Register your food business today , and serve food with love!
As per Section 31(1) & 31(2) of FSS Act, 2006 every Food Business Operator in the country is required to be licensed/registered under the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India. The licensing and registration procedure and requirements are regulated by Food Safety & Standards (Licensing and Registration of food Business) Regulations, 2011. Registration is meant for small food manufacturers that includes small retailer, hawker, itinerant vendor or a temporary stall holder or small or cottage scale industry having annual turnover up to 12 lacs. All food businesses having income more than this limit are required to take a licence.
What is FSSAI licence?
The FSSAI/FOOD Licence is an organisational body tasked with ensuring food safety in India. The FSSAI registration was created at the central level, to ensure that food products being sold in the Indian marketplace would follow a set of guidelines and regulations at any given time. In other words, the main goal of an FSSAI registration was to ensure public health, through a mechanism of regulation and supervision of food safety in the country. The department issues licences to various businesses on the basis of an FSSAI fee. The FSSAI fee is paid at the time of registration, and the subsequent number issued is printed on their product or mentioned in a prominent place, for the general public.
Types of FSSAI Licence:
Based on the annual turnover of the food business, the types of FSSAI licence are:
• Basic FSSAI Registration - Annual turnover of less than Rs. 12 Lakhs.
• State FSSAI Licence - Annual turnover between Rs. 12 Lakhs - Rs. 20 Crores.
• Central FSSAI Licence - Annual turnover more than Rs. 20 Crores.
Documents required for FSSAI registration:
Based on different types of registration and the food business that you are running, you have to submit different documents for registration.
FSSAI Registration
Authorised person’s passport-sizes photograph [self-attested]
Authorised person’s Aadhar card front and back [self-attested]
Address proof of the business premises [rental agreement/previous month’s electricity bill/NOC from landlord]
Declaration signed by the authorised person
State & Central Licence
Passport-sized photograph of the directors/partners/proprietor
Identity proof of directors/partners/proprietor [Aadhar and PAN]
Address proof of the business premises [rental agreement/previous month’s electricity bill/NOC from landlord]
Photograph of the premises [8-9 photos]
Blueprint of the premises
List of food products on the company letterhead [with seal and signature]
List of machines (if any) on the company’s letterhead [with seal and signature].
Manufacturing Units
Including the above-mentioned documents, manufacturing units have to submit the following documents as well:
The blueprint of warehouse, plant, etc.
A list of all machinery
Report of a water test
List of all food categories
Benefits of FSSAI registration
Apart from the fact that FSSAI registration is mandatory for your food business, getting it also comes with some benefits:
It creates trust and credibility among your customers
The FSSAI logo is widely recognised and hence it can ensure goodwill among consumers
Hygiene and cleanliness are regulated and followed when FSSAI registration is involved
You can create better work policies or improve them through studies that you get access to
New knowledge about the industry is shared with you which will help you to improve your safety standards and aid you in reaching the standards of international organisations
An FSSAI licence is important for importing and exporting food products
FSSAI is mandatory when you sell food products online
FSSAI is also responsible for setting guidelines and procedures for quality assurance of the accredited labs as per ISO 17025
Conclusion:
Every business owner dealing in food products has to secure the FSSAI Licence from the relevant authority. This licence is a 14-digit number which provides proof that the business follows standards related to quality as per the requirements of the FSSAI. Quality of products would not only be determined by their substance, but the packaging, manufacturing and food processing would also be considered under the meaning of quality.
