{"id":10562,"date":"2020-05-13T12:54:29","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T07:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/?p=10562"},"modified":"2020-11-25T16:40:52","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T11:10:52","slug":"difference-between-fssai-and-agmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/difference-between-fssai-and-agmark\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the difference between FSSAI and AGMARK?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Food\nbusinesses are required to meet specific standards for labelling,\nmanufacturing, packaging, etc. Earlier, every Indian product was governed by a\nseparate act developed for that particular product such as Milk Products Order\n1992, Vegetable Oil Products Order 1947, etc. However, as time passed by,\nseveral other products were added to the list, which created a difficult\nsituation for the authorities to keep track of laws.&nbsp; The ever-changing environment of the food\nindustry has been through many amendments in its legal structure. To mitigate\nthe complexity of the situation, the enforcement of (FSS) Food Safety and\nStandards Act, 2006, was initiated that consolidated all the previous acts.\nBesides, it further results in much confusion for the food business operators\nthat deal with agricultural products. Therefore, this blog will serve as a\nguide to highlight the AGMARK products list along with the difference between\nFSSAI and AGMARK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3a77241f7a9\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3a77241f7a9\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/difference-between-fssai-and-agmark\/#A_brief_about_FSSAI_License\" title=\"A brief about FSSAI License \">A brief about FSSAI License <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/difference-between-fssai-and-agmark\/#What_is_the_AGMARK_Certification\" title=\"What is the AGMARK Certification?\">What is the AGMARK Certification?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/difference-between-fssai-and-agmark\/#Functions_performed_by_the_FSSAI_Authority\" title=\"Functions performed by the FSSAI Authority \">Functions performed by the FSSAI Authority <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/difference-between-fssai-and-agmark\/#List_of_Products_that_fall_under_AGMARK_Certification\" title=\"List of Products that fall under AGMARK Certification \">List of Products that fall under AGMARK Certification <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/difference-between-fssai-and-agmark\/#Head_to_Head_comparison_between_FSSAI_and_AGMARK\" title=\"Head to Head comparison between FSSAI and AGMARK\">Head to Head comparison between FSSAI and AGMARK<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/difference-between-fssai-and-agmark\/#A_Comprehensive_Understanding_of_FSSAI_and_AGMARK\" title=\"A Comprehensive Understanding of FSSAI and AGMARK \">A Comprehensive Understanding of FSSAI and AGMARK <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/difference-between-fssai-and-agmark\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion \">Conclusion <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_brief_about_FSSAI_License\"><\/span>A brief about FSSAI License <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>FSSAI, also known as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, is an independent regulatory body that was formed in the year 2008 under the provisions of the FSS Act, 2006. The aim of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/fssai-central-license\" class=\"text-primary\">Central FSSAI<\/a><\/strong> is to monitor and regulate the quality control measures undertaken by food business operators in India. It also ensures the safety of food by providing a standard that covers all the food items which need to be safe and hygienic for consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>FSSAI License or certification is a compulsory requirement for anyone who wants to establish a food business. The FSSAI certified food gives a sense of assurance that the food is safe or suitable to eat. Each food business from manufacturing to distribution and even packaging has to adhere to the prescribed guidelines of FSSAI. Moreover, all food business operators must have a valid <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/fssai-license\" class=\"text-primary\">FSSAI License<\/a><\/strong> to function in India smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_AGMARK_Certification\"><\/span>What is the AGMARK Certification?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>AGMARK is an agriculture certification mark that\nconfirms the purity and quality of agriculture products in India. It is issued\nby Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, an attached office of the\nDepartment of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare under Agricultural\nProduce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AGMARK signifies that the pesticide in a certified product is utilized within the stipulated limits. It functions in a similar manner to the FSSAI and emphasizes on the quality of agricultural produce.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Apart from updating the AGMARK products list, the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection is responsible for the following duties:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>To ensure the quality and purity of the agricultural products.<\/li><li>To be the third-party guarantor for quality certification.<\/li><li>To lay down the quality standards for different agricultural goods and commodities.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Lastly, to incorporate the food safety factors into the standards, according to WTO (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/World_Trade_Organization\">World Trade Organization<\/a>).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Functions_performed_by_the_FSSAI_Authority\"><\/span>Functions performed by the FSSAI Authority <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India perform the following functions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Framing stringent regulations and\nguidelines in relation to the food products. FSSAI set out an appropriate\nsystem to enforce various standards.<\/li><li>It lays down certain procedures and\nnotification for the accreditation of laboratories.<\/li><li>Further, it builds a mechanism for the\nissuance of certification that assures food safety management system for the\nfood businesses.<\/li><li>FSSAI provides technical support and\nscientific aid to the Central and State Governments with regard to the framing\nof legal policies for food safety and nutrition.<\/li><li>FSSAI authorities accumulate data on\nfood contamination, residues of food products, the prevalence of biological\nrisk, identify the emerging risks, and introduce a rapid alert system. <\/li><li>The authority creates an information\nnetwork across India to promote awareness to the consumers, Panchayats &amp;\nthe public about food safety and also to address their concerns. <\/li><li>The FSSAI authority also conducts\ntraining programmes for the people who intend to commence food businesses.<\/li><li>It contributes to the development of\ninternational technical, sanitary, food, and phytosanitary standards.<\/li><li>FSSAI draws proposal for the food\nauthority\u2019s work programmes by consulting with the Central Advisory Committee.<\/li><li>After granting the FSSAI License,\nauthorities implement work programmes and ensure its adoption by the food\nbusiness operators;<\/li><li>The Central and State Food Authorities\nmonitors and verifies the relevant requirements of the law that are required to\nbe fulfilled by food business operators at all stages of their businesses.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"List_of_Products_that_fall_under_AGMARK_Certification\"><\/span>List of Products that fall under AGMARK Certification <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Following is the <strong>AGMARK product list<\/strong>, for which a food business operator must attain this certification: for which a food business operator must attain this certification:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"699\" height=\"411\" src=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AGMARK-product-list.png\" alt=\"AGMARK product list\" class=\"wp-image-10571\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AGMARK-product-list.png 699w, https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/AGMARK-product-list-300x176.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 699px) 100vw, 699px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Head_to_Head_comparison_between_FSSAI_and_AGMARK\"><\/span>Head to Head comparison between FSSAI and AGMARK<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Often\nFSSAI License and AGMARK are misinterpreted as one; despite sharing huge\ndissimilarities. As a food business operator, it is essential to have a better\nunderstanding of both the certification. The below table highlights the\ndifference between FSSAI and AGMARK: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<table class=\"wp-block-table\"><tbody><tr><td>\n  \n  <strong>Terms of Differences<\/strong>\n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  <strong>FSSAI<\/strong>\n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  <strong>AGMARK<\/strong>\n  \n  <\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\n  \n  Definition\n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  FSSAI is a regulatory body\n  established under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 for inspecting the\n  quality of food products.\n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  AGMARK is a certification\n  made for all the agricultural products in India.\n  \n  <\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\n  \n  Legal Framework \n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  Formed under the Food Safety\n  and Standard Act, 2006.\n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  Established under\n  Agriculture Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937.\n  \n  <\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\n  \n  Basis of Allotment\n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  The allotment and issuance\n  of the FSSAI License is done based on the turnover and activity.\n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  AGMARK Certification is\n  allotted after extensive inspection and analysis.\n  \n  <\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\n  \n  Coverage \n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  FSSAI covers a wide variety\n  of food products and prescribes its standards that need to abide by the\n  different provisions of law.\n  &nbsp;\n  \n  <\/td><td>\n  \n  AGMAR standards cover\n  quality guidelines for around 205 different commodities scaling from a\n  variety of pulses, cereals to essential oils &amp; vegetable oil. \n  &nbsp;\n  \n  <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Comprehensive_Understanding_of_FSSAI_and_AGMARK\"><\/span>A Comprehensive Understanding of FSSAI and AGMARK <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary&nbsp;<strong>difference between FSSAI and AGMARK<\/strong> is that the former is a government agency, while the later is a label provided for quality agricultural products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>FSSAI certification covers all the food items\ndespite being agricultural or non-agricultural. It includes a broad spectrum of\nquality standards for food products and activities such as storage,\nre-labelling, manufacturing, import-export, and sales of food items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two variant acts govern FSSAI and AGMARK. On the\none hand, FSSAI was entrenched under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006,\nwhile AGMARK is covered by the Agriculture Produce (Grading and Marking) Act,\n1937, which amended later in 1986.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AGMARK product list includes\nthe agricultural products that are certified after an\nextensive analysis like microbiological analysis, pesticide residue content,\nchemical analysis, and aflatoxin analysis, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tests or analyses of AGMARK products are\nconducted at different state-owned laboratories. Also, there are some\nregional-based laboratories in 11 nodal cities. The central laboratory of\nAGMARK is located in Nagpur. AGMARK Certification is only given to the\nagricultural products. Presently, there are around 213 agricultural products\nthat are covered under AGMARK Certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FSSAI License is granted based on the turnover\nand activities conducted by a particular food establishment. For instance, each\nbranch (franchise) of McDonald\u2019s needs to have a separate FSSAI\nLicense&nbsp;despite operating under the same brand name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further,\nthe FSSAI License is segregated under three kinds of licenses which, include;\nBasic, State, and Central. However, there is no\nsuch distinctive AGMARK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AGMARK\nis approved by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, whereas FSSAI is a\nregulatory authority that issues the license on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>FSSAI has prescribed science-based standards to ensure the quality of the food products. Additionally, it monitors other essential attributes of the food business, such as storage, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and development of sanitary standards. FSSAI also works diligently to spread awareness among the consumers about food standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AGMARK\nis only a certification mark that applies to the AGMARK product list, while\nFSSAI is a government agency. There is no grievance redressal option\nfacilitated in AGMARK, but the FBOs can resolve their issues with their\nrespective FSSAI offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need legal assistance in FSSAI Certification or License, you can contact our Swarit experts. They have the adequate legal knowledge and guide you in FSSAI documentation and streamline the procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"read\"><p><b>Read, Also:<\/b> <mark><a href=\"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/fssai-packaging-and-labelling-regulations\/\">FSSAI Packaging and Labelling Regulations<\/a><\/mark>.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Food businesses are required to meet specific standards for labelling, manufacturing, packaging, etc. Earlier, every Indian product was governed by a separate act developed for that particular product such as Milk Products Order 1992, Vegetable Oil Products Order 1947, etc. However, as time passed by, several other products were added to the list, which created [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[29],"tags":[635],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10562"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10562"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16723,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10562\/revisions\/16723"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swaritadvisors.com\/learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}