Veg marks, allergens and FSSAI rules for digital menus

Who has to follow the menu display rules?

The menu display rules (in force since 1 January 2022) cover food service businesses that hold a central FSSAI licence or that run outlets at ten or more locations, along with e-commerce platforms selling their food. Temporary stalls running fewer than 60 days a year are exempt.

A single café or restaurant with a state licence or registration isn't covered by the calorie rule, but showing veg marks and allergens is still good practice and avoids arguments at the table. This guide is a plain summary, not legal advice: check the current FSSAI text or ask your food safety officer for your own case.

What the veg and non-veg marks look like

FSSAI's marks are the same ones printed on packaged food:

• Vegetarian: a green-outlined square with a filled green circle inside.
• Non-vegetarian: a brown-outlined square with a filled brown triangle inside. The older brown circle is no longer used.
• Under FSSAI's definitions, food containing egg counts as non-vegetarian, even though many menus also show a separate egg mark for customers who eat eggs but not meat.

What covered businesses must show on the menu

For businesses the rules cover, each dish on the menu card, board or digital menu needs:

• The calorie value in kcal per serving, and the serving size.
• Allergen information where the dish contains common allergens such as gluten, nuts, milk, soy, eggs, fish or crustaceans.
• The veg or non-veg mark.
• A line telling customers that an average adult needs about 2,000 kcal a day, and that fuller nutrition information is available on request.

How to add these to a digital menu

On a digital menu the marks are easier to keep right than on paper, because you change them in one place. On Tapmore, each item has a food type (veg, non-veg or egg), allergen tags, dietary tags such as vegan or gluten-free, and an optional calorie figure. Customers can hide dishes with an allergen they avoid, which a printed menu can't do.

Whatever tool you use, check three things after setting it up: every dish has a mark, the allergen list matches what the kitchen actually uses, and new dishes get marked on the day they're added.

Good practice even when the rules don't apply

Small places that do these well get fewer awkward questions and more repeat customers:

1. Mark every dish veg or non-veg, including drinks and desserts that contain gelatin or egg.
2. List allergens for anything with nuts, dairy or gluten, the three most asked about.
3. Tell staff where the information is, so they don't guess.
4. Change the menu the day a recipe changes, not at the next reprint.