FSSAI
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (full text)
The core food law behind every CFSO, TO and Food Analyst law paper.
Exam resources
Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer
The Kerala Public Service Commission recruits Food Safety Officers for the Commissionerate of Food Safety through an OMR test of 100 questions on food technology, food safety law and general topics.
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Syllabus-aligned Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer notes, solved questions and practice sets. Preview 20 pages free.
Kerala PSC FSO — Part I: Food TechnologyPart I274 pages
Kerala PSC FSO — Part II: Dairy TechnologyPart II90 pages
Kerala PSC FSO — Part III: Veterinary Sciences: Meat, Fish and EggPart III118 pages
Kerala PSC FSO — Part IV: Nutritional Biochemistry and Food AnalysisPart IV212 pages
Kerala PSC FSO — Part V: Food Microbiology, Biotechnology and Public HealthPart V309 pages
Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer is a direct-recruitment post in the Kerala Food Safety Department, filled through the Kerala Public Service Commission. In the 006/2024 cycle selection was an objective OMR test (held 18 January 2025), a short list for interview, and a ranked list; the test carries the syllabus total of 100 marks.
- Conducted by
- Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC), Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala PSC website (opens on the official site)
Notification, Cat. No. 006/2024 (Food Safety Officer) (opens on the official site)
Detailed syllabus, Cat. No. 006/2024 (opens on the official site)
Short List No. 127/2025/ERXIII (opens on the official site)
Ranked List No. 941/2025/SS VII (opens on the official site)
Who can apply
For the 006/2024 notification the post needed a degree in a food-related or allied discipline and an age of 18 to 36 with the usual relaxations. No application fee was charged in that notification.
- Qualification in the 006/2024 notification: a degree in Food Technology, Dairy Technology, Biotechnology, Oil Technology, Agricultural Science, Veterinary Sciences, Biochemistry or Microbiology, or a Masters degree in Chemistry, or a degree in Medicine, from a university recognised by any university in Kerala, or an equivalent qualification.
- Selected candidates must complete training specified by the Food Authority at an approved institute during probation; probation is two years on duty within a continuous period of three years (006/2024).
- Age limit in the 006/2024 notification: 18-36, only candidates born between 02.01.1988 and 01.01.2006 (both included); SC/ST and Other Backward Communities get the usual relaxation as per the Gazette general conditions.
- Pay scale in the 006/2024 notification was Rs 39,300-83,000; vacancies were stated as anticipatory, and 3% of vacancies are reserved for differently abled candidates.
- The 006/2024 notification states that no application fee is required; applications are online only through One Time Registration on the KPSC website. Qualification, age and fee are set afresh in every notification, so check the current one.
- For comparison, the earlier Cat. No. 499/2019 notification (2020 cycle) listed the same qualifications, age 18-36 for those born 02.01.1983 to 01.01.2001, and pay Rs 27,800-59,400.
A summary. Confirm the details in the current notice.
Source: KPSC notification Cat. No. 006/2024 (Food Safety Officer) ↗. Source: KPSC notification Cat. No. 499/2019 (earlier cycle) ↗. Checked 2026-10-02.
Based on past papers, not an official scheme. Confirm in the current notice.
Every section is compulsory, with no choice between them, and the paper is timed at 90 minutes.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Safety & Food Science | 93 | 93 | Compulsory |
| Paper total | — | 93 |
Official syllabus total is 100 marks in five parts of 20; the single bank 'fso' on this site holds the paper's questions (93 in 2025). Negative marking on the site's papers is 1/3.
Marking scheme
+1 for a correct answer, −1/3 for a wrong answer; unanswered questions lose nothing. An unanswered question scores zero. Our mocks for this exam are scored the same way.
From KPSC Cat. No. 006/2024 (OMR test 18 January 2025). The short list gives no category-wise cut-offs: it admits the top scorers into a main list plus supplementary lists for reservation. Ranked List 941/2025/SS VII (in force from 19.11.2025) shows test marks, interview marks and total per candidate; maximum interview marks are not stated, and the syllabus total for the test is 100.
| Year | Stage | OMR test mark | Test | Total | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Short list for interview, last candidate in the Main List (63 in Main List; 161 in the short list overall) | 48.33 | — | — | Kerala PSC Short List 127/2025/ERXIII (006/2024) ↗ |
| 2025 | Ranked List 941/2025/SS VII, rank 1 (Main List of 62) | — | 58.33 | 70.33 | Kerala PSC Ranked List 941/2025/SS VII (006/2024) ↗ |
| 2025 | Ranked List 941/2025/SS VII, rank 62 (last of Main List) | — | 48.33 | 59.33 | Kerala PSC Ranked List 941/2025/SS VII (006/2024) ↗ |
Compared across past papers. Not an official announcement.
| Change | Compared papers | Before | After | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer 2022 (Special Recruitment) → Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer 2025 | 100 q 100 marks 90 min 1 section | 93 q 93 marks 90 min 1 section |
Questions
100 → 93
Marks
100 → 93
Section split
Food Safety & Food Science 100q → 93q
|
| 2022 | Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer 2020 → Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer 2022 (Special Recruitment) | 98 q 98 marks 75 min 1 section | 100 q 100 marks 90 min 1 section |
Questions
98 → 100
Duration
75 → 90 min
Marks
98 → 100
Section split
Food Safety & Food Science 98q → 100q
|
| 2020 | Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer 2015 → Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer 2020 | 100 q 100 marks 75 min 1 section | 98 q 98 marks 75 min 1 section |
Questions
100 → 98
Marks
100 → 98
Section split
Food Safety & Food Science 100q → 98q
|
Free PDFs and recommended books for Kerala PSC FSO. How we choose
Free PDFs
12 free PDFsFood safety & law
FSSAI
Manual for Food Safety Officers — A Ready Reckoner
FSSAI's own handbook of a Food Safety Officer's hygiene and enforcement duties.
FSSAI
Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Spices and Condiments
Official methods for spice quality and adulterant detection.
FSSAI
Compendium — Food Additives Regulations (December 2022)
Consolidated legal limits for additives by food category.
Food microbiology
OpenStax · Rice University
Microbiology (OpenStax)
A complete, peer-reviewed university microbiology textbook.
NCERT
Class 12 Biology — Microbes in Human Welfare
Microbes in curd, cheese, bread and fermentation.
NCERT
Class 8 Science — Microorganisms: Friend and Foe
Food spoilage, preservation and pathogens at a very basic level.
Processing & preservation
FSSAI
Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods — Cereal and Cereal Products (2022)
Official analytical methods for cereals and flours.
FSSAI · FoSTaC
FoSTaC Manual — Special (Level 2), Bakery
Bakery process hygiene and hazards as FSSAI sets them out.
NCERT
Class 12 Human Ecology & Family Sciences — Food Processing and Technology
A plain-language overview of preservation and processing.
NIOS
Home Science (321), Lesson 9 — Food Preservation
Household and basic industrial preservation principles.
Nutrition
ICMR-NIN
Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024, 2nd edition)
India's official diet, RDA and My Plate guidance.
Official and open resources
9 resourcesOfficial syllabus
KPSC detailed syllabus for Food Safety Officer (006/2024)
The five-part, 100-mark syllabus the paper is set from.
Official law
Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (English)
The parent law; FSO and CFSO papers test its sections, offences and penalties.
Official law
Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011 (compendium, Version I, 01.04.2025)
Rule 2.1.3 sets the FSO qualification and duties.
Official law
FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011 (compendium)
Covers the registration and licence thresholds.
Official law
FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011
Commodity standards and additive limits.
Official law
FSS (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011
Limits for metals, mycotoxins, pesticide residues and antibiotics.
Official law
FSS (Laboratory and Sample Analysis) Regulations, 2011
Sampling and laboratory procedure, needed for Food Analyst and FSO duties.
Official law
FSS (Packaging) Regulations, 2018 (compendium, 02.04.2025)
Food-contact material rules and packaging requirements.
Official law
FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 (compendium, Version VIII, 09.09.2025)
Current labelling, nutrition-information and front-of-pack display rules.
Exam-specific preparation
1 resourceMCQ practice
Objective Food Science and Safety Standards
Objective-style practice for food safety, standards.
Reading suggestion
Core food technology
4 resourcesCore food technology
Textbook of Food Science and Technology (ICAR)
Indian food technology baseline for processing, preservation, chemistry.
Reading suggestion
Core food technology
Food Science by B. Srilakshmi
Useful for food chemistry, nutrition, preservation.
Reading suggestion
Microbiology
Food Microbiology by M. R. Adams and M. O. Moss
Strong reference for spoilage, pathogens, fermentation.
Reading suggestion
Food engineering
Food Process Engineering and Technology by Zeki Berk
Good engineering reference for heat transfer, dehydration, freezing.
Reading suggestion
Aptitude and general studies
2 resourcesAptitude
Quantitative Aptitude by R. S. Aggarwal
Useful for arithmetic, reasoning-adjacent quantitative practice in recruitment papers.
Reading suggestion
General studies
Lucent General Knowledge
Compact static GK reference for state FSO, FCI.
Reading suggestion
Full topic list and section weightage Kerala PSC FSO syllabus and exam pattern
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Tests for this exam
4 results
- Previous year paper 2025 Free Full paper 93Marks 90 minDuration Free Start test
- Previous year paper 2022 Free Kerala PSC Food Safety Officer 2022 (Special Recruitment) 100Marks 90 minDuration Free Start test
- Previous year paper 2020 Free Full paper 98Marks 75 minDuration Free Start test
- Previous year paper 2015 Free Full paper 100Marks 75 minDuration Free Start test