India has a different certification system for food, water, packaging and electronics. A manufacturer needs to obtain either BIS or FSSAI certification to sell the products to consumers.
Certain criteria need to be fulfilled to get a BIS or FSSAI certification. BIS and FSSAI deal with different subjects for certification.
Key Takeaways
- BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) is responsible for setting quality and safety standards for various products in India. At the same time, FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) focuses on food products and their safety.
- BIS certification is voluntary for most products, while an FSSAI license is mandatory for food businesses.
- BIS ensures the quality of manufactured goods and services, while FSSAI ensures the safety and hygiene of food products.
BIS vs FSSAI
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) is a national standards body in India responsible for developing technical standards in various fields. FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
BIS or Bureau of Indian Standards was set up on 23rd December 1986 under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.
BIS is currently administered under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 which eventually came into effect on 12 October 2017.
FSSAI, also known as The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, was formed on the 5th of September 2008 under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
The FSSAI was established by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The headquarters of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is based in Delhi.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | BIS | FSSAI |
|---|---|---|
| Formation Date | The Bureau of Indian Standards or BIS was formed on December 23, 1986. | FSSAI or The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India was formed on the 5th of September 2008. |
| Incharge Ministry | BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards ) comes under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. | FSSAI or The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India comes under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare |
| Objective | BIS was formed to set the standards and certify goods in order to provide reliable goods to consumers. | FSSAI was formed with the objective of proper monitoring and implementation of hygiene and quality standards in India. |
| Establishing Act | BIS was established and is administered under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. | FSSAI was established and is administered by the norms mentioned under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. |
| Executive Officers | The executing officer of BIS is Pramod Kumar Tiwari, IAS who serves as the Director-General of BIS. | The executive officers of FSSAI are Rajesh Bhusan, IAS who serves as the chairperson and Arun Singhal, IAS serves as the Vice-Chairperson. |
What is BIS?
BIS or The Bureau of Indian Standards is a body under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India that primarily serves as a National Standards Body for various goods as established under the Indian Standards Act, 2016.
BIS employs more than 500 scientists, technical officers, secretaries who serve as chief Certification Officers for the body.
BIS was earlier known as the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) which was scrapped after the BIS Act was passed in the parliament.
The headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Standards is in Delhi. However, they have offices in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Chandigarh for their respective regions.
The headquarters of BIS in Delhi also serves as the enquiry or the focal point for World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
The function of the BIS is the formulation and implementation of standards set up by India. More than 20,00 standards have been formed by the Bureau and are currently being implemented.
A lot of Indian manufacturers of items such as milk powder, gas cylinders need to compulsorily get a certification from BIS since they are related to health and safety.
What is FSSAI?
FSSAI or the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is a statutory body formed under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 established the FSSAI. FSSAI is primarily related to food safety standards and their implementation in India.
FSSAI regularly updates its standards and conducts various programs to promote the health of the citizens through regulating food safety.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has its headquarters in Delhi. However, it has its regional offices in Delhi, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kolkata, Cochin and Chennai.
FSSAI keeps making continuous changes to its guidelines to improve food standards in the country and also to make sure that the industries are not getting hindered by the regulations and guidelines.
The government used to formulate different laws with the assistance of different ministries for formulating food safety policies until the Food Safety and Standards Act was passed to establish the FSSAI.
The FSSAI is primarily composed of one Chairman who is appointed by the Government and 22 other members, out of which one third must be women, as mandated by the law. There are scientists and other researchers also involved within the FSSAI.
Main Differences Between BIS and FSSAI
- BIS (The Bureau of Indian Standards) was established by the Indian Standards Act 2016 whereas FSSAI ( Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) was formed by the Food Safety and Standards Act.
- BIS has only one executive officer in the form of a director-general, on the other hand, FSSAI has two executive officers appointed by the Central Government in the form of a chairperson and a vice-chairperson.
- BIS primarily deals with setting up standards and providing certification to the good that is imperative to public health and safety whereas FSSAI is primarily concerned with setting up guidelines and implementing them for food safety.
- BIS is composed of one chairperson and other scientists and certification officers but FSSAI consists of two primary officers and 22 executives.
- BIS comes under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution whereas FSSAI comes under the charge of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
- http://bis.org.in/other/PMWD_Tender_29052018.pdf
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Meenu-Singh-8/publication/343442874_INTERNATIONAL_JOURNAL_OF_FOOD_AND_NUTRITIONAL_SCIENCES_NUTRITION_LABELING_COMPLIANCE_OF_BRANDED_PROCESSED_PACKAGED_FOODS_WITH_INDIAN_FOOD_LAWS_FSSAI_2011_REGULATIONS/links/5f2a5348a6fdcccc43abe9df/INTERNATIONAL-JOURNAL-OF-FOOD-AND-NUTRITIONAL-SCIENCES-NUTRITION-LABELING-COMPLIANCE-OF-BRANDED-PROCESSED-PACKAGED-FOODS-WITH-INDIAN-FOOD-LAWS-FSSAI-2011-REGULATIONS.pdf
Last Updated : 22 July, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
