New Delhi: From gram flour and edible oils to shrimp and cold-pressed seed oils, India’s food regulator is tightening safety standards across a wide range of food items consumed daily in households amid growing concerns over contamination, adulteration and chemical residues.Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued revised and draft rules covering heavy metals, toxins, antibiotic residues and quality standards for both commonly used food items and emerging food products.Under the revised rules to come into effect from December 1, 2026, FSSAI has expanded the lead and cadmium-related contamination standards to also include pulses, including pulse flour and packaged mixes like besan.The regulator has also updated the limits for aflatoxins – toxins produced by certain fungi – in oils, oilseeds and ready-to-eat oilseed products. It has additionally revised the testing criteria for arsenic in fish oil and updated the standards for safrole, a naturally occurring substance found in foods and beverages containing nutmeg and mace.In another significant change, amid growing global concern over antimicrobial residues entering the food chain, FSSAI has introduced residue limits for antibiotics such as trimethoprim and oxolinic acid in seafood products including shrimp, prawn and fish products.Monita Gehlot, a dietician at AIIMS Delhi, said strict contamination standards were important as chronic exposure to heavy metals like lead, arsenic and cadmium can increase the risk of kidney damage, neurological disorders and cancer over time. He said expanding surveillance from pulses to pulse flour is important as products like gram flour are now widely used in packaged snacks, ready-to-cook foods and home cooking.Gehlot also warned that if antibiotic residues persist in seafood for long periods of time, it could lead to antimicrobial resistance, allergies and reduced effectiveness of life-saving drugs.In a separate draft notification, FSSAI has proposed quality and safety standards for underutilized edible oils made from chilli, tomato, melon and okra seeds as demand for cold-pressed oils, seed-based snacks and plant-based nutrition products is increasing.The proposed norms require these oils to be kept free from adulteration, harmful impurities, rancidity and mineral oil contamination, while limits are also set for moisture, acidity and metal content.According to experts, the popularity of cold-pressed and specialty seed oils has grown rapidly in urban India, but regulation has not kept pace with market growth, leading to concerns over adulteration, misleading labeling and inconsistent nutritional quality.The draft rules also include edible seeds such as watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and flax sold in raw, roasted or salted form, which are required to be cleaned and free from insects, fungus and visible contamination before sale.FSSAI has invited public comments for 60 days before finalizing the draft rules.