India Expands Food Import Gateways, Bolstering Safety and Streamlining Clearance

India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) has announced a significant expansion of its food import infrastructure, adding five new Points of Entry under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) framework. This move, detailed in Instruction No. 04/2026-Customs issued on April 20, 2026, brings the total number of designated food import locations across the country to 171.

The updated instruction modifies earlier guidance and incorporates recent directives from the FSSAI, dated April 9, 2026, and January 6, 2026. The primary objective of this initiative is to streamline regulatory oversight and ensure stringent compliance with food safety standards at these designated import points.

The newly notified locations include ICD Dhirpur (Haryana), Electronic SEZ Park Gandhinagar (Gujarat), ICD Naya Raipur (Chhattisgarh), ICD Dahej (Gujarat), and ICD Varnama (Gujarat). At these expanded points, authorized officers will comprise both FSSAI officials and various Customs officers, including Superintendents, Appraisers, Inspectors, and Examiners.

This collaborative approach between Customs and FSSAI is designed to strengthen food safety compliance, enhance coordination between the two agencies, and ultimately facilitate smoother and faster clearance of food consignments entering India, according to reports from TaxGuru and The Tax Talk.