In 1947, the Central Government founded the Indian Standard Institute or ISI. Its main purpose was to maintain and standardize the quality of different products. In 1986, the ISI was renamed as the Bureau of Indian Standards (External website that opens in a new window) or BIS. This bureau certifies products for domestic consumer consumption with an ‘ISI’ mark. BIS has a list of products that affect the health and safety of consumers or are products of mass consumption. These products include items such as packaged water, milk powder, vegetable oils, cement, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders and food colouring. Indian importers and foreign manufacturers of such products are also permitted to use an ISI mark provided their product passes the certification test. View list of Indian standards under mandatory certification (External website that opens in a new window).
Only agricultural products may apply for the ‘Agmark’ certification. The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (External website that opens in a new window) gives this mark to products that pass the grading and certification tests. Agmark is used for agri products that need to be exported as well as for domestic trade. There are varied grading standards for different agricultural commodities like wheat, paddy, pulses, cereals, vegetable oils, fruits, vegetables, noodles, fibre crops, animal products and spices. Products that are certified with an ISI Mark or an Agmark are considered to be of a good quality and standard. More details on grading standa