HPSC Food Safety Officer Recruitment 2026: 45 FSO Group-B Posts, Advt 25/2026, Apply by 19 October

The Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) has published Advertisement No. 25/2026 for 45 posts of Food Safety Officer (Group-B) in the Food and Drugs Administration Department, Haryana. The post is at pay level FPL-6, starting at Rs 35,400. Graduates in food technology, agriculture, dairy, biotechnology, chemistry, microbiology, veterinary science or medicine can apply. Online applications run from 28 September to 19 October 2026, 5:00 PM.

HPSC Food Safety Officer 2026 at a glance

Important dates

Every certificate you rely on, including caste, EWS, domicile and experience certificates, must be issued on or before 19 October 2026. A certificate dated after the closing date will not be accepted.

Category-wise vacancies

One SC post is a shortfall carried over from earlier recruitment. The number of posts can rise or fall as the Government needs. Under a Government letter of 17 July 2026, only low vision candidates are eligible for the one post reserved for visually impaired candidates.

Eligibility and qualification

You need a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree from a recognised university in one of these groups:

• Food Technology disciplines: Food Engineering, Food Engineering and Technology, Food Processing and Preservation, Food Processing Technology, Food Technology and Management, Food Biotechnology, Food Plant Operations Management, Food Process Engineering and Management, Food Processing, Food Safety and Quality Management, Process and Food Engineering.
• Dairy Technology, Biotechnology or Oil Technology.
• Agricultural Science disciplines: Agriculture, Agriculture Engineering, Biotechnology, Dairy Technology, Fisheries, Food Technology, Food Nutrition and Dietetics, Horticulture.
• Veterinary Sciences, Bio-Chemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry or medicine.
• A medical degree: MBBS, BDS, BHMS, BUMS, BSMS (Siddha), BAMS or Bachelor of Sowa Rigpa Medicine and Surgery, or another equivalent qualification notified by the Food Authority with Central Government approval.

Two more conditions apply:

• Hindi or Sanskrit as a subject in Matric, or Hindi as a subject in higher education.
• Training prescribed by the Food Authority. This is given after appointment. Only those who complete it are notified as Food Safety Officers.

Under the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011, a person with any financial interest in the manufacture, import or sale of food cannot be appointed. Equivalent qualifications are considered only if the Service Rules list them.

Pay scale

The advertisement gives the pay as Pay Band 9300-34800 with Grade Pay 4200, at Haryana pay level FPL-6, Cell-I, which is Rs 35,400 a month at entry. It is a Group-B post in the Food and Drugs Administration Department.

Age limit and relaxation

You must be between 18 and 42 years old on 19 October 2026. Relaxation under the Government instructions of 25 March 2022:

No one except ex-servicemen can go above 52 years after adding relaxations. The relaxation for DSC, OSC, BC-A, BC-B and ESM candidates applies only where posts are reserved for that category, and only for residents of Haryana.

Application fee

Pay online by net banking, debit card or credit card by 5:00 PM on 19 October 2026. The fee is not refunded or carried to another exam.

Selection process: screening, Subject Knowledge Test and interview

HPSC generally uses three stages: a Screening Test, then a Subject Knowledge Test, then an interview. The Commission may skip the Screening Test and go straight to the Subject Knowledge Test and interview. If applications are very large, it may also shortlist by:

• percentage of marks in the minimum qualification;
• marks across different qualifications, with weightage it decides;
• desirable or higher qualifications, or more experience than the minimum;
• a Screening Test or Subject Knowledge Test.

So list every qualification you hold, including higher degrees, in the form.

Exam pattern and OMR rules

The advertisement does not give a syllabus or a marks split for this post. What it does fix is how the tests are handled:

• A Screening Test, if held, is on OMR sheets. If you do not darken the circles for your name, roll number and booklet series correctly, the sheet is rejected automatically, because there is no manual checking.
• No request for re-checking or manual checking of OMR sheets is accepted.
• Answer sheets of the Subject Knowledge Test are not re-evaluated.
• The e-Admit Card is issued on the HPSC website before the test, in the category you chose in the form. The category cannot be changed later.

Nationality

A candidate must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 to settle permanently, or a person of Indian origin who migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka or the listed East African countries and Vietnam to settle in India. Everyone except Indian citizens needs a certificate of eligibility from the Government of India.

Reservation and domicile

• Reservation for DSC, OSC, BC-A, BC-B, EWS and PwBD is only for residents or domiciles of Haryana. Others apply as General.
• BC-A and BC-B candidates in the creamy layer must apply as General.
• SC candidates must upload the latest DSC or OSC certificate issued under the notification of 13 November 2024.
• Children and grandchildren of freedom fighters of Haryana can get the 2% benefit only if ex-servicemen or BC posts stay unfilled at the final stage.

How to apply

1. Register on the HPSC recruitment portal with your mobile number. A URN is created after registration.
2. Log in and fill the application for Advertisement No. 25/2026, listing all your qualifications.
3. Upload your photo, signature, degrees and marksheets, and the certificates listed below.
4. Pay the fee online by 5:00 PM on 19 October 2026.
5. Print the filled form, check it, sign it and upload the signed copy. A form without the signed copy is treated as incomplete and rejected.

Keep your Aadhaar number or Virtual ID ready; it is used for biometric attendance at the exam. Nothing can be changed after the form is submitted. Technical help: 1800-1800-431, 10:00 to 16:00 on working days.

Documents to upload

• Photograph and signature.
• Degrees and marksheets of your qualifications.
• DSC or OSC certificate; BC-A or BC-B non-creamy layer certificate for 2025-26; EWS certificate valid for 2026-27.
• Dependent of ex-servicemen certificate for 2026-27, ESM or DFF certificate, or NOC for serving army personnel.
• PwBD certificate, and disability certificate for disabled ex-servicemen.
• Photo ID: Aadhaar, driving licence, PAN, passport or voter card.
• Haryana resident or domicile certificate if claiming reservation.
• Experience certificate, NOC from your department if you are a bonded Haryana Government employee, and proof of contract or daily wage work if claiming that relaxation.

Points to check before you apply

• Your degree must be in a listed discipline. A general B.Sc in botany or zoology is not listed; Chemistry, Microbiology and Bio-Chemistry are.
• Hindi or Sanskrit in Matric (or Hindi in higher education) is compulsory.
• Reservation is for Haryana domiciles only.
• Upload the signed form after paying, or the application is rejected.
• Certificates must be dated on or before 19 October 2026.

Official links

• HPSC Advertisement No. 25/2026, Food Safety Officer (PDF)
• HPSC online application portal
• HPSC official website

Frequently asked questions

How many Food Safety Officer posts are there in HPSC 2026?

45 posts: 22 unreserved, 5 each for DSC, OSC, BC-A and EWS, and 3 for BC-B, with 2 for ex-servicemen and 2 for PwD included.

Can a BAMS or BHMS graduate apply?

Yes. The advertisement accepts MBBS, BDS, BHMS, BUMS, BSMS, BAMS and Sowa Rigpa degrees.

What is the fee for a candidate from another state?

Rs 1000, and such candidates cannot claim Haryana reservation.

Is there an exam?

HPSC may hold a Screening Test and a Subject Knowledge Test followed by an interview, or go directly to the Subject Knowledge Test and interview.