Khyber Aquaculture Secures FSSAI approval

Khyber (K2) Aquaculture, which operates one of India’s largest integrated RAS-based Himalayan trout farming and processing facilities in Jammu & Kashmir, has secured its Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence at its facility at Chak Akhal Kangan, Ganderbal, Jammu & Kashmir, marking an important milestone in the company’s move towards premium retail and HoReca markets.

The licence covers the Manufacture, Trade & retail of fish and fish products, providing the regulatory foundation for Khyber Aquaculture to take forward processing/packaging/storage/distribution – as applicable of its Himalayan trout products. The company is now preparing to introduce packaged trout products for consumers while expanding its presence across retail, distribution and institutional channels.

Yunus Trumboo, Director at Khyber Aquaculture, said, “Securing our FSSAI licence is an important step as we move into the next phase of our business. We have invested in building the production and processing infrastructure needed to grow trout at scale. Our focus now is to bring our sustainably farmed, clean and biosecure trout closer to consumers. We will also use Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), which uses a carefully controlled mix of carbon dioxide and nitrogen to help keep the trout fresh for longer.”

For Khyber Aquaculture, the FSSAI licence marks more than a regulatory achievement. It brings together its integrated farm-to-consumer value chain - from hatchery and trout farming to processing, food safety, packaging, cold-chain management and retail - and creates a structured pathway to take Himalayan trout beyond traditional regional markets.

The development builds on Khyber Aquaculture’s investment in large-scale, technology-led trout production at Akhal, Kangan, Ganderbal, where its integrated facility brings together hatchery, grow-out, processing and packaging capabilities supported by Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology

With the licence now in place, Khyber Aquaculture is preparing to launch its initial range of products across fresh, chilled and frozen formats. The first range will include boneless skin-on portion cuts, Supreme Fillets and trout steaks. The portion cuts will feature thick, chunky pieces taken from larger fish, with packs designed to serve a traditional household family. The Supreme Fillets will cater to home cooks looking to prepare trout at home, while the steaks will offer another convenient cut for everyday cooking. These initial offerings will be followed by ready-to-cook curry cuts, sushi and sashimi products, among others, as the company expands its product range.

For the HoReCa segment, which includes hotels, restaurants and catering businesses, Khyber Aquaculture will offer larger packs suited to professional kitchens and bulk requirements. These will include a 3.2 kg pack of Supreme Fillets containing four pieces, designed to meet the needs of food-service businesses.

Khyber Himalayan Trout will be available in fresh, chilled forms to support freshness, safe handling, traceability, and consumer convenience. The products will have a chilled shelf life between 5 to 8 days and frozen shelf life of up to 12 months, *subject to prescribed storage and handling conditions.

Khyber’s processing facility has a current daily capacity of up to 10 tonnes, providing the infrastructure to support the packaged-product rollout and future market expansion.

The FSSAI milestone comes ahead of the opening of Khyber Aquaculture’s first branded retail store at Karan Nagar, Srinagar in J&K, which will offer all live/fresh/packaged chilled/frozen products.

“Consumers will also be able to select live trout and have it cleaned, cut and packed at the store”, stated Mr Trumboo.

“This gives us a strong foundation to expand our retail and distribution presence while maintaining the quality and standards at the heart of our business”, further added Mr Trumboo.

The facility currently has an annual production capacity of 1200 MT, with plans to scale to 7,000 MT.

Following the FSSAI milestone, Khyber Aquaculture plans to progressively expand across [J&K/Delhi-NCR/North India/Other Markets] distributors & Modern Retail /Horeca & e-Commerce Direct-to-Consumer channels.

“Our immediate priorities include the launch of packaged trout SKUs, opening of our first branded retail store and expansion of the cold-chain and distribution infrastructure required to take Himalayan trout to a wider consumer market. We are also working towards obtaining the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, which will be an important step in expanding our presence into global markets”, concluded Mr Trumboo.