All About FSSAI Registration: Food Safety Rules Made Clear

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an organization established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in India to govern the food businesses in India. FSSAI is an authorized body to register and issue licenses for food business operations. In this article, we are going to explain all about the FSSAI registration, including the process to obtain it.

So, without further ado. Let’s get started. Happy Reading!!

What is FSSAI registration?

FSSAI registration is a permit that is issued by FSSAI to ensure the quality of the food products. This 14-digit registration number has to be obtained by businesses that are involved in the manufacturing, storing, distributing, and selling of food products in India, such as food retail shops, food processing units, food importers or exporters, food cold storage, restaurants, caterers, canteens, cloud kitchen, local dhabas, food stalls, any other food serving units and so on.

Please note - FSSAI Registration is different from the FSSAI License. Depending on the size and operations of the various food business operations, an entity needs to obtain the requisite FSSAI basic registration or FSSAI state license, or FSSAI central license.

To know more about FSSAI License please click here (please link to the relevant article).

What are the eligibility criteria to obtain FSSAI basic registration?

Under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, a small-scale or petty food business operator is eligible to obtain the FSSAI basic registration. The certain specified small-scale food business operators are:-

● A food processing unit, food cold storage, food retailer, food wholesaler, restaurant, caterer, canteen, etc that has an annual turnover of up to Rupees 12 lakh.

● A food business operator which has temporary food stalls.

● Any petty food retailing dealer.

● Any person who manufactures or sells any kind of food item by himself/herself.

● Any hawker who sells packaged or freshly prepared food by traveling like on movable carts.

● Small-scale dairy units have production of up to 500 Liters of Milk per day and up to 2.5 MT of Milk Solids per annum.

● Small-scale meat processing or slaughtering unit. To know more about the eligibility of various kinds of food businesses please refer here.

What is the process to obtain FSSAI registration?

To make it easier for food businesses, the Indian government has provided an online process for FSSAI registration. A food business operator can obtain the FSSAI registration online by filling out and submitting the required form through the FoSCoS portal. The requisite documents should also be uploaded on the portal at the time of filing the form. The Food and Safety Department after verifying all the details and documents may issue the registration within the 7 days online or send the copy to the registered address.

In case, the application for registration gets rejected the same is to be intimated to the food business operator. Also, to satisfy that all the safety and hygiene measures are taken by the food business, a food inspector may conduct the inspection of business premises as well before issuing the registration certificate.

Please note - Form A is for basic registration and Form B is for state or central license. Also, both the forms can be submitted offline to the Food and Safety Department.

What importance does a certificate of FSSAI registration hold?

A certificate of FSSAI registration holds great importance. Have you ever noticed a certificate is always on the display at restaurants? This is because once a certificate mentioning the 14-digit FSSAI registration number is issued to a food business operator by the Food and Safety Department, the same needs to be mandatorily displayed by the food business operator at the business premises during business hours. So, it can give assurance to the visitors that such a food business is authorized to manufacture, store, distribute or sell food in India.

What is the FSSAI registration fee?

To keep in mind the various challenges faced by small-scale food operators, the government has kept the FSSAI basic registration very nominal, which is Rupees 100. A food business operator needs to pay such a fee while applying for registration.

Please note - The fee for an FSSAI state license is between Rupees 2,500 to Rupees 5,000 and the fee for FSSAI central license is Rupees 7,500.

How to check the FSSAI registration application status?

The application status of FSSAI registration can be checked on the FoSCoS portal. Also, the progress of the application submitted shall be informed to the food business operator via SMS and Email alerts. A food business operator can download the certificate upon the status shown as “Registration Certificate Issued”.

Please note - If the status is displayed as “Application Reverted,” then you need to check if any additional documents or clarification are asked for by the FSSAI authorities and provide the same within 30 days from the date they asked for it to avoid the rejection of the application.

That’s all, folks. To know about FSSAI state or central license refer to another article (please link to the respective article).