In India, the regulatory responsibility for the safety of food additives lies primarily with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. This Act brought into one umbrella the many older food-laws and empowered FSSAI to lay down science-based standards for food products, including additives.
Under the Act, the key regulation for additives is the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 (and its amendments). These Regulations list approved additives, the food-categories in which they may be used, and limits of use (for example maximum permitted quantities).
When a food-business or manufacturer wants to use a new additive (or use an existing additive in a new way), they must provide FSSAI with information covering identity of the substance, food-category, proposed level of use, previous regulatory status (for example via the international body Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, JECFA), and relevant scientific safety data.
Thus, compared to systems where a manufacturer might declare an additive safe and use it with minimal oversight, the Indian process has formal steps of submission, regulation and publication of permitted lists. For example, a recent Indian report reviewed “certain food additives and contaminants” and re-evaluated five additives, noting “the use of food additives is justified only when such use has an advantage; it does not act as a hazard to the health of the consumer or mislead the consumer.”
However — and this is crucial for public health in India — regulation in theory is one thing, and implementation, oversight and updating in light of fresh science is another. Recent research and regulatory news suggest both progress and persistent concerns.
Recent Regulatory Developments & Gaps
On the development side: in July 2025 the FSSAI issued the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2025 which will take effect from February 1, 2026. This amendment revises uses of additives, food-colors, oils and processing aids among other things.
Another review flagged that although India’s laws stipulate that additives must be technologically justified (they must serve a technological purpose, e.g., preservation, improved texture) and safe at the proposed use level, there are “weak surveillance, under-resourced testing and widespread non-compliance in the informal sector”.
On the scientific side: a 2022 review titled “Toxicological and Teratogenic Effect of Various Food Additives” found that certain additives (such as sodium benzoate, aspartame, tartrazine, carrageenan) show potential for health impacts including effects on gut-microbiota, inflammation, and developmental toxicity in animal studies.
More recently (2025) a systematic review reported that synthetic food-additives may be linked to “attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, cancer, obesity, intestinal inflammation” by interfering with gut health and chronic exposure.
These findings underscore the need for constant vigilance — the fact that an additive is approved today does not guarantee that it will be risk-free forever, especially as usage patterns, population health, diet composition and scientific knowledge evolve.
From a practical-consumer viewpoint in India several take-aways emerge:
Firstly, when you see an additive on the label of a packaged food, that means (ideally) it is among the list of permitted additives (as per FSSAI Regulation) and used under specified conditions (maximum level, correct food-category). But it does not guarantee unlimited safety in all uses or lifetime exposure scenarios, because exposures build up, diets change, and new science may change the status.
Secondly, since India has a very large informal food-industry (street foods, small-scale processing, local snacks) the regulatory oversight is more challenging. That means more vigilance is needed: choosing trusted brands, checking labels, limiting ultra-processed foods (which tend to carry multiple additives) become meaningful steps.
Thirdly, from a public-health and policy standpoint, India must strengthen laboratory-networks, surveillance, enforcement, and transparent review of additives. Reports have specifically called for phasing out synthetic colours that are linked to behavioural or allergic reactions, aligning more closely with global risk-assessments.
Finally, consumer awareness matters. Labels should list additives (and ingredients), and Indian regulations on labelling are improving (for example under FSSAI labelling regulations). When buying packaged foods, one may ask: how many unfamiliar chemical names appear on the label? Is the food ultra-processed or mostly whole? These practical questions help reduce additive exposure.
Specific Issues and Areas of Concern
A few specific concern-areas stand out in the Indian context:
• Synthetic-colours and preservatives: Some synthetic food-colours still allowed in India are banned in other jurisdictions or under review. The review article on India’s food-additive regime flagged this gap.
• Cumulative exposure and multiple additives: Labels may list several additives (emulsifiers, stabilisers, colourants, sweeteners, preservatives). While each may be used within its permitted limit, the combined effect (especially for vulnerable populations such as children) is less well studied. The systematic review indicates that “additives … may impact gut-microbiota and intestinal inflammation”.
• Informal sector / street-foods: Many foods consumed daily (snacks, street-foods, regional traditional sweets) may use additives or colours more freely, with weaker enforcement. Thus, the regulatory regime’s reach is uneven.
• Updating regulations to reflect new science: Although amendments are underway (as noted above), there remains lag between global evidence and Indian law or enforcement. For example, exposure assessments of certain additives in India were only recently published.
• Public-health and diet shifts: India’s population faces rising non-communicable diseases (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease). Since ultra-processed foods (which tend to carry many additives) are increasing, ensuring additive safety becomes part of larger diet-quality and health policy.
• Transparency and independent review: The Indian standards indicate that additives must be safe and justified, but the extent of independent review, public disclosure of data, and post-market monitoring needs strengthening.
A Way Forward
To ensure food-additive safety keeps pace with changing diet and science in India, the following broad suggestions are relevant:
• Strengthen FSSAI’s laboratory and surveillance capacity, especially in smaller towns and informal food sectors, to detect misuse of additives, unapproved colors, or levels above permitted maximums.
• Maintain transparent public-databases of additives approved, usage-levels, safety-studies, and emerging re-evaluations, so that consumers, researchers and civil-society can engage effectively.
• Periodically review permitted-additive lists in light of global science (for example new evidence of gut-microbiome effects, endocrine disruption, cumulative exposures) and update Indian regulations accordingly.
• Encourage industry to adopt minimal-additive approaches—especially for foods commonly consumed by children—and to phase out additives that serve cosmetic rather than nutritional/technological necessity.
• Empower consumer-education: have clear labels (including simplified language, familiar additive-names, explanation of purpose), and increase awareness of ultra-processed food risks (including additive-load).
• Integrate additive-safety into broader public-health strategy: since diet quality in India is shifting, additive-safety should be part of policies aimed at reducing NCDs, improving food environments, and promoting nutritious minimally processed foods.
Conclusion
In India today, the safety of food-additives is regulated under a well-defined legal framework (FSSAI under the 2006 Act and the 2011 Regulations) which requires submission, review and listing of permitted substances. Recent amendments (2025) show regulatory momentum, and recent scientific reviews highlight that additives are not entirely risk-free and need continuous review.
For the Indian consumer, this means that while many food-additives on the label are permitted under law, one should not assume permanent or unlimited safety—especially given evolving science, complex diets and the informal food-sector. Choosing foods with fewer additives, understanding labels, and supporting policies of stronger surveillance and transparency are practical steps.
In sum: the question of “who determines if food additives are safe?” has the partial answer “the FSSAI via regulatory rules and lists”. But the full answer also demands “an ongoing process of science, review, monitoring, enforcement and public engagement”. In India, strengthening this full process is essential for protecting food-safety and public-health in the decades ahead.
References
• “Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011” – FSSAI website.
• “Evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants” – Indian Journal of Medical Research, 2025.
• “Toxicological and Teratogenic Effect of Various Food Additives” – S Sambu et al., 2022.
• “Systematic review on food additives and impact on human health” – 2025.
• “Food Industry, FSSAI and Good Manufacturing Practices …” – detailed analysis of Indian additive regulation, 2025.
• “FSSAI Amends Food Products and Additive Regulations …” – ChemLinked, July 2025.
• “Food Additives Regulations: Harmonization with Codex” – ILSI-India presentation.