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Food License Registration
Food is the basic necessity for everyone, it of utmost importance for anyone to lead a healthy life, but do you know that our go-to places that serve our favorite food cannot function without getting the quality and safety of the food checked first. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is responsible for carrying out such tests, after which they issue a Food License to all Food Business Operators (FBO). Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is an organization that governs the food business in India and ensures the food products sold in India undergo relevant quality checks, which in turn reduces the problem of food adulteration and sale of sub-standard products.
It is mandatory for every FBO that is involved in the manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and sale of food products to get a Food License i.e. FSSAI Registration or License. FSSAI Registration is different from a FSSAI License depending upon the size and nature of the business. The FSSAI Registration or License is a 14-digit number that is printed on all food packages.
A Food Business Operator is eligible to get a Central License, State License, FSSAI Registration or Railway FSSAI License on the basis of the capacity of the machinery installed, annual turnover of the business or the location of the business.
The most basic kind of Food License issued, is the FSSAI Registration that is majorly issued to small-scale food businesses.
The FSSAI Registration is initiated by filing Form A and Form B with the Food and Safety Department. This application is either accepted or an objection is raised regarding defects in the application by the department, within 7 days from the date of application. In case the application is accepted, a Registration Certificate is sent by the Food and Safety Department, stating the registration number. This Registration Certificate is supposed to be displayed at the place of business during the working hours at all times. Our team at All India ITR will take care of the tedious process of filing the said Forms and getting the required approvals from the Food and Safety Department. You just need to provide us with the following documents –
- Photo Identity proof of the Applicant
- Name of business
- Email id & Phone number of the applicant
- List of directors/ Members/ Partners
- Proof of Possession of the Premises (Rent Agreement or Property Tax Receipts or copy of Purchase Papers)
- Electricity bill (not older than 2 months)
- Applicant Signature
- Copy of any other registration (if available)
- Partnership Deed or Certificate of Incorporation
- MOA & AOA (In case of company)
- List of food products that the business will deal in.
- The management plan for Food Safety.
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Now you know about the registration process and the documents that are required to apply for FSSAI Registration. Let’s take a look at the eligibility criteria on the basis of which the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India issues a registration.
Let’s begin with the Basic FSSAI Registration for Manufacturers –
| Manufacturer | Capacity/ Turnover |
| Dairy units including milk chilling units equipped to handle or process milk | Up to 500 litres per day of milk OR Up to 2.5 MT of milk solids per annum |
| Vegetable oil processing units, manufacturing units producing vegetable oil by solvent extraction and refineries including oil expeller units | Turnover up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Slaughtering units/td> | Large Animals up to 2 per day Small Animals up to 10 per day Poultry Birds up to 50 per day |
| Meat Processing units | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| All food processing units including re-labelers and re-packers | Turnover up to Rs. 12 lakhs and production capacity of food not exceeding 100 kgs/ litres per day |
Other businesses can also apply for a FSSAI Registration if they fall under the following eligibility criteria:
| Business | Turnover |
| Dairy units including milk chilling units equipped to handle or process milk | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Storage (Controlled Atmosphere and Cold Storage | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Wholesaler | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Retailer | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Distributor | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Dhaba, Boarding House serving food, Banquet halls with food catering arrangements, Home-based canteens/ Dabba wallas, religious gathering/fairs, etc. Fish/poultry shop/meat sellers or any other food vending establishments | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Club/Canteen | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Hotelr | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Restaurant | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Transporter | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| DMarketer | Up to Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Hawker (mobile food vendor) | All |
| Small Retailer of snacks/tea shops | All |
Now, let’s talk about the documents required to apply for a State License that is required by all the medium-scale FBOs: –
- Completed and duly signed Form B.
- Blueprints of the processing unit stating the dimensions and area allocation according to operations. (required for manufacturing & processing unit
- List of Directors/ Partners/ Proprietor with their address, contact details and photo ID
- List of equipment and machinery along with the installed capacity (required for manufacturing & processing unit)
- Photo Identity & address proof of the partner/ director/ proprietor.
- Categories of food to be manufactured (In case of manufacturing unit)
- Letter of Authority from manufacturer (required for manufacturing & processing unit)/li>
- Water testing Report (required for manufacturing & processing unit)
- NOC & Copy of license (required for re-packer& re-labeler)
- Proof of possession for the property (Rent Agreement or copy of Property papers)
- Partnership Deed or Affidavit of Proprietorship.
- No Objection Certificate and copy of license from the manufacturer.
- Declaration under Food Safety & Management system plan.
- Form ix: Nomination form
- Production unit photograph
- Certificate from HRACC (applicable for hotels)
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A State License is issued to medium-scale FBOs who qualify the following eligibility criteria: –
| Manufacturer | Capacity/ Turnover |
| Dairy units including milk chilling units that are equipped to handle or process milk | 501 to 50,000 Litres per day of milk OR 2.5 MT to 2500 MT of milk solids p.a. |
| Vegetable oil processing units, manufacturing units producing vegetable oil by solvent extraction and refineries including oil expeller units | Up to 2 MT per day and turnover more than Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Slaughtering units | Large Animals – More than 2 and up to 50/day Small Animals – More than 10 and up to 150/day Poultry Birds – More than 50 and up to 1000/day |
| Meat Processing units | Up to 500 kg meat per day OR 150 MT p.a. |
| All food processing units including re-labelers and re-packers | More than 100 kgs/litres to 2 MT per day. All grains, cereals and pulses milling units. |
The eligibility criteria for other kinds of businesses is as follows: –
| Business | Turnover |
| Storage (except controlled atmosphere and cold storage) | Up to 50,000 MT |
| Storage (Cold/Refrigerated) | Up to 10,000 MT. |
| Storage (Controlled Atmosphere and Cold Storage) | Up to 1,000 MT |
| Wholesaler | Up to Rs. 30 crores |
| Retailer | Up to Rs. 20 crores |
| Distributor | Up to Rs. 20 crores. |
| Supplier | Up to Rs. 20 crores |
| Hotel | Up to Rs. 20 crores |
| Dhaba, Boarding House serving food, Banquet halls with food catering arrangements, Home-based canteens/dabba wallas, religious gathering/fairs, etc. Fish/poultry shop/meat sellers or any other food vending establishments | More than Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Club/Canteen | More than Rs. 12 lakhs p.a |
| Hotel | 3-star or above and below 5-star OR Up to 3-star and turnover more than Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Restaurant | Up to Rs. 20 crores |
| Transporter | Up to 100 vehicles/wagons , OR Up to Rs. 30 crores |
The businesses under Central Government also have to apply for a State License or Central License depending upon the size of the business. In order to apply for State License, they need to fulfil the following criteria: –
| Food catering services in establishments and units under Central Govt. Agencies like Railways, Air and Airport, Seaport, Defense, etc. |
Food catering services in Seaport/ Airport excluding Seaports located at Kandla, Tuticorin, Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata, Marmagoa, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai and JNPT OR Excluding Airports located at Kolkata, Tiruchy, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Amritsar, Cochin, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Trivandrum and Ahmedabad |
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A Central License is acquired by FBOs that operate in more than 1 state. Here are documents that are required to apply for a Central License
- Completed and duly signed Form B.
- Blueprints of the processing unit stating the dimensions and area allocation according to operations. (required for manufacturing & processing unit
- List of Directors/ Partners/ Proprietor with their address, contact details and photo ID
- List of equipment and machinery along with the installed capacity (required for manufacturing & processing unit)
- Photo Identity & address proof of the partner/ director/ proprietor.
- Categories of food to be manufactured (In case of manufacturing unit)
- Letter of Authority from manufacturer (required for manufacturing & processing unit)/li>
- Water testing Report (required for manufacturing & processing unit)
- NOC & Copy of license (required for re-packer& re-labeler)
- Proof of possession for the property (Rent Agreement or copy of Property papers)
- Partnership Deed or Affidavit of Proprietorship.
- No Objection Certificate and copy of license from the manufacturer.
- Declaration under Food Safety & Management system plan.
- Form ix: Nomination form
- Production unit photograph
- Certificate from HRACC (applicable for hotels)
- Source of raw materials like milk, meat, etc.
- Recall plan wherever required.
- Certificate from the Ministry of Commerce in case of 100% Export Oriented Units (EOU).
- Import Export Code issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
- NOC from municipality or local governing body if the business premises are in a municipality.
- Document supporting proof of annual turnover and transportation.
The eligibility criteria are necessary to be kept in mind while applying for a Central License which is mainly given to large-scale FBOs.
| Manufacturer | Capacity/ Turnover |
| Dairy units including milk chilling units that are equipped to handle or process milk | 501 to 50,000 Litres per day of milk OR 2.5 MT to 2500 MT of milk solids p.a. |
| Vegetable oil processing units, manufacturing units producing vegetable oil by solvent extraction and refineries including oil expeller units | Up to 2 MT per day and turnover more than Rs. 12 lakhs p.a. |
| Slaughtering units | Large Animals – More than 2 and up to 50/day Small Animals – More than 10 and up to 150/day Poultry Birds – More than 50 and up to 1000/day |
| Meat Processing units | Up to 500 kg meat per day OR 150 MT p.a. |
| All food processing units including re-labelers and re-packers | More than 100 kgs/litres to 2 MT per day. All grains, cereals and pulses milling units. |
| 100% Export Oriented Units | All |
| Proprietary Foods | All |
The eligibility criteria for other kinds of businesses is as follows: –
| Business | Turnover |
| Storage (except controlled atmosphere and cold storage) | More than 50,000 MTT |
| Storage (Cold/Refrigerated) | More than 10,000 MT. |
| Storage (Controlled Atmosphere and Cold Storage) | More than 1,000 MT |
| Wholesaler | More than Rs. 30 crores |
| Retailer | More than Rs. 20 crores |
| Distributor | More than Rs. 20 crores |
| Supplier | More than Rs. 20 crores |
| Caterer | More than Rs. 20 crores |
| Hotele | 5-star and above |
| Restaurant | More than Rs. 20 crores |
| Transporter | More than 100 vehicles/wagons OR More than Rs. 30 crores |
| Marketer | More than Rs. 20 crores |
Like in the case of State License, Premises in Central Govt. Agencies, Seaports and Airports can also apply for a Central License. The eligibility criteria for the such premises is as follows –
| Food catering services in establishments and units under Central Govt. Agencies like Defense, etc. | Food catering service in Defense locations |
| Storage, Wholesaler, Retailer, Distributor | Premises in Central Govt. Agencies |
| Food catering services at Seaport located at Kandla, Tuticorin, Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata, Marmagoa, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai, JNPT OR |
|
| Food catering services in establishments and units under Central Govt. Agencies like Air & Airport, Seaport, etc. | Airport located at Kolkata, Tiruchy, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Amritsar, Cochin, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Ahmedabad. |
| Storage, Wholesaler, Retailer, Distributor |
Premises at Seaport located at Kandla, Tuticorin, Vishakhapatnam, Kolkata, Marmagoa, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai, JNPT OR Airport located at Kolkata, Tiruchy, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Amritsar, Cochin, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Ahmedabad. |
The FSSAI License number provides the details related to the manufacturer’s license or registration and the state of manufacturing. This number is also known as the FSSAI Number. The owner of the brand needs to display the FSSAI logo and the license number issued on all the labels of food that is packaged. Similarly, in case of imported food products, importers also need to put the FSSAI logo and license number. Moreover, importers need to put a sticker with the name and address on the food products before customs clearance.
Under the FSS Act, 2006, all the registered or licensed individuals or FBOs need to adhere to certain rules and regulations. A food officer conducts an inspection of the FBO’s facility and marks according to the level of compliance adhered to using a check list. On the basis of the compliance level, the FBO is then marked under one of the following –
- Compliance (C)
- Non-Compliance (NC)
- Partial Compliance (PC)
- Not Applicable/ Not Observed (NA)
Based on the above-mentioned markings, the food safety officer may issue a notice of improvement if need be, as per Section 32 of the FSS Act, 2006. If any FBO fails to comply with the improvement notice, despite already having FSSAI License, the food safety officer can cancel the license. Any FBO who has an issue with the notice of improvement can approach the State Commissioner of Food Safety. If the FBO is still not satisfied with the decision taken, the aggrievance can then be taken to the Food Safety appellate tribunal or the High Court.
A penalty may also be levied in case the food safety officer finds that the compliances have not been adhered to.
| S. No. | Particulars | Fine |
| 1 | Food Quality not in compliance with act | Rs. 2 lakhs Small Manufacturer – Rs. 25,000 |
| 2 | Sub-standard Food | Rs. 5 lakhs |
| 3 | Misbranded Food | Rs. 3 lakhs |
| 4 | Penalty for Selling Food, not of the demanded Nature or Substance or Quality | Rs. 5 lakhs |
| 5 | Extraneous Matter in Food | Rs. 1 lakhs |
| 6 | Failure to comply with the directions given by the Food Safety Officer | Rs. 2 lakhs |
| 7 | Unhygienic processing or manufacturing | Rs. 1 lakhs |
| 8 | Misleading Advertisement | Rs. 10 lakhs |
| 9 | Penalty for Running the Business without a License | Rs. 5 lakhs |
Frequently Asked Questions
The FSSAI License is classified under 2 categories: –
- State License is issued to medium-scale FBOs.
- Central License is issued to large-scale FBOs.
Importers, however, only get a Central License that is issued at their Import Export Code Address.
