India: New Government of India Order Requires Genetically Modified-Free Certificate on Imported Food Products
On August 21, 2020, the Government of India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) modified Section 22 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 mandating that effective January 1, 2021, specific food product imports (fruits, vegetables and grains) into India identified in Annex-I must be accompanied by a certificate which states that the product is of non-GM origin and does not contain genetically modified organisms and also not genetically modified, to be issued by competent authority from the exporting country. On August 26, FSSAI further clarified verbally that the order does not apply to processed food products prepared with any of the specific commodities listed in Annex-I. However, FSSAI did not confirm whether the regulation applies to any listed commodities imported for animal feed.
