Diabetic foods

Diabetic foods, specialised food preparations for diabetics

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 2106 90 91 (Diabetic foods) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and foreign-manufacturer registration requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports 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) customs-clearance overlays applying at the bill-of-entry stage.

What this is

HSN code

2106 90 91

Chapter

21 · Miscellaneous edible preparations

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Port-compliance 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
Obtain a current FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and ensure the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India where the product falls within the high-risk categories (nutraceuticals, food for dietary uses, foods for special medical purpose). Both documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed.
CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
2
Upload a specimen copy of the label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit and confirm compliance with FSSAI's rectifiable-labelling regime. Label defects classified as rectifiable under FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 must be resolved before out-of-charge; non-rectifiable defects result in consignment detention.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022
3
Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per the annexure to CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus, effective 01-03-2023. If the diabetic food preparation contains milk or milk solids as an ingredient and originates from China, importation is prohibited until further notification.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is importing diabetic food preparations that incorporate nutraceutical or dietary-supplement characteristics without triggering the mandatory foreign-manufacturer registration requirement. Where the product straddles the diabetic-food and nutraceutical or food-for-special-medical-purpose categories, FSSAI treats it as a high-risk food requiring both facility registration and the 79-port restriction; misclassifying it as a general food preparation and routing through an undesignated port results in consignment detention and potential ground rent liability while a post-arrival NOC is sought.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 2106 90 91 require BIS certification?

No, diabetic food preparations are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with a 79-designated-port restriction and FSSAI Import Licence requirements applying at the bill of entry.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?

The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and specimen copy of label (document code 0110FS) are mandatory uploads in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus.

Are diabetic foods containing milk from China permitted?

No. Import of food preparations containing milk or milk solids as an ingredient from China is prohibited until laboratory testing capacity at ports of entry is upgraded for melamine testing, per DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.