 5(6) to (9).
Regulation 5(13): instructions for use
Instructions for use, including reconstitution where applicable, shall be on the label to ensure proper use of the food or where the food requires directions for reasons of health and safety (the example printed is "Refrigerate after opening").
Regulation 5(14): allergens
The following foods and ingredients known to cause allergy shall be declared separately as "Contains ... (Name of allergy causing ingredients)":
| Serial | Allergen group | Declared as |
|---|---|---|
| (i) | Cereals containing gluten: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt or their hybridized strains and products | The name of the cereal |
| (ii) | Crustacean and their products | Crustacean |
| (iii) | Milk and milk products | Milk |
| (iv) | Eggs and egg products | Egg |
| (v) | Fish and fish products | Fish |
| (vi) | Peanuts, tree nuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts, pistachio, cashew nuts) and their products | Nut |
| (vii) | Soybeans and their products | Soy |
| (viii) | Sulphite in concentrations of 10mg/kg or more | Sulphite |
For the gluten cereals, an amended exception (marked in the compendium) lists (a) wheat based glucose syrups including dextrose, (b) wheat based maltodextrins, (c) glucose syrups based on barley and (d) cereals used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin; a note says that for (a) and (b) the products thereof qualify provided the ingredients have been assessed as safe and gluten shall not be more than 20 mg/kg.
Two provisos: where ingredients known to cause allergy are present due to cross contamination, they may be declared separately as "May Contains ... (Name of allergy causing ingredients)"; and, as amended, the declaration is not required in the case of oils and distilled alcoholic beverages derived from these ingredients and where the product itself is a food allergen. Raw agricultural commodities are exempted from the allergen labelling requirements. Our posts on the allergen declaration and its format look at the practical wording.
Regulation 5(15): food not meant for human consumption
Every package of food material sold in retail but not meant for human consumption, for example pooja water, ghee for diya or oil for pooja, shall bear a declaration to that effect by a symbol: a black colour cross inside a square with black outline, having the sides of the square not less than the minimum size in the table in regulation 5(4)(c). That table is reproduced in the article on regulation 5(4) and (5).
An invented example
Meghdoot Bakers makes a packaged cake with a shelf life of 4 months. The label shows the date of manufacture and the expiry together in one place, using month and year with the month in capital letters, for instance "JUN" with the year, and may add the durability marking as extra information. The ingredients include wheat flour, egg, milk and almonds, so the label carries "Contains: Wheat, Egg, Milk, Nut" and, because the plant also handles soy, "May Contains: Soy". Meghdoot's pooja ghee for lamps in the same range is labelled with the black cross in a square. If it imports a chocolate topping, the country of origin goes on that product's label.
Need help with dates and allergens?
Date format, storage conditions after opening and allergen wording are checked most often when a label is audited. Our FSSAI label compliance team can review these particulars and the supporting records before a launch or a relabelling.
Key takeaways
- Declare "Date of manufacture or packaging" and "Expiry/Use by" together at one place; the durability marking is optional or additional.
- Up to 3 months of shelf life: DD/MM/YY; more than three months: month and year (DD/MM/YY also allowed by the proviso).
- Eight allergen groups are declared as "Contains ..." and cross contamination as "May Contains ...".
- Imported food carries the country of origin, decided under the HS Code rule where a second country changes its nature.
- A black cross in a square marks retail food not meant for human consumption.
Read next
- Regulation 5(6)–(9): address, FSSAI logo, net quantity and batch
- Regulation 6: the principal display panel
- Regulation 6 of the Import Regulations: labelling and shelf-life
- Allergen declaration format for food labels
Disclaimer: Based on the FSSAI regulations named above as consolidated in FSSAI's compendium versions or as published in the Gazette, with the later notifications the article names (consulted on fssai.gov.in on 2-3 October 2026). Later notifications and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provisions referred to should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.