What is the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (or in short, FSSAI) is an authority established by the government of India under the Department of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The FSSAI’s primary function is to make sure that food that is delivered to consumers are safe and nutritious for consumption. 

The FSSAI is the overall governing and regulating body of all Food Business Operators (or in short – FBOs).  The FSSAI, as mentioned, ensures food safety and controls the storage, production, distribution as well as the sales of food products. 

Apart from these functions, the FSSAI also has to ensure that the food products which are being produced/stored or distributed are free from impurities and adulteration.

What is the FSSAI Licensing and Registration?

All eligible Food Business Operators (FBOs) like manufacturers, storage units, transporters, retailers, marketers, distributors, etc.  need to have a state license or central license to carry on business. Without license or registration, any food business can be shut down by the FSSAI at any time with huge penalties. The Eligibilities for state or central license is discussed later in the article.

FBOs including manufacturers, storage units, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and suppliers have been categorized separately depending on their eligibility for registration only.  

Who should apply for FSSAI registration? 

Following are the manufacturers who should be applying for FSSAI registration:  

Other food business units who should be applying for FSSAI Basic Registration: 

What is the procedure for an FSSAI registration? 

• Visit the following web address and download Form-A
• Complete this form, sign it and affix a photograph of the applicant. You should then visit the following website after creating an account with a username and a password here.

Either valid email id OR Mobile Number is required to log in. Login details shall be created automatically by the system and mailed/SMS to the FBO but you should always remember your password. 

• Keep the following required documents handy: 

1. Photo of Food Business Operator

2. Document for Identity Proof like Ration Card, Voter ID Card, PAN Card, Driving License, Passport, Aadhar Card, Senior Citizen Card, Department Issued ID

3. Supporting Documents (if any): NOC by Municipality/Panchayat, Health NOC

• Click apply now (big grey button) on this link. Finally, answer the questions according to the business run by you. 

What is the eligibility to obtain an FSSAI State license? 

The following FBOs can apply for a state FSSAI license whose annual turnover is between 12 lakh rupees per annum and 20 crore rupees per annum: 

• Restaurants and Hotels
• Meat processing Units and Slaughtering Units
• Proprietary Foods
• Food Processing Units inclusive of corresponding retailers and re-packers
• Vegetable Oil Processing Units as well as Production Units
• Dairy Units inclusive of Milk Chilling units

What is the eligibility to obtain FSSAI Central License? 

The following Food Business Owners have been deemed eligible to obtain the FSSAI central license by the regulatory authority:

• 5 Star Hotels and above
• All Food Businesses inclusive of retailers, distributors, suppliers, and caterers mentioned for state license could apply for central license if their operations are at larger scale. (Rupees 20 crore or more)
• Restaurants/ Food processing and handling chains with multiple branches across various states have to obtain the Central FSSAI license for the main branch/head office
• 100 % export oriented food processing/production units
• Food processing units, re-labellers, and re-packers who are processing more than 2 Metric Tonnes per day excluding grains, cereals, and pulse milling units
• Refrigerated storages holding a capacity of 10,000 Metric Tonnes or more
• Wholesalers with their annual turnovers amounting to 30 Crores rupees or more
• Food Catering services located at airports as well as seaports

What is the procedure to apply for a State and Central FSSAI License?

Step 1: Visit the following web address and download Form-B for State  and Central License.

Step 2: Complete this form and have it signed by the food business owner or the authoriszed person. You should then visit the following website after creating an account with a username and a password here.

Either valid email id OR Mobile Number is required to log in. Login details shall be created automatically by the system and mailed/SMS to the FBO but you should always remember your password. 

Step 3: Keep the following required documents handy:

For State license, all the required documents are listed here.

For Central License, all the required documents are listed here.

Step 4: Click apply now and answer the questions according to the business run by you. 

Based on the forms and documents that you have submitted, your license may be accepted or rejected or may be sent for inspection. In the case of inspection, you need to wait for a certain amount of time for an inspector to visit your premises to make sure that the FSSAI standards are being met. 

Finally, the FSSAI license is granted up to a maximum period of 5 years and you need to apply for renewal again before reaching the expiry date. 

The fssai license renewal procedure is similar to the license application procedure and can take up to 45-60 days for the completion of the procedure. The license will then be renewed again for a period of up to 5 years. 

MyAdvo let you find a lawyer anywhere in India online, but it will also help you with all or any questions on food-related laws. We can help you with the appropriate kind of licensing and registration/renewal for your food business or any other related issues that you may be facing on an everyday basis.

With the use of technological solutions, MyAdvo matches your requirements with the lawyer based on expertise, location, etc. All you have to do is connect with us at support@myadvo.in or call us at +91-9811782573 and express your concerns right away and we’ll look into the rest.