A guar gum plant that exports food grade product should hold an IEC from DGFT, an FSSAI licence and a recognised food safety certificate such as FSSC 22000, ISO 22000 or BRCGS. Depending on your market and customers, you may also need halal, kosher, organic or pharma-related certificates.
Certificates show a system exists. They do not prove that your lot meets your spec, so treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee.
Basic registrations
These are covered in more detail in what APEDA is, and whether your supplier needs to be registered and what FSSAI is, and whether it matters for export.
- IEC (Importer Exporter Code) from DGFT: needed by any Indian exporter.
- FSSAI licence: needed for any business handling food grade product in India.
- APEDA registration (RCMC): guar gum is among the products associated with APEDA, so ask whether the exporter holds one and confirm the current position with APEDA.
- Factory and pollution control permissions: needed to operate, especially for plants making derivatives.
Food safety certificates
Most food manufacturers in the EU, UK and US expect a certificate recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), such as FSSC 22000 or BRCGS. ISO 22000 on its own is widely held but is not GFSI-recognised. HACCP is the base of all of these, and a plant should have a working HACCP plan regardless of the certificate.
Check the certificate's scope. It should name the site address and the products, such as "guar gum powder, food grade". A certificate that covers only a sister plant or only split processing does not cover your powder.
Other certificates buyers ask for
For organic rules, see how to source certified organic products from India.
- Halal and kosher: common for food ingredients sold widely.
- Organic: NPOP for India and the EU where accepted, or USDA NOP for the US.
- GMP for excipients: relevant for pharma grade.
- ISO 9001: a general quality system, useful for industrial grades.
- Non-GMO statements: guar grown in India is conventional, not genetically modified, but some buyers want a signed statement.
How to verify certificates
- Look up the certificate number on the certification body's or scheme owner's database.
- Check the expiry date and the latest audit grade or result.
- Confirm the site address matches the plant you visited.
- Ask for the last audit's non-conformities and how they were closed.
- Check that the in-house lab is calibrated and that results are verified by an outside lab.
What certificates cannot tell you
A certified plant can still ship a weak lot, mix in older stock or run out of your grade. Certificates cover systems on the audit day. Your protection on each order comes from a clear spec, independent testing and a check before loading. A site audit that looks past the certificates is worth doing before the first order.
How we help
We check every certificate against the issuing body's records and audit the plant against your requirements. You receive the audit findings and the real plant name. Ask for a free sourcing review.