FSSAI Registration

Advantages

Consumer awareness
Using the FSSAI Logo
Food Safety

Types of Food License

Basic FSSAI Registration
FSSAI State License
Central Registration

Introduction

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was formed under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 with two major objectives viz.

To consolidate different acts & laws that is associated with the orderly management of food-related issues under various Departments and Ministries.
To lay down a science-based benchmark for the food production, storage, distribution, import and sale to ensure that the food is safe and healthy for human consumption or other uses connected with it or similar thereto.

Food Safety and Standard Authority of India became a single reference body for setting up the standard and rules & regulations & directly reporting to the family & health welfare, Government of India (GOI).

With these primary objectives, the FSSAI consolidated all the food-related acts under the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India and made it compulsory for all the food-related businesses to comply with the guidelines & regulations laid under the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India Act 200 and get themselves registered under FSSAI.

FSSAI Registration consultant can help you to get the food license in the earliest time possible and with proper documentation.

Who Needs FSSAI Registration Certificate

FSSAI Registration Certificate is imperative for the below-mentioned categories if their yearly turnover is above INR 12 Lacs.

Food Business Operators (FBO) who themselves produce or sell any food article
Food retailer, itinerant vendor or hawker
Temporary/Permanent food stallholder
Large or medium scale industries that are engaged in the food business
Food business operator with annual turnover more than 12 Lacs

Based on the production & procurement quantity, the FSSAI Registration is also mandatory under the following circumstances:

When the per day production capacity of food products is above 100 kg or litres
When the per day procurement or handling and collection of milk is above 500 l of milk
When the per day slaughtering capacity is more than 2 large animals/10 small animals/50 poultry birds.
All the food businesses whose annual turnover is less than 12 lacs does not need a food license.

Benefits of FSSAI Registration

After the successful food license registration, a 14 digit registration number is allotted by the concerned government department. We often see this registration number printed on the food products along with the license number.

Getting a food license or FSSAI registration not only increases the adherence to government rules & regulations but also draws consumers trust in the food brand. Other benefits of the FSSAI registration are as follows:

Awareness among Consumers

Today, consumers have become vigilant about what they are eating. They tend to know the healthy ingredients that the food they are consuming has and they also tend to confirm the safety level of the edible. An FSSAI registration sprouts a trust factor in the minds of consumers and hence expands your client base.

Brand image and Marketing advantage

An FSSAI number gives your product a Brand Image and thus markets the superior quality of your food over others. In this way, you get an edge over other food operators who are unregistered or who do not have the food license. An FSSAI number confirms the validity of the food and so gives assurance to the consumers.

Expansion of Business

An FSSAI license lets you easily expand your business by establishing a reputation in the market. Renowned brands easily get loans from banks to fulfill the additional need for funds required for business expansion and these reputed brands have higher chances to be successful.

Legal Advantage

An FSSAI license obstructs the fraudulent use of your name & brand while saving you from the penalties to be paid for non-adherence to government laws.

Types of FSSAI Registration/License

Legal registration is required by all the medium and large food-related firms to start or continue their business. Alike GST registration is different for different types of firms like private limited company or proprietorship firms, types of food license or FSSAI registration is different for different food-related businesses. Let us discuss the various types of FSSAI Registration and their suitability to varied kinds of firms and the respective eligibility criteria.

FSSAI BASIC REGISTRATION (for annual turnover<12L)
FSSAI Basic Registration is required by all the small businesses whose annual turnover is less than 12 lakhs rupees. Basic FSSAI or Food License Registration is suitable for beginners in the food industry or small-sized businesses. It is to be noted that Turnover is calculated on a yearly basis.

FSSAI STATE LICENSE REGISTRATION (for annual turnover between 12L & 20Cr.)
FSSAI State Registration is required by all medium-sized businesses whose annual turnover is more than 12 lakhs rupees but less than 20 Crore Rupees. State FSSAI or Food License Registration is suitable for those food industrialists who have surpassed the limit of the annual turnover of 12 lakhs or medium-sized businesses.

FSSAI CENTRAL LICENSE REGISTRATION (for annual turnover > 2Cr.)
FSSAI Central Registration is required by all medium-sized businesses who want to start an import/export business or to make a supply to the various departments of government. Besides, FSSAI Central License Registration is required for the large scale turnover of more than 20 Crore in a year. Let’s now have a deeper dive into the eligibility criteria for Registration/ Licence – State or Central.

Eligibility for an FSSAI Central License

Manufacturer

Dairy units including milk chilling units equipped for handling/processing – Above 50,000 l of liquid milk/day or 2500 MT of milk solid per annum
Vegetable oil processing units and units for vegetable oil production via solvent extract process and refineries including oil expeller unit- Above 2 MT per day
Slaughtering units – Large Animals above 50/day, Small Animals above 150/day or Poultry Birds above 1000/day.
Meat Processing units – Above 500 kg of meat per day/150 MT per annum
All food processing units including relabellers & repackers – Above 2 MT/day other than cereals, pulses & grains milling units
Proprietary foods – All (Regardless of limit)
100% Export Oriented units- All (Regardless of limit)

Importers
All Importers, regardless of units, who are importing food items inclusive of additives and food ingredients for Business use.

Other Businesses

Storage (Other than Controlled Atmosphere and Cold)- Capacity > 50,000 MT
Storage (Cold / Refrigerated)- Capacity > 1,000 MT
Storage (Controlled Atmosphere + Cold)- Capacity > 1,000 MT
Wholesaler- Turnover > 30 crores
Retailer- Turnover > 20 crores
Distributor- Turnover > 20 crores
Supplier- Turnover > 20 crores
Caterer- Turnover > 20 crores
Hotel- Five star & above
Restaurant- Turnover > 20 crores
Transporter- Turnover > 30 crores or Having> 100 vehicle/wagon
Marketer- Turnover > 20 crores

Premises in Central Govt.

Food Catering services in organisation or units under Central Government Agencies such as Defence, Military – Food Catering Services in Defence areas
Storage, Retailer, Wholesaler, Distributor- Having establishments in Central Government Agencies

Premises in Air / Seaport

Food Catering services in organizations & units under Central Government Agencies like Seaport, Airport, etc.- Food Catering services at Seaport Located at Kandla, Kolkata, Tuticorin, Marmagoa Cochin, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Mumbai, JNPT

Airport Located at Kolkata, Trichy, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Cochin, Hyderabad, and Trivandrum.

Storage Wholesaler Retailer Distributor- Premises at Seaport Located at Kandla, Kolkata, Tuticorin, Marmagoa Cochin, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Mumbai, JNPT

Airport Located at Kolkata, Trichy, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Cochin, Hyderabad, Trivandrum.

Note: Food Business Operator (FBO) having food premises established in two or more States, needs to obtain a Central License for his Head Office or Registered Office along with a license/registration for each premise/unit.

Eligibility Criteria for State License

Manufacturer

Dairy units including milk chilling units equipped for handling/processing- 501 to 50,000 LPD of milk Or above 2.5 MT to 2500 MT of milk solids/annum
Vegetable oil processing units and vegetable oil-producing units via solvent extract process and refineries including oil expeller unit- Up to 2 MT/day and turnover > 12 lakh
Slaughtering units- Large Animal above two but less than 50, Small Animal above 10 but up to 150, Poultry Birds above 50 but up to 1000/ day
Meat processing units- Up to 500 kg meat/day Or 150 MT/annum
All food processing units inclusive of relabellers & repackers- Above 100 kg/ltr to 2 MT/day. All cereals, pulses & grains milling units

Other Businesses

Storage (Other than Controlled Atmosphere and Cold)- Capacity up to 50,000 MT
Storage (Cold / Refrigerated)- Capacity up to 10,000 MT
Storage (Controlled Atmosphere + Cold) Capacity more- Capacity up to 1,000 MT
Wholesaler- Turnover ≤ 30 crores
Retailer- Turnover ≤ 20 crores
Distributor- Turnover ≤ 20 crores
Supplier- Turnover ≤ 20 crores
Caterer- Turnover ≤ 20 crores
Dhaba, Boarding houses serving food, Home based Canteens/ Dabbawalas, Banquet halls with food catering arrangements, Permanent/ Temporary stall Holder, Food Arrangements or stalls in Religious fairs etc., Fish/Meat/Poultry shop/Seller or any other food vending establishment- Turnover > 12 lakhs/annum
Club/Canteen- Turnover > 12 lakhs/annum
Hotel- Three star & above and below Five star OR Up to Three star and Turnover > 12 lakhs
Restaurant- Turnover ≤ 20 crores
Transporter- Having up to 100 vehicles/ wagons Or turnover ≤ 30 crores
Marketer- Turnover ≤ 20 crores

Premises in Central Government

Food Catering services in establishments & units under Central Government Agencies such as Railways, Air and Airport, Seaport, Defence & so on- Food Catering Services in Seaport/Airport other than Seaport located at Kandla, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Marmagoa Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai, JNPT or Airport other than located at Kolkata, Trichy, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Amritsar, Cochin, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Ahmedabad.

Details and Documents

The process of an FSSAI licence application or registration requires the submission of the important documents. These documents are as follows:

Rent Agreement
Entity Proof
List of Food Products
Photograph Identity

FSSAI Registration Process

The whole process of food license registration is divided into four simple steps which are as follows:

1. Filling of Application Form

Application filing is the first step for food license registration in India. Lodging of applications with the food and safety department in Form A is to be done by the applicant.

2.Application acceptance or rejection

The application may get accepted or rejected by the Department. The acceptance or rejection of the application is conveyed to the applicant within 7 days from the date of application submission.

3.Allotment of Registration Certificate

Upon the application acceptance by the department, the Certificate of Registration bearing the Registration number and photo of the applicant is allotted to the applicant.

4. Presentation of Registration Certificate

The FBO must display the Certificate of Registration as granted by the Department at the Place of Business.

A few noteworthy points about FSSAI Registration/License

Section 31(1) and Section 31(2) of the FSS Act, 2006 are the governing sections for registration under the FSS Act 2006.
Food Safety and Standards (Licensing & Registration of a food business) Regulations, 2011 serves as the regulatory body for the license & registration process.
FSSAI has launched an (Online Food Licensing & Registration system) to bolster FBO in India.
Schedule 4 of FSS (Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011 acts as inspection criteria to ensure the Sanitary and Hygienic Requirements as prescribed.