New Delhi: Even as the government has started scaling back its quality control orders to improve compliance costs, it has announced a new order — this time on aluminum cookware and beverage cans.
Wrought aluminum cookware and aluminum beverage cans will now require mandatory certification and use by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS label) for listed products under the Food and Beverage Quality Control Order 2026, announced by the Ministry of Industry Promotion and Internal Trade on Friday, which replaces the 2025 order. The phase-in is extended to April 2027 for micro-enterprises.
QCOs apply to goods imported into India for the domestic market to ensure they meet quality standards. However, the government has withdrawn around 50 QCOs in the last two months on the recommendation of the NITI Aayog committee chaired by former cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba. The Center is withdrawing QCOs announced over the past several years in response to industry concerns about overlapping regulations, compliance readiness, and implementation costs. India now has 712 quality control orders (QCOs), compared to a peak of 761.
Narrower focus
“The aluminum tableware and beverage can order fits into this narrower focus on products with direct impacts on consumer health and safety, even as the broader QCO framework undergoes review and consolidation,” said Jaijit Bhattacharya, founder and president of the Center for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP), a policy think tank.
According to the latest aluminum cookware regulation, non-micro and small businesses will have to comply from October 1, 2026, while small businesses will be given time until January 1, 2027 and micro businesses until April 1, 2027. Both domestic manufacturers and importers will be covered, although goods made in India exclusively for export have been exempted from the requirements.
The notification also provides a six-month sales window for existing stocks manufactured or imported prior to the relevant implementation dates, based on a declaration verified by a chartered accountant and submitted to the Bureau of Indian Standards. Imported products already filled with solid, liquid or gaseous material have been left out of the scope of the order, while manufacturers will be allowed to import up to 200 units per year for research and development purposes, provided such goods are not sold commercially and are disposed of as scrap.
Automatically applicable
Applicable standards include IS 1660:2024 for wrought aluminum tableware and IS 14407:2023 for aluminum beverage cans, with the latest versions and changes notified by BIS being automatically applied. BIS will act as both the certifying and enforcement authority under the order, the notification said.
Imports of products under the aluminum QCo rose to $66.65 million in FY25 from $57.28 million in FY24, according to Commerce Department data. Products were mainly imported from Great Britain, United Arab Emirates, China, Thailand, USA and Sri Lanka, among others.
The order will affect domestic producers, MSMEs and importers of aluminum tableware and beverage cans who have to meet BIS standards. Consumers are expected to benefit from improved product quality while exporters are exempted. Testing labs and certification bodies may see higher demand as businesses strive to stay compliant.
