The FSSAI import file sits with the Indian importer
Anyone bringing food into India runs into the same division of labour. The FSSAI import licence, the entries filed against it and the food safety check at the port of entry belong to the importer on the Indian side. A supplier in Gaziantep cannot hold that licence and should not pretend to shorten the process. What we can do is send the file complete, so that nothing on the clearance side is waiting on us.
- a technical data sheet per product, covering composition, format, packing and storage;
- our certificates, attached to the line they actually cover;
- an analysis report per line, rather than one generic document for the whole container;
- an offer that states the tariff line and the duty that applies on the day.
How that file is assembled before a container is booked is set out in how we work.
The vegetarian mark decides more than the artwork
Indian labelling asks a question that European artwork often leaves unanswered: is the product vegetarian or not. The mark is not decoration, it changes where and to whom a line can be sold, and gelatine is usually what decides it. We treat that as a specification question, settled before design starts.
What the offer says, line by line
We are the manufacturer and exporter. The lines in a container come from our own factory in Gaziantep. For a buyer running a first FSSAI import against a new supplier, that is the difference between a file that can be checked and one that has to be taken on trust.
- chocolate or compound is written per line: a vegetable-fat coating is never called chocolate in our documents;
- the producer behind each line is named, so certificates and analysis reports line up with the goods on the pallet;
- pistachio spread is quoted as spread, with the jar format and the pistachio share confirmed before we quote;
- lokum, dragees and sugared almonds each carry their own sheet, because their storage and their marks differ.
Dry fruits and nuts: what we carry and what we do not
A large share of Indian search around Turkish food is about dried fruit rather than confectionery. Buyers typing import dry fruits, or looking for a dried fruit importer to work with, usually want apricots, figs or raw nuts in bulk, and that is not our range. Our container is finished, packed confectionery: chocolate, dragees, lokum, sugared almonds, gummies and pistachio spread, the jar product an Indian shelf will recognise as pistachio cream or butter. Dried fruit, raw nuts, bulk cocoa and coverture are sourced on request; we confirm composition and format before quoting, and where we cannot stand behind a line we say so rather than quote it.
One container, several lines, terms that do not move
The selling unit is one full container, mixed, with every line on its own pallet, which is how a first Indian order can test a shelf without committing to a single product. Terms are the same for every buyer.
- payment is half with the order and half against loading photographs, before the container leaves;
- quotes are written in US dollars and hold for two working days;
- FCA Gaziantep, FOB Mersin, CIF or DAP, whichever suits your forwarder;
- chocolate moves in a reefer through the hot months, while lokum, sugared almonds and gummies travel dry.
The sensible order is samples first, then a mixed container built from the lines that survived tasting.
Who applies for the FSSAI import licence?
The importer in India. The licence, the entries filed against it and the food safety check at the port of entry are the importer's responsibility. Our part is the supporting file: a technical data sheet per product, our certificates, an analysis report per line, and an offer that states the tariff line and the duty that applies on the day.
How is the vegetarian / non-vegetarian mark decided on our labels?
By the recipe, not by the designer. Gelatine is usually the deciding ingredient, so gummy and jelly lines state on the data sheet whether gelatine is used and of what origin, and lines made without it are stated as such. The importer then marks the pack from a document rather than an assumption.
Are the products halal certified?
Lines travel with our halal certificate, and the offer names the certifying body per line so the buyer can check it is recognised. We do not make a blanket claim across the range, because certification belongs to our factory and to the specific line.
Do you supply dried fruit, raw nuts or bulk cocoa?
They are not part of our own range, which is finished, packed confectionery. Dried fruit, raw nuts, bulk cocoa and coverture are sourced on request; we confirm composition and format before quoting.
Can an Indian buyer start with less than a container?
Samples first, then a full container. The selling unit is one container, mixed, with each line on its own pallet, so a first order can carry several products instead of betting the shipment on one.
