Points of Entry (POEs) for Food Import in India
Food import in India is allowed through 168 Points of Entry (POEs) where FSSAI has notified Authorised Officers for food import clearance and subsequently the DGFT under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 notify the same POEs for import of Food items. As per the provisions of Section 25 read with Section 47(5) of the FSS Act, 2006, and Regulation 13(1) of the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017, FSSAI has notified Authorised Officers at 168 POEs. Out of these, FSSAI officials manage 81 POEs directly (only for FSSAI related works). These 81 POEs are integrated with the Food Import Clearance System (FICS) and Indian Customs Electronic Commerce/Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI) Gateway (ICEGATE) under SWIFT (Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade). About 80 to 85% of food import comes through these 81 POEs where FSSAI own officials have been notified as Authorised Officers.
The Challenge: Remaining 87 POEs
For remaining 87 POEs, manned by Customs officials, FSSAI has notified them as Authorised Officers under section 25 read with Section 47(5) of the FSS Act, 2006, and Regulation 13(1) of the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017. Thus, at these 87 POEs, Customs officials are working in the capacity of Customs officers and FSSAI officers. These POEs are mainly Land Customs Stations (LCSs), Inland Container Depots (ICDs) located in remote areas and were not integrated with FSSAI's FICS and CBIC's ICEGATE.
The SSO Solution
To ensure a unified and seamless system for food import clearance, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), in collaboration with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), has introduced a Single Sign-On (SSO) mechanism. The SSO functionality enables Customs Authorised Officers to access the FSSAI's Food Import Clearance System (FICS) through the ICEGATE login using a unique SSO ID allotted to individual Customs Officers by CBIC. This SSO initiative enhances transparency in food imports, ensures a level playing field through effective regulatory oversight, and significantly improves the ease of doing business in the country. This system enables the implementation of FSSAI's Risk Management System (RMS) in all these POEs.
Implementation and Capacity Building
The Single Sign-On (SSO) functionality for Customs Officers has been successfully rolled out in June, 2025. By the end of January 2026, Single Sign-On facility has been successfully implemented at the majority of POEs across the country. It has been planned to achieve 100% SSO implementation at all the 87 POEs, manned by the Customs officials. Along with SSO implementation, as part of capacity building, Customs Officers notified as Authorised Officers by FSSAI for above mentioned POEs have been provided training both offline and online on the FSSAI's key regulatory requirements specified under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 made thereunder, with respect to the clearance of imported food consignments.
Conclusion
The implementation of SSO is a landmark step by FSSAI in regulating Food import in the Country and this will strengthen the food safety framework of imported food along with the ease of doing business.