FSSAI Registration - Overview

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a body responsible for regulating the import, manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of food items that are made available for human consumption are both safe and wholesome.
Therefore, anyone involved in the food business needs to get an FSSAI license to carry on business in this sector.

Benefits

Since the FSSAI license is omnipresent on the final packaged food labels, these registrations tend to be conspicuous by their absence. In essence the advantages for registering for an FSSAI license is:

• They help build a sense of goodwill and therefore make business expansion easier
• It helps build consumer awareness since most consumers now like to know what is the break-up of the food they are consuming. Essentially by following the FSSAI guidelines, you are also meeting a key requirement of your target consumers.

You need an FSSAI license if you are running a restaurant, selling food or beverages or even catering. Essentially anyone dealing with food substances from ‘farm-to-plate’ will require an FSSAI license.

Which Type of FSSAI license do I need to take?

All Food Business Operators (FBOs) must either get an FSSAI registration or license. There are two types of licences, State or Central.
A registration is required in the case of a ‘Petty Food Manufacturer’ who is defined as

• Petty retailer
• Hawker
• Itinerant vendor
• Temporary stall holder
• Distributing food in social or religious gathering (other than caterer)
• Small or Cottage industry related food business or any other FBO having an annual turnover of less than Rs. 12 lakhs and/ or
  • Annual production of non-milk/milk related or non-meat/meat related items is less than 100kgs/liters per day
  • Collection or handling or procurement of milk is less than 500 litres per day
  • Slaughtering capacity is less than 2 large animals or 50 poultry birds or 10 small animals per day.

However, if you are a caterer, you need to get an FSSAI State License, irrespective of your turnover.
Usually (but not always) if your turnover is less than Rs. 20 crores or if you are not importing or exporting any food products, a state license should suffice.
FBOs would require a Central FSSAI License in the following situations:

• Milk units including units that chill milk that handle or process more than 50,000 litres of liquid milk per day or more than 2,500 MT of milk solids per annum
• Vegetable oil processing or producing units with a capacity of more than 2 MT per day.
• Slaughtering capacity is more than 50 large animals or 1000 poultry birds or 150 small animals per day.
• Meat processing or handling units that are equipped to handle more than 500 kgs of meat per day or 150 MT per annum
• All food processing units (other than those mentioned above) that have a capacity of more than 2 MT per day. This excludes grains, cereals and pulse milling units
• Export units that are 100% export oriented
• All importers who are importing food items for commercial use including food ingredients and food additives.
• FBO who are manufacturing foods using ingredients that are being introduced for the first time in the country
• FBOs operating in two or more states
• Food catering business that are catering to establishments or units under the Central government agencies such as Railways, Air and Airports, Seaport, Defence.

Typically list of documents required for application include:

FSSAI Registration

1. Passport Size Photograph
2. PAN or Aadhar of Proprietor or Partner or Director

For Manufacturing Units

1. Blueprint or Layout of the unit showing the dimensions in square meters or meters and operation wise, area allocation
2. List of the equipment and machinery including details such as name, number, installed capacity and horse power used
3. Water test reports such as chemical and bateriological from a recongnised public lab
4. Category list of the food or beverage items

For Central & State License

1. List of Directors or Partners
2. Photo ID and address proof of Proprietor /Directors /Partners
3. Authority letter consisting of name and address of the person responsible for manufacturing alongwith the name and address of the person who will be assisting the visiting officers for sampling, collecting etc.
4. Sale Deed/ Rental Agreement/ Electricity Bill etc showing proof of ownership of property
5. Declaration of Proprietorship or Partnership Deed or MOA, AOA & COI in the case of a company
6. Copy of certificate for Co-operatives to be obtained under Coop Act 1861/ Multi State Coop Act 2002
7. NOC from manufacturer incase FBO is a re-labeller
8. NOC from Municipality and State Pollution Control Board, except in the case of notified industrial area
9. Food Management Safety plan if any.
10. Import Export Code, if applicable

Do note that this is just a standard list relevant to all applicants, irrespective of state or central applications. Please get in touch with us to understand the exact paperwork applicable for your business.

FAQs

1. If I am importing food to sell in India, do I need an FSSAI license?
2. I am a caterer do I need an FSSAI license?
3. For how long is the FSSAI license valid?