FSSAI announces metallic pins ban targeting hidden injury risks in sweet boxes, cake packaging

INDIA – The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has directed all food business operators to immediately stop using metallic pins, staple pins and wires in food packaging following reports of a three-year-old child in Maharashtra swallowing a metal wire from a decorative cake topper.

The regulator’s advisory covers cake boxes, sweet boxes, snack pouches, takeaway food parcels and decorative cakes where metallic fasteners are commonly used. 

Failure to comply will attract penal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and applicable regulations. 

The directive, issued with the approval of the competent authority and signed by Dr Amit Sharma, Executive Director of Compliance Strategy at FSSAI, strengthens India’s food packaging safety framework by eliminating physical contamination hazards from packaging materials. 

Why Decorative Cake Pins and Wire Fasteners Posed a Serious Food Safety Hazard*

FSSAI noted that multiple cases had been reported in which metallic or staple pins were found embedded in or attached to cakes and food packages, describing this as a serious food safety hazard. 

The regulator said there is a clear possibility that consumers could accidentally swallow such pins, leading to injury and other adverse health effects. 

The use of metallic fasteners is particularly prevalent in decorative cakes where pins hold structural elements, and in sweet boxes where wires secure packaging during transport. 

The directive states that all food business operators must discontinue the use of metallic pins, wires or any similar materials for sealing, fastening, securing or packaging any food item, bakery product, takeaway meal, snack packet or food parcel. 

The incident that triggered the advisory involved a child who reportedly swallowed pieces of metal wire hidden inside decorative cake toppers.

What FSSAI’s Packaging Crackdown Means for Confectionery and Takeaway Packaging

The metallic pins ban follows FSSAI’s recent advisory directing stakeholders to discontinue using newspapers for food packaging and serving, as printing inks contain harmful colours, pigments and heavy metals including lead that can leach into food. 

In 2025, the regulator proposed banning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and bisphenol A in food contact materials, with the draft amendment scheduled to take effect on 10 December 2025, sixty days after publication in the Indian Gazette. 

The authority has also taken action against 15 food businesses for misleading consumers regarding brand names and product claims. 

FSSAI continues working with state authorities to monitor and enforce provisions under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, reinforcing the government’s commitment to food safety and consumer protection in the Food and Beverage sector.

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