FSSAI Food Label Requirements and the Right Ribbon to Meet Them

FSSAI's labelling regulations require label information to be clear, indelible and readily legible under normal conditions of purchase and use. For printing, that means matching the ribbon to the label and storage: wax on paper for dry goods, wax-resin for chilled and packaged food, and CW-30 where food is frozen. Test each pairing on your own labels.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) mandates specific information on all packaged food products under FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2020. Required fields include: product name, ingredients list, nutritional information, batch/lot number, manufacturing date, best before/expiry date, MRP, manufacturer details, and FSSAI license number.

The requirement that matters most for printing is Regulation 4(7): contents on the label must be "clear, unambiguous, prominent, conspicuous, indelible and readily legible by the consumer under normal conditions of purchase and use." A batch code that fades or smudges before the consumer can read it works against that requirement. Regulation 5(9) requires a batch, code or lot number on the label, and 5(10) requires the date of manufacture or packaging and the expiry or use-by date, grouped together in one place.

Food products face several stressors during their shelf life: humidity in storage, moisture on refrigerated products, light in retail display, physical handling by consumers. An unsuitable ribbon and label pair can produce print that smudges or rubs off under these conditions.

The regulations say the label must be readable under normal conditions of purchase and use, so the print has to survive the conditions your product actually meets. Zebra says the label material and ribbon must be carefully matched, and describes wax as suited to paper with little to no exposure to chemicals and abrasion, wax-resin as handling moderate abrasion and more chemical exposure, and resin as designed for synthetic labels in harsh conditions.

The FSSAI text we checked names no ribbon or printing method. It sets the result, a legible and indelible label, and leaves the choice of ribbon to you.

Dry, packaged goods (biscuits, snacks, pulses): CW-12 premium wax on coated paper, for dry storage.

Refrigerated products (dairy, processed meats, beverages): CW-30 works from −40°C to +80°C, so it covers chilled storage; for any other grade, ask us.

Frozen food labels: CW-30 on PP or PET labels, since it works down to −40°C. Test the full cycle, including condensation during thawing at retail, on your own stock.

Oil and grease-contact outer packaging (cooking oils, ghee): CW-22 or CW-28. Grease can migrate to label surfaces, and wax ribbon is not suited to oil contact. Wax-resin or resin is the usual choice.

Long shelf life: test the ribbon and label pair for the full period. Ask us whether a resin grade such as CW-28 on a synthetic label suits your product.

A sensible way to approach food label printing:

1. Identify the harshest condition your label will face (moisture, heat, light, handling)
2. Select a ribbon grade that suits the label material and that condition
3. Test labels under shelf-life conditions before production launch
4. Keep a record of your ribbon grade, print settings and test results

Codewell Image supplies ribbon only, not labels. Share your product, packaging material and storage conditions, and we will suggest a CW-series ribbon to test and send a free sample roll. Call +91-9818254785.

Label rules are from the FSSAI regulations. Ribbon types follow printer-maker pages. The CW grade to label pairings are Codewell's own.

1. FSSAI, Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020: compendium (Version II, 29 December 2021): Regulation 4(7) clear, indelible and readily legible; 5(9) batch number; 5(10) date marking
2. Zebra, What Are Thermal Transfer Ribbons?: wax, wax-resin and resin by label material and exposure
3. Zebra, Difference Between Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer Printing: the label material and ribbon must be carefully matched
4. TSC Thermal Transfer Ribbons: wax, wax-resin and resin uses; resin for synthetic labels