Haryana FSO official syllabus guide
Haryana FSO syllabus 2026
HPSC announced the scheme and syllabus for the 45 Food Safety Officer (Group-B) posts under Advertisement No. 25/2026 on 14 October 2026. Selection has three stages: an objective Screening Test (only if there are many applicants) that tests general studies and Haryana GK, not food technology; a descriptive Subject Knowledge Test on the twelve units below; and an interview. Only the Subject Knowledge Test and the interview count in the final merit list.
Exam pattern and marking
- Screening Test on 6 December 2026 (held in case of a large number of applicants): 100 MCQs, 100 marks, 2 hours, English
- Each screening question has five options; the fifth option is for leaving the question un-attempted
- One-fourth mark deducted for each wrong answer, and also for a question where no option (not even the fifth) is darkened; not darkening any circle in more than 10% of questions disqualifies the candidate
- Screening qualifying mark 25%; four times the number of posts are shortlisted; screening marks are not counted in the final selection
- Screening Test syllabus: General Science; Current Events of National and International Importance; History of India; Indian and World Geography; Indian Culture, Indian Polity and Indian Economy; General Mental Ability (Reasoning and Analytical Abilities); Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, order of magnitude etc. - Class X level); Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. - Class X level); Haryana GK - History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Culture etc.
- Subject Knowledge Test on 31 January 2027: subjective (descriptive) paper, 150 marks, 3 hours, English; 35% needed to be called for interview; two times the number of posts are called
- Weightage: Subject Knowledge Test 87.5%, interview 12.5%; final merit = SKT + interview; presence in every stage is mandatory
Transcribed from HPSC's announcement dated 14.10.2026 (scanned PDF linked below). Unit IV of the official text says "India and Madhya Pradesh", as printed; check HPSC's website for any corrigendum.
Screening Test (general studies) and a descriptive Subject Knowledge Test on twelve food-safety units syllabus
Screening Test
9 topics- General Science
- Current Events of National and International Importance
- History of India
- Indian and World Geography
- Indian Culture, Indian Polity and Indian Economy
- General Mental Ability (Reasoning and Analytical Abilities)
- Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, order of magnitude etc. - Class X level)
- Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. - Class X level)
- Haryana GK - History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Culture etc.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit I: Food Chemistry and Constituents
3 topics- Composition, classification, structure and functional properties of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, water, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and naturally occurring food components.
- Food enzymes and their functions; physical chemistry of foods, including pH, acidity, buffers, water activity, colloids, emulsions and reactions affecting quality and shelf life.
- Anti-nutritional factors, natural toxicants and their reduction during food preparation and processing; chemical changes during cooking and storage.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit II: Human Nutrition and Public Health
4 topics- Digestion, absorption and metabolism of nutrients; balanced diet, dietary recommendations, energy needs and recommended dietary allowances.
- Assessment of nutritional status; interpretation and basic calculations for BMI, BMR, biological value, net protein utilization and protein efficiency ratio.
- Macro- and micronutrient deficiencies, malnutrition, food fortification and diet-related non-communicable disease risk; traditional foods and dietary diversity.
- Major nutrition and food-security programmes in India, with names and provisions current at the examination cut-off date.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit III: Food Microbiology
4 topics- Food-relevant microorganisms: classification, morphology, physiology, growth and survival; sources in raw materials, water, air, equipment and handlers.
- Foodborne pathogens, infections, intoxications and toxins; microbial spoilage of major food groups; indicators of microbiological quality.
- Beneficial microorganisms in food fermentation and their relevance to processing and human nutrition.
- Principles of microbiological examination, culture and enumeration, including standard plate count and indicator-organism tests; interpretation of results.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit IV: Primary Production and Food Supply
4 topics- Traditional and modern farming systems in India and Madhya Pradesh (as printed in the HPSC syllabus); cereals, pulses, oilseeds, millets, horticultural crops, spices and integrated farming.
- Dairy, meat-animal, poultry, fishery, aquaculture and apiculture production; farm-based livelihoods and supply chains.
- Good agricultural and animal husbandry practices; water and soil quality, manure, veterinary medicines, pesticide use, harvesting and post-harvest handling.
- Sustainability, pest management, storage and transport at primary-production level; relevant support roles of ICAR, KVKs, agricultural universities and NABARD.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit V: Food Commodities and Product Technology
3 topics- Composition, quality attributes and processing of milk and milk products; meat, poultry, fish and eggs; hygienic handling and characteristic spoilage.
- Quality and processing of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, fruits, vegetables, spices and beverages; selected traditional and regional products.
- Product-specific identity and quality parameters; common adulterants and authenticity concerns across commodity groups.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit VI: Preservation, Processing, Packaging and Storage
4 topics- Principles and applications of thermal processing, pasteurization, sterilization, concentration, canning, dehydration, chilling, freezing, irradiation, fermentation and aseptic processing.
- Novel and emerging methods: high-pressure processing, membrane separation, pulsed electric fields, cold plasma, microwave, ohmic, dielectric, infrared and induction heating; process limitations and safety implications.
- Hurdle technology, enzymes as processing aids, food additives and their technological functions; nutraceuticals and functional foods.
- Packaging materials, food-contact safety and migration, packaging methods and novel materials; package integrity, shelf life, cold chain and storage controls.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit VII: Food Hazards, Hygiene and Safety Management
4 topics- Biological, chemical, physical and allergen hazards; contaminants, residues, adulterants and food fraud; exposure, health effects and basic risk-analysis concepts.
- Hygiene in food establishments: contamination routes, potable water, cleaning and sanitation, waste and pest control, personnel hygiene and allergen management.
- FSSAI Schedule 4, prerequisite programmes, GMP, GHP, GAP, GLP and good aquaculture/animal production practices, as relevant; HACCP principles and application.
- Food safety management systems and ISO 22000:2018; monitoring, corrective action, verification, validation, documentation, traceability and recall.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit VIII: Food Sampling, Analysis and Laboratory Quality
5 topics- Field and laboratory sampling plans; representative sampling and basic statistical concepts; sample preparation, preservation, transport, chain of custody and records.
- Classical chemical and physical methods; spectroscopic, chromatographic and mass-spectrometric techniques; immunological, molecular and microbiological methods and instrumentation.
- Method selection, validation and verification; calibration, reference materials, internal quality control, proficiency testing, measurement uncertainty and interpretation against specifications.
- Screening versus confirmatory analysis; FSSAI Rapid Analytical Food Testing (RAFT) kits, equipment and methods for screening and surveillance, including their limitations.
- Food testing laboratory ecosystem, FSSAI methods of analysis, laboratory recognition and the principles of accreditation, including ISO/IEC 17025.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit IX: Indian Food Law and Regulatory Compliance
4 topics- Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006: definitions, authorities, powers, responsibilities, key provisions, offences and penalties; Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011.
- Applicable FSS regulations and amendments: licensing and registration, product standards and additives, contaminants/toxins/residues, packaging, labelling and display, advertising and claims, imports, organic foods, nutraceuticals and other relevant categories.
- Food Safety Officer practice: inspection, risk-based surveillance, sampling and seizure procedures, documentation, referrals to Food Analysts, non-compliance, recall, complaints and foodborne-incident response.
- Roles of Food Safety Officer, Designated Officer, Food Analyst, Commissioner of Food Safety and other competent authorities; enforcement processes and appeals at overview level.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit X: FSSAI Systems, Institutions and Initiatives
4 topics- Genesis, structure and functions of FSSAI and State Food Authorities; standard setting, enforcement, imports, laboratory networks and third-party food safety audits.
- Training and capacity building; food business guidance, consumer education and social or behavioural change programmes.
- Overview of Eat Right India, food fortification, Clean Street Food Hubs, Safe and Nutritious Food and Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO), subject to current programme status.
- Roles of relevant Indian institutions and bodies, including BIS, AGMARK, APEDA, EIC, MPEDA, Spices Board, CFTRI, NIFTEM, ICAR, ICMR and DFRL.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit XI: International Food Control and Standards
3 topics- Codex Alimentarius Commission: purpose, standard setting, committees and the scientific advisory roles of JECFA, JEMRA and JMPR.
- WTO sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT) agreements; overview of international food-control systems.
- Principles and roles of national and international standards, certification, auditing and accreditation bodies; distinction between voluntary standards and legal requirements.
Subject Knowledge Test, Unit XII: Food Biotechnology and Emerging Developments
4 topics- Principles of biotechnology; fermentation, industrial bioprocessing, enzyme production and immobilization, downstream processing and applications in foods and food testing.
- Basic genetic engineering and molecular detection principles; genetically modified foods and applicable biosafety and regulatory considerations.
- Emerging food-safety hazards, rapid diagnostics and new processing approaches; recent FSSAI regulations, standards, initiatives, government schemes and public-health or nutrition developments.
- Identify official sources, notification and effective dates; distinguish binding requirements from drafts, advisories and proposals at the examination cut-off date.
Source: HPSC announcement: scheme, pattern and syllabus (14.10.2026), PDF ↗. Source: Same document on hpsc.gov.in ↗. Source: HPSC notification (Advt. 25/2026) ↗. Checked 2026-10-16.
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