Structured Biiz

FSSAI LICENSE

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the authority that has been established under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 which consolidates various acts & orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments. FSSAI has been created for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

Who are required to obtain the license?

  • Every food business operator (‘FBO’) involved in the manufacturing, processing, sale, storage and distribution of food products must compulsorily obtain FSSAI Registration or License. FSSAI License or FSSAI Registration is required to be obtained depending on the nature and size of the business.
  • It is a 14-digit numeric registration or a license number that is required to be printed on all the food packages. This registration procedure is aimed to maintain the quality of the food products by creating more answerability on the FBO.

What are different types of registration?

Basic FSSAI Registration

State FSSAI License

Central FSSAI License

This type of Registration is mandatory for the petty food business operators. It is commonly known as the Basic FSSAI License. It is for the business whose turnover does not exceed the limit of INR 12 lac per annum. People who come under this category are almost the petty retailer, itinerant vendors, hawkers, or temporary stallholders.

This license is mandatory for the food Business with annual turnover between INR 12 Lac and INR 20 Crore (INR 30 crores in some business) per annum. The turnover limit is the same for an FSSAI State Manufacturing license or FSSAI State trading license.

  • Central FSSAI license is mandatory for the food business whose annual turnover is above INR 20 Crore in Case of trading or manufacturing or storage beyond certain limited as specified by the laws.
  • Note that certain business forms are required to mandatorily obtain central license irrespective of their turnover (i.e. an e-commerce operator, an exporter).

FSSAI Packaging & Labelling Rules

  • Every FBO shall be responsible to follow the packaging and labelling as per the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and labelling) Regulations, 2011;
  • The packaging and labelling of the goods depends on the type of goods in which a FBO deals in.

Some of the important declarations that needs to be declared by the FBO on every products are mentioned below:

  • Every FBO shall be liable to disclose the declaration regarding the food additives, if any, used in the goods sold by the FBO (For e.g. a declaration that the product ‘CONTAINS PERMITTED NATURAL COLOUR’ or a declaration that the product ‘CONTAINS ADDED FLAVOUR’);
  • The packed products must have name and complete address of the packing or bottling unit;
  • The packed products must declare net quantity by weight or volume or number, as the case may be;
  • The month and year in capital letters up to which the product is best for consumption, in the following manner, namely:
    “BEST BEFORE ....... MONTHS AND YEAR” OR
    “BEST BEFORE .......... MONTHS FROM PACKAGING” OR
    “BEST BEFORE ............MONTHS FROM MANUFACTURE”

Consequence of non-compliance with the regulations

  • Any licensed or registered person needs to adhere to the rules and regulations under the FSS Act, 2006. Food safety officer inspects the food business operator’s facility and identifies the level of compliance with the regulation using a checklist;
  • The food safety officer marks it as: 1. Compliance (C) 2. Non-compliance (NC) 3. Partial compliance (PC) 4. Not applicable/Not observed (NA);
  • Based on the above, the food safety officer (FSO) might issue an improvement notice as per Sec 32 of the FSS Act, 2006. If the business operator fails to comply with the improvement notice, the officer after allowing the licensee to show cause may cancel his license;
  • The penalty for failure to obtain FSSAI license may extend up to INR 5 lakhs and the FBO may also be liable for prosecution;
  • The penalty for selling sub-standard quality of food items may be charged for an amount up to INR 5 lakhs;
  • The penalty for selling misbranded goods may extend up to INR 3 lakhs;
  • In case, where death occurs due to consumption of the food item provided by FBO, the fine may extend to INR 5 lakhs along with imprisonment.

Validity and Renewal Period

  • The food license allotted has a validity of one year and can be increased to a maximum of 5 years by the food regulatory body;
  • The moment license validity gets expired the FBO becomes liable for a FSSAI license renewal. The FSSAI renewal system should be taken into the account as soon as possible to avoid penalties;
  • FSSAI has allotted the guideline that in 30 days and before the expiry of the licence the food safety registration has to get renewed.

Services Offered

FSSAI License Basic 1 Year - Rs. 1,999/-

Inclusive of GST. & Govt Fee.

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FSSAI License State 1 Year - Rs. 3,999/-

Inclusive of GST. Govt Fee of Rs. 2,000-5,000 will be collected later depending upon the license.

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FSSAI License Central 1 Year - Rs. 4,999/-

Inclusive of GST. Govt Fee of Rs. 7,500 will be collected later..

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Other Services Offered

  • Guidance in selecting the accurate type of food license;
  • Representation before the authorities in case of any queries/ show cause notice received by the client.