Food and Beverage Packaging in India: Materials, Standards and Supplier Guide

Food and beverage is India's largest packaging-consuming industry. With a food processing sector growing at 8 percent annually and an organized retail and e-commerce food delivery sector expanding rapidly, demand for food-grade packaging materials has never been stronger.

The challenge in food packaging is compliance — food-grade materials must meet different specifications from industrial packaging, and getting this wrong creates product liability, regulatory, and health risks.

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What Makes Packaging Food-Grade?

Food-grade packaging must not transfer harmful substances to the food product. This means:

Inks and dyes: Only food-safe inks are permitted on the inside of food-contact packaging. Standard industrial inks may contain heavy metals or solvents.

Adhesives: Corrugated boxes use starch-based adhesives in food-grade applications — no synthetic chemical adhesives.

Liner paper: The inner liner of corrugated boxes for direct food contact must be virgin fibre — not recycled paper, which may contain contaminants from its previous use.

Coatings: Moisture-resistant coatings on food packaging must be food-safe — no wax containing chlorinated paraffins.

For secondary packaging (outer shipper boxes where the food is already in primary packaging): standard recycled corrugated is acceptable — the food product is not in direct contact with the corrugated liner.

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Corrugated Boxes for Food and Beverage

Shipper Boxes for Packaged Food

Packaged food products — biscuits, snacks, namkeen, instant noodles, beverages — ship in standard 3-ply or 5-ply corrugated shipper boxes. Since the product is already in primary packaging (pouch, bottle, tetrapak), the corrugated shipper is secondary packaging and food-grade liner is not required.

Standard specifications: 5-ply double-wall, minimum 20 BF, for boxes carrying above 10 kg of food product. 3-ply for lighter loads under 5 kg.

Ventilation: Corrugated shipper boxes for fresh produce (fruits, vegetables) must have ventilation holes to allow air circulation and prevent condensation build-up inside the box.

Beverage Shipper Boxes

Glass bottle and PET bottle beverage shipper boxes have specific structural requirements:

Partition dividers: Corrugated honeycomb or single-face corrugated partitions between individual bottles prevent glass-to-glass contact and breakage.

High burst factor: A 24-bottle glass water bottle shipper box carries 12 to 15 kg and is stacked 3 high in warehouses. The box must withstand 36 to 45 kg of compressive load. Minimum 7-ply or enhanced 5-ply with high ECT rating.

Handles: Some beverage shipper formats include die-cut carry handles in the corrugated box for consumer-facing retail-ready packaging.

Fresh Produce Packaging

Fruits and vegetables exported from India — grapes from Nashik, pomegranates from Solapur, mangoes from Ratnagiri — use corrugated boxes with specific:

Multi-colour printing: Producer name, variety, grade, weight, country of origin, and compliance marks for destination markets.

Ventilation slots: 5 to 8 percent of box surface area in ventilation holes for airflow.

Moisture resistance: Inner wax coating or moisture-resistant liner for products that release condensation during cold chain transit.

ISPM-15 pallet: Any wooden pallet used for export fresh produce must be ISPM-15 certified.

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Moisture Protection in Food Packaging

Silica Gel for Dry Food Products

Dry food products — spices, namkeen, biscuits, dried fruits, tea, coffee — absorb moisture from the packaging environment. Silica gel desiccant packets placed inside master shipper boxes absorb ambient moisture during storage and transport.

For spices and dry products in a 5-ply shipper box: 1 silica gel packet per 1,000ml of internal box volume during storage. For transit: 1 packet per 500ml.

Upackarts Silica Gel Packets: upackarts.in/products/silica-gel-packets-packaging/

Stretch Film for Pallet Moisture Protection

Pallets of food products dispatched from cold storage to distribution points are wrapped in stretch film to create a moisture and contamination barrier during loading, transit, and unloading.

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FSSAI Compliance for Food Packaging

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Standards Act regulates packaging of food products sold in India. Key requirements:

Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations 2018: Specifies permitted packaging materials, restriction on specific substances, and material migration limits.

Labels: Must show name of food, ingredients, nutritional information, net quantity, manufacturer details, FSSAI license number, and best before date.

Plastic packaging: Restricted to food-grade polymers meeting BIS standards. Minimum thickness of 75 microns for carry bags.

For food businesses sourcing corrugated packaging: ensure your supplier can confirm that virgin fibre liner is used where food-contact packaging is needed, and that no restricted inks or coatings are present.

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Products from Upackarts for Food and Beverage Packaging

3-Ply Corrugated Boxes: upackarts.in/products/3-ply-corrugated-boxes/

5-Ply Heavy Duty Corrugated Boxes: upackarts.in/products/5-ply-heavy-duty-corrugated-boxes/

Custom Printed Corrugated Boxes: upackarts.in/products/custom-printed-corrugated-boxes/

Silica Gel Packets: upackarts.in/products/silica-gel-packets-packaging/

Stretch Film: upackarts.in/products/stretch-film/

PP Straps and Clips: upackarts.in/products/pp-straps-clips/

Wooden Pallets (ISPM-15 for export produce): upackarts.in/products/wooden-pallets/

GST invoice. Delivery within 3 to 4 working days across India. WhatsApp +91-88560-64045.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is food-grade corrugated packaging?

Food-grade corrugated packaging uses virgin fibre liner paper (not recycled), food-safe inks and adhesives, and no coatings with restricted substances. It is required for corrugated boxes in direct contact with unpackaged food. For secondary shipper boxes where food is already in primary packaging, standard recycled corrugated is acceptable.

Does FSSAI require specific packaging materials?

Yes. FSSAI under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations 2018 specifies permitted packaging materials and substance restrictions. All packaging in direct contact with food must meet these requirements. Secondary packaging (shipper boxes) is generally outside direct FSSAI material requirements but must be clean, food-safe, and not introduce contamination.

How do I prevent moisture damage in food packaging during monsoon?

Use silica gel desiccant packets inside sealed shipper boxes at 1 packet per 500ml of internal volume for transit. For cold chain products, use moisture-resistant or wax-coated corrugated box liners. Wrap pallets in stretch film before dispatch to protect from ambient humidity during loading and unloading.