Last reviewed: 21 October 2026. On 15 October 2026 FSSAI's Regulatory Compliance Division issued an advisory on temperature control for perishable foods, naming khoa, paneer, meat and fish and warning of seizure where conditions are violated. The timing matters: festival-season demand for sweets and dairy pushes volumes through the same cold rooms, vehicles and counters, and inspections tend to follow that demand. This note explains what the advisory asks of a food business, what it does not say, and a practical set of records worth having before an officer asks for them.
What the advisory says
As reported from the advisory, FSSAI has asked food business operators to maintain the prescribed temperature conditions while handling, storing and transporting perishable products, with khoa, paneer, meat and fish named specifically. Vehicles must be clean, covered and hygienic. Packaging must be food-grade, and non-food-grade coverings such as gunny bags are to be avoided. Products are to be protected from dust, moisture, pests, physical damage and cross-contamination during storage, loading, unloading and transport. Records and invoices must be maintained so that a consignment can be traced, and produced when a competent authority asks.
The advisory also goes to the State and Union Territory Commissioners of Food Safety and to Indian Railways with its regional directors, asking licensing authorities and food safety officers to keep strict vigilance during inspections and transport checks. FSSAI has said that non-compliance can attract appropriate action under the Act and regulations, including seizure and destruction of products.
What we could not confirm. The published reports do not quote a single temperature that applies to every product, and they do not give an effective date or a reference number. We have therefore not stated any temperature figure in this note. Please read the advisory itself on the FSSAI website before you fix numbers in your own SOP; the product standard, the label storage condition and Schedule 4 remain the working references.
Where it sits in the law
An advisory guides how existing law is applied; it does not add new offences. The legal hooks are already there. Schedule 4 of the Licensing and Registration Regulations, 2011 sets hygiene and sanitary requirements for food businesses, including storage and transport. The FSS Act, 2006 lets a food safety officer issue an improvement notice, and it provides penalties for unhygienic or unsanitary processing and for substandard or unsafe food. Our notes on Schedule 4 requirements and on replying to FSSAI notices and sample failures cover those provisions in detail.
Who should act first
| Business type | Where the cold chain usually breaks | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet shops and dairy counters | Khoa and paneer held at counter or in a shared fridge during peak demand | Separate chilled stock, written discard time for display items |
| Meat and fish retailers | Door-opening in cold rooms, unclean ice, mixed raw and cooked handling | Daily temperature log, food-grade ice, colour-coded tools |
| Wholesalers and distributors | Un-chilled vehicles for last-mile runs, gunny or reused packing | Vehicle checklist, insulated or refrigerated transport, food-grade secondary packaging |
| Restaurants and cloud kitchens | Inbound deliveries left at the door, no receiving check | Receiving log with time and product condition, reject rules |
| Delivery-platform sellers | Dispatch to rider handover with no temperature control | Insulated bags, handover time stamps, short holding windows |
A records pack that answers an inspector's questions
| Record | What it shows | Keep it for |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier invoices with licence number | Where the consignment came from, and that the supplier is licensed | Every consignment |
| Receiving log | Date, time, vehicle condition, product condition, accepted or rejected | Each delivery |
| Temperature log for cold rooms, freezers and display units | Readings at fixed times, name of the person checking, action on deviation | Daily |
| Transporter details | Vehicle number, whether covered or refrigerated, packaging used | Each dispatch |
| Cleaning and pest-control record | Compliance with the hygiene schedule | As per your schedule |
| Staff training proof | FoSTaC or in-house training of handlers | On joining and on renewal |
If you run a licensed premises, the supervisor requirement under FoSTaC also applies; see our note on FoSTaC training and food safety supervisors.
Worked example: a sweet shop in festival week
Take a State-licensed sweet shop that buys khoa and paneer from two dairies and sells loose and boxed sweets. The shop has one cold room, two display chillers and a small delivery van. An inspector arrives on a busy afternoon. The shop can answer five questions if it has prepared the pack above.
| Inspector's question | Prepared answer |
|---|---|
| Where did this khoa come from? | Invoice with the dairy's licence number and dispatch date |
| How was it transported? | Supplier vehicle record and the receiving log entry showing condition at arrival |
| Is the cold room under control? | Temperature log with morning, noon and evening readings and a note on any deviation |
| How long is display stock held? | Written discard time posted on the counter and followed by the staff |
| How do boxed sweets reach the customer? | Van or bag details, packaging in food-grade material, no reused sacks |
Nothing here needs special software. A printed log sheet and a disciplined receiving routine are enough. What fails inspections is usually the absence of a record, not the absence of a fridge.
Simple steps for the next seven days
- Pull the label storage condition and the applicable product standard for each perishable you sell, and write the working range on a laminated sheet at the cold room.
- Start the temperature log today, with a named person and a fixed schedule.
- Add a receiving check at the gate: reject consignments in uncovered or unclean vehicles or in non-food-grade packing.
- Write temperature and vehicle conditions into your purchase terms and transporter arrangements.
- Keep invoices and the licence copy of every supplier in one folder you can hand over on the spot.
- Check that your own FSSAI licence or registration details on the premises display and on invoices are current; our post-licence checklist lists the display and return items.
Common mistakes we see
- Treating a fridge in the shop as the whole cold chain, and ignoring the van, the rider bag and the receiving dock.
- Keeping readings only when an inspection is expected, which shows in the handwriting and the gaps.
- Accepting stock without checking vehicle condition because the supplier is a regular.
- Relying on a verbal promise from a transporter instead of a written condition.
- Holding the licence but not the supplier's licence number on the invoice.
If a notice or seizure happens
Stay calm, ask for the inspection or seizure memo in writing, record what was taken and in what condition, and collect your logs for that date. Reply to any improvement notice within the time given and fix the cause rather than only arguing the facts. Where a sample is sent for testing, the process and your options are described in our note on FSSAI notices and appeals. The right step depends on the facts, so take advice before filing a reply.
Frequently asked questions
Is the FSSAI temperature advisory a new law?
No. It is an advisory issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Licensing and Registration Regulations, 2011. It does not create a new offence by itself, but it tells licensing authorities and food safety officers where to focus inspections and transport checks, and the existing provisions of the Act can be applied to non-compliance.
What temperature should khoa, paneer, meat and fish be kept at?
Published reports of the advisory refer to the prescribed temperature conditions for each product and do not give one common figure. Follow the storage condition printed on the product label, the applicable FSSAI product standard and the Schedule 4 hygiene requirements for your category, and confirm any figure against the advisory text on the FSSAI website.
Does the advisory apply to small shops with only a registration?
The advisory is addressed to food business operators across the supply chain, which covers sourcing, chilling, transport, warehousing, storage, distribution and delivery. Reports do not carve out licence categories, so a registered petty business handling these products should assume it is covered.
What records should I keep to show compliance?
Keep supplier invoices, a dated temperature log for cold rooms and display units, vehicle and packaging details for inbound and outbound consignments, cleaning records and staff training certificates. The advisory specifically expects invoices and documents to be produced on request so that a consignment can be traced.
What can happen if a consignment fails an inspection?
FSSAI has warned of appropriate action under the Act and regulations, which can include seizure and destruction of the product. Separately, a food safety officer can issue an improvement notice, and penalties for unhygienic processing or unsafe food are set by the Act. The right response depends on the facts, so keep documents ready and reply to any notice within the time given.
Who is responsible when a transporter breaks the cold chain?
Responsibility is shared across the chain, and the business whose licence appears on the consignment is usually the first to be asked. Put temperature and vehicle conditions in your purchase terms and transporter agreements, and keep dispatch and receipt records so that you can show where the lapse occurred.
We help food businesses with licensing, modifications, returns and the documentation that supports them. Share your category and premises details and we will tell you what to put in place.
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This note is for general information and is not advice on any specific case. The advisory is described from published reports; please read the original on the FSSAI website and confirm the product standard, temperature condition and your licence category before acting.