Product Development
From an idea to a product you can legally sell
Most new food products are developed first and checked for compliance afterwards. That is the expensive order to do it in. A formulation that cannot carry the claim you built the brand around, an additive that is not permitted in your category, a shelf life nobody tested. All of it surfaces late, when changing anything means starting over.
We work alongside development so the regulatory side keeps pace with the product. By the time you are ready to print packaging and file for a licence, the answers are already there.
What this covers
The regulatory side of getting a product to market
Product classification
Deciding what your product legally is. This one decision drives everything after it: which standard applies, which additives are permitted, what the label must say, which licence category you fall into. Getting it wrong early is costly to unwind.
Formulation review
Checking ingredients and additives against the rules for your category. Permitted lists, limits, and the combinations that create a problem.
Shelf life and testing
Deciding what needs to be established and how, from shelf life to nutritional analysis, microbiological parameters and contaminants. The lab work goes to an accredited external lab. We set the protocol, arrange it and interpret what comes back.
Claims
If you want to say high protein, no added sugar, or anything similar, the product has to qualify and you need evidence on file. Better to design for the claim than to discover the product misses it by a small margin.
Packaging suitability
Material compatibility, migration, and whether your chosen pack supports the shelf life you want.
Licensing and label
Getting the right FSSAI licence category, then the label reviewed before artwork goes to print.
Where we usually come in
At the idea stage
Best case. We check the concept is viable under Indian rules before anyone spends money developing it.
During development
Common, and still useful. We review the formulation as it firms up and flag anything that needs to change while changing is easy.
Just before launch
It happens. We work through classification, testing and labelling quickly and tell you honestly what can be fixed in time and what cannot.
Common questions
Do you develop the recipe for us?
We work on the regulatory and compliance side of development rather than the culinary side. If you have a product developer or chef, we work alongside them. If you do not, we can point you toward one.
Do you run the testing?
No. We do not have our own laboratory. Testing goes to accredited external labs. We decide what needs testing, set the protocol, arrange it and review the reports when they come back.
How long does a shelf life study take?
It depends on the shelf life you are claiming and whether accelerated studies are appropriate for your product. We will tell you at the start so it can be built into your launch timeline rather than delaying it.
We already have a product. Can you still help?
Yes. Reviewing an existing product for classification, formulation and label compliance is common, particularly when a brand is moving into a new market or adding a claim.
Can you help with export requirements?
Yes, though requirements depend on the destination market and are often stricter than Indian ones. Worth raising early, because it affects formulation and labelling decisions.
What if our product does not fit an existing category?
Some products sit awkwardly between standards or fall under proprietary food. We will tell you where yours sits and what that means for approvals and labelling.
Related services
Where this fits in
Diptasree Chaudhuri
Founder, Inspeckt Food Solutions
Diptasree Chaudhuri founded Inspeckt Food Solutions after nearly a decade across production floors, audits and quality systems in the Indian food industry, including an HSEQ role at HungerBox covering around 50 corporate foodservice clients across Bangalore. She works with food brands on the part of the business that rarely gets talked about: regulations, labelling, licensing, testing and manufacturing quality. Inspeckt today supports more than 15 food businesses, from established brands to founders launching their first product.
More about DiptasreeCheck the rules before you finalise the recipe
Tell us what you are making and we will tell you what stands in the way.
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