FPO mark

{{Short description|Indian processed food certification mark}}

{{Infobox certification mark

| name = FPO mark

| expansion = Fruit products order

| image = FPO mark3.jpg

| agency = Ministry of Food Processing Industries (India)

| region = India

| founded = {{start date|1955}}

| products = Processed fruit products

| legalstatus = Mandatory

| mandatorysince = 2006

| homepage =

}}

The FPO mark is a certification mark mandatory on all processed fruit products sold in India such as packaged fruit beverages, fruit-jams, squashes, pickles, dehydrated fruit products, and fruit extracts, following the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.[http://www.nios.ac.in/Secbuscour/26.pdf National Institute of Open Schooling. 'Wise Buying.'] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011190438/http://www.nios.ac.in/Secbuscour/26.pdf |date=October 11, 2010 }}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=FPO mark|url=https://fullforms.com/FPO/Fruit-Products-Order/7255|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=}} The FPO mark guarantees that the product was manufactured in a hygienic 'food-safe' environment, thus ensuring that the product is fit for consumption.

The standards have been in force since 1955 by the law of Fruit Products Order, after which the mark is named,[http://mofpi.nic.in/ContentPage.aspx?CategoryId=147 Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Official web site.][http://www.financialexpress.com/news/now-you-can-get-fpo-licence-online/81824/ Financial Express. 'Now You Can Get FPO Licence Online.'] but the mark itself got a mandatory status only after the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.[http://www.creatindia.org/consumer-education-4.pdf CreatIndia.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813005718/http://www.creatindia.org/consumer-education-4.pdf |date=2012-08-13 }} A FPO license is, in fact, necessary to start a fruit processing industry in India.{{cite web|title=Food laws and Regulations|url=http://mofpi.nic.in/ContentPage.aspx?CategoryId=147}} The agency that develops standards for this purpose and that which issues the mark is the Ministry of Food Processing Industries of the Government of India.