The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), on August 2026, issued a public notice advising importers and customs brokers to declare the qualifier "NFG" (Non-Food Grade) in Bills of Entry filed through ICEGATE for non-food grade items. The measure aims to ensure appropriate routing of import consignments under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017.
FSSAI observed that a large number of Bills of Entry for non-food grade items, particularly products having dual food/non-food use under the same HSN code, were being unnecessarily routed to FSSAI for clearance. To address this issue, importers and customs brokers have been advised to use the "NFG" qualifier in the Single Window (SWIFT) system to indicate the non-food end use, enabling correct Partner Government Agency (PGA) routing and preventing non-applicable consignments from being referred to FSSAI.
The public notice aligns with the CBIC Customs Circular dated April 22, 2026, regarding the declaration of non-food grade items in Bills of Entry, and seeks to facilitate faster customs clearance by ensuring accurate electronic routing of import declarations.
[File No. TIC-B02/1/2026-IMPORTS-FSSAI]
