Access IndiaPLATFORM
Home›HSN›Chapter 12›HSN 1212 99 90

Other

Other miscellaneous vegetable products for human consumption

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1212 99 90 (residual miscellaneous vegetable products for human consumption) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Import is restricted to designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), with Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) oversight at the bill of entry.

What this is
HSN code
1212 99 90
Chapter
12 · Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal plants
Primary regulator
FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
Customs documentation
  • Import Licence from FSSAI
  • Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
  • Food import entry-point declaration to CBIC
Applicable Partner Government Agencies
FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps
  1. 1
    Obtain the FSSAI Import Licence and upload both the licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed. The proper officer will verify these documents are present before granting out-of-charge.
    CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/APEX/2022-FSSAI
  2. 2
    Route the consignment only through a designated food-import entry point under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Consignments arriving at non-designated ports are liable to detention pending re-routing or re-export.
    General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
  3. 3
    Ensure all labelling conforms to the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Where specified labelling information — including per-serve percentage contribution to recommended dietary allowance, and expiry date alongside best-before date — is absent, rectification by affixing a single non-detachable sticker is permitted at a customs bonded warehouse before FSSAI visual inspection, subject to the conditions in CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs.
    FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 · FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022
A word of counsel

The broadest risk on this residual tariff line is scope uncertainty: 1212 99 90 captures a wide array of vegetable products, and importers frequently apply label standards from an adjacent chapter rather than the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 applicable to the specific product. For products such as clove stem where FSSAI has not yet notified a specific standard, FSSAI applies horizontal safety parameters and analogous product standards — confirmed in the FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 — and an importer presenting labels calibrated to an inapplicable standard faces re-inspection detention even where the product itself is compliant.

Need a regulatory steer on this product?
Speak to a regulatory counsel about your specific HSN, IS, and supplier situation.
Speak to an Expert
Frequently asked
Does HSN 1212 99 90 require BIS certification?
No, this residual vegetable-products tariff line falls outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers miscellaneous vegetable products for human consumption. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with FSSAI Import Licence and labelling compliance as the operative requirements.
Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for a bill of entry under this HSN?
The mandatory uploads are the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS); both must be present before the proper officer grants out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.
What labelling rectification is permitted at the port for food consignments under this HSN?
Per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs and the FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022, per-serve RDA percentage contribution and expiry-date information may be rectified by affixing a single non-detachable sticker at a customs bonded warehouse before FSSAI inspection, provided the rectification does not alter the original label and is verified by the authorised officer.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
Related
ChapterChapter 12 · Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal plantsHSNLOCUST BEANS, SEAWEEDS AND OTHER ALGAE, SUGAR BEET AND SUGARCANE, FRESH, CHILLED, FROZEN OR DRIED, WHETHER OR NOT GROUND; FRUIT STONES AND KERNELS AND OTHER VEGETABLE PRODUCTS (INCLUDING UNROASTED CHICORY ROOTS OF THE VARIETY CICHORIUM INTYBUS SATIVUM) OF A KIND USED PRIMARILY FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED OR INCLUDEDHSNOther: