FSSAI QR Code on Food Labels: Voluntary or Mandatory?

As of October 2026, an FSSAI QR code on food labels is voluntary: FSSAI's advisory dated 12 October 2023 encourages food businesses to add QR codes so that visually impaired consumers can reach product information, and the government told Parliament that using such codes is voluntary. The QR code is an addition. It does not replace anything that must be printed on the label.

The rest of this guide covers what the advisory says, what the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 make mandatory on a pre-packaged food label, and how a traceability QR code differs from the information QR code FSSAI had in mind.

What did FSSAI say about QR codes on food labels?

FSSAI's own monthly achievements report for October 2023 records that it issued an advisory dated 12.10.2023 on including QR codes on food products so that visually impaired people can access them. In a Lok Sabha reply in December 2023, the government described the advisory as a way to encourage food business operators to make information easier to reach for visually impaired consumers, and said the use of QR codes for this purpose is voluntary.

Three points about the advisory:

• Who it is for: food business operators selling packaged food. It does not create a new licence condition, and it does not change any category's labelling rules.
• What the code should lead to: product information such as ingredients, nutrition information, allergens, the date of manufacture, the best-before or expiry date, and contact details for customer queries.
• What it does not do: it does not let a brand move mandatory label text behind a scan. The printed label still has to carry everything the Labelling and Display Regulations require.

Some news coverage at the time called the advisory a "directive" or a "rule". The government's own description in Parliament is the one to rely on: it is an advisory, and following it is voluntary.

Is an FSSAI QR code mandatory for my brand?

No, not under this advisory (checked October 2026). If a buyer, retailer or marketplace asks you for a QR code, that is a commercial requirement, not an FSSAI one. Check the current FSSAI advisories before you print new packaging, because advisories and labelling amendments can change.

What is mandatory on a pre-packaged food label in India?

The Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 set out what a pre-packaged food label must show. FSSAI's compendium of the regulations notes that compliance was extended to 1 July 2022. The general requirements include:

• Name of the food, which must describe what the product is, not just the brand name.
• List of ingredients, in descending order by weight, with food additive declarations.
• Nutrition information, for products that are covered.
• Veg or non-veg symbol.
• Name and complete address of the manufacturer, packer or importer.
• FSSAI logo and licence or registration number. See our guide to the FSSAI licence for small food brands for which one you need.
• Net quantity, retail sale price and consumer care details.
• Lot, code or batch identification, so the product can be traced back to a production run.
• Date marking, such as the date of manufacture or packing and the best-before or use-by date.
• Allergen declarations, where they apply.

For food sold through e-commerce, the regulations require the mandatory label information to be shown to the buyer before the sale. The exceptions are the lot or batch number, the best-before and expiry dates, and the manufacturing or packing date, which can only be known from the physical pack.

Why the lot number matters more than the QR code

The lot or batch number is the legal link between a pack and the run it came from. If a product has to be recalled, the regulator, the retailer and the brand all work from that number. A QR code that only shows generic product facts adds nothing to this. A QR code that encodes the lot number and opens a page for that specific batch does add something.

Information QR code vs traceability QR code: what is the difference?

Both are just QR codes printed on a pack. The difference is what happens after someone scans.

An information QR code can be a single static link for each product. A traceability QR code has to be generated for each batch, and the page it opens has to be kept up to date as that batch moves from the farm or supplier, through processing, to packing.

Can one QR code do both?

Yes. A batch-level page can repeat the label information in an accessible form (plain text that screen readers can read, with enough contrast) and also show the batch's origin and test results. An IndiTrace trace page, for example, opens in a normal browser without an app or login and shows the source, processing steps and the lab report attached to that batch. Whatever tool you use, if one code is to do both jobs, put the accessible label content at the top of the page it opens.

How do you add a QR code to a food label?

1. Decide the job. Is the code for accessibility, for traceability, or for both? This decides whether you need one code per product or one per batch.
2. Keep the mandatory label intact. Nothing required by the Labelling and Display Regulations moves behind the code.
3. Make the landing page usable. It should load quickly on a basic phone, need no app or login, and work with screen readers.
4. Tie it to the lot number. For batch-level codes, print the code and the lot number together, so a scan and a printed lot always point to the same run.
5. Plan the print run. Variable-data printing for batch-level codes costs more than one static code. Our guide to QR label costs and printing covers the options.

Brands that sell into multiple channels often start with batch-level codes on their premium lines. The food brands page shows how a batch record becomes a public page.

Questions

Q: Is a QR code mandatory on food labels in India? No. FSSAI's advisory of 12 October 2023 encourages QR codes for accessibility, and the government told the Lok Sabha that using them is voluntary (checked October 2026).

Q: Can a QR code replace the FSSAI licence number or the ingredient list on the label? No. A QR code does not replace any mandatory label information. The FSSAI logo, licence number, ingredients, lot number and dates must still be printed on the pack.

Q: What should an FSSAI accessibility QR code contain? The advisory points to the product information a consumer would otherwise read on the pack: ingredients, nutrition information, allergens, manufacturing and expiry or best-before dates, and customer contact details.

Q: What is the difference between a QR code for product information and one for traceability? An information code shows the same content for every pack of a product. A traceability code is unique to a batch and shows that batch's source, processing, custody and test reports.

Q: Does the lot number have to be shown on e-commerce listings? No. The Labelling and Display Regulations require mandatory label information to be shown before an online sale, but they exclude the lot or batch number and the date markings, which only appear on the physical pack.