The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the apex food regulator in India, operating under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Its logo is a mandatory mark printed on packaged food products alongside a 14-digit license number, indicating that the food business operator holds a valid FSSAI license under the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.[1] The FSSAI logo is also used on the labels of packaged food products and must not be misused in any form, as misuse may violate Indian law.[2]
Design and History
The FSSAI logo is a five-coloured mark featuring the acronym in italics in dark blue. The horizontal stroke of the lowercase “f” extends in orange to form the top border, and the dot for the “i” is rendered as a brown dot symbolising a fruit, accompanied by a green leaf. The logo is underlined in green.[3] The letter “i” is bold in orange, a detail noted in descriptions of the mark.[4]
FSSAI has also introduced several sub-brand logos for specific food categories. In December 2017, FSSAI created a unified logo for organic products, supported by the tagline “Jaivik Bharat” at the bottom, signifying Organic Food from India.[5] This green logo features a circle, leaf and tick mark, where the circle represents global holistic wellness, the green leaf represents nature, the tick mark represents the product as FSSAI-certified organic, and the green colour represents the environment.[6]
In September 2021, FSSAI launched a logo for vegan foods to help consumers identify and differentiate vegan products from non-vegan ones.[7] The green-coloured logo has a “V” inscribed in the middle of a square box with a small plant on top of it and the word “Vegan” written at the bottom.[8] The design was created by Kruti Manish Rathore of Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, a student pursuing a Masters in Food Science and Nutrition, under the guidance of Sangeeta Pandey.[9]
Meaning and Symbolism
For the main FSSAI mark, the brown dot replacing the “i” is described as symbolising a fruit, paired with a green leaf.[3] The vegan logo’s green colour and plant element are designed to resonate with the existing vegetarian and non-vegetarian product logos, which are green and brown dots respectively inside a square.[10] The design of the vegan logo was conceived to make it easier for vegans to identify products, with the “V” helping consumers identify vegan foods and avoid confusion with the letter “Y”.[11]
Typography and Design
When printed on food labels, the FSSAI logo and license number must be in a colour that contrasts effectively with the background of the food package to ensure readability by consumers. The logo does not have to appear in its original blue, orange and green colours, as other colours such as black and white are acceptable.[12] The font used for the license number on labels must be clear and simple, with a minimum size of 1.5mm.[1]
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