Chapter II - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Section 4
Section 4: Establishment of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Section 4 establishes the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and gives it a separate corporate identity.
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This article is for general information. Refer to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 official text for the official provisions. If you need professional advice for your situation, contact Bizeneed.
Statutory text
Bare law
(1) The Central Government shall, by notification, establish a body to be known as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to exercise the powers conferred on, and to perform the functions assigned to, it under this Act.
(2) The Food Authority shall be a body corporate by the name aforesaid, having perpetual succession and a common seal with power to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both movable and immovable, and to contract and shall, by the said name, sue or be sued.
(3) The head office of the Food Authority shall be at Delhi.
(4) The Food Authority may establish its offices at any other place in India.
Introduction
The Central Government establishes the Food Authority by notification. Its powers and tasks come from the rest of the Act; establishment alone does not describe every function.
As a body corporate, the Authority may hold and dispose of property, contract, and sue or be sued in its own name. Its head office is in Delhi, and it may establish offices elsewhere in India.
Key takeaways
Creation by notification
The Central Government establishes the Authority under subsection (1).
Separate legal capacity
Subsection (2) gives the Authority corporate continuity and capacity to own property and contract.
Identify the legal actor
When a document names the Food Authority, distinguish its corporate acts from the functions assigned to the Chief Executive Officer, a State Commissioner or a Designated Officer elsewhere in the Act.
Office location
Delhi is the statutory head office. An office elsewhere is possible under subsection (4), but the place of an office alone does not expand an officer’s legal powers.
Official sources
Read the consolidated Act with the enacted and commenced amendments applicable to this section.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Food Authority contract in its own name?
Yes. Section 4(2) expressly gives it that corporate capacity.
Need help applying this provision to your situation?
Contact BizeneedLast updated 10 October 2026