Section 26: Responsibilities of the food business operator.

Q: What does Section 26 of The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA) deal with?

Section 26 FSSA pertains to "Responsibilities of the food business operator.". It is part of the The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, a legislation enacted by the Parliament of India. Section 26 of The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA) governs responsibilities of the food business operator. As verified on 19 May 2026.

Q: Is Section 26 FSSA still in force?

Yes, Section 26 of the The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 is currently in force across the Republic of India.

Q: What is धारा 26 FSSA?

धारा 26 FSSA is the Devanagari Hindi reference for Section 26 of the The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Section 26 of The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA) governs responsibilities of the food business operator. As verified on 19 May 2026.

Q: What is Dhara 26 FSSA?

Dhara 26 FSSA is the Roman Hindi reference for Section 26 of the The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. "Dhara" means "Section" in Hindi. Section 26 of The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA) governs responsibilities of the food business operator. As verified on 19 May 2026.

Q: How to cite Section 26 of The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006?

Cite as: "Section 26, The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA)" in legal briefs. For academic writing, use the BlueBook format: The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, § 26 (India).

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(1) Every food business operator shall ensure that the articles of food satisfy the requirements of this Act and the rules and regulations made thereunder at all stages of production, processing, import, distribution and sale within the businesses under his control.

(2) No food business operator shall himself or by any person on his behalf manufacture, store, sell or distribute any article of food—

(i) which is unsafe; or

(ii) which is misbranded or sub-standard or contains extraneous matter; or

(iii) for which a licence is required, except in accordance with the conditions of the licence; or

(iv) which is for the time being prohibited by the Food Authority or the Central Government or the State Government in the interest of public health; or

(v) in contravention of any other provision of this Act or of any rule or regulation made thereunder.

(3) No food business operator shall employ any person who is suffering from infectious, contagious or loathsome disease.

(4) No food business operator shall sell or offer for sale any article of food to any vendor unless he also gives a guarantee in writing in the form specified by regulations about the nature and quality of such article to the vendor:

Provided that a bill, cash memo, or invoice in respect of the sale of any article of food given by a food business operator to the vendor shall be deemed to be a guarantee under this section, even if a guarantee in the specified form is not included in the bill, cash memo or invoice.

(5) Where any food which is unsafe is part of a batch, lot or consignment of food of the same class or description, it shall be presumed that all the food in that batch, lot or consignment is also unsafe, unless following a detailed assessment within a specified time, it is found that there is no evidence that the rest of the batch, lot or consignment is unsafe:

Provided that any conformity of a food with specific provisions applicable to that food shall be without prejudice to the competent authorities taking appropriate measures to impose restrictions on that food being placed on the market or to require its withdrawal from the market for the reasons to be recorded in writing where such authorities suspect that, despite the conformity, the food is unsafe.