FSSAI License Definition: FSSAI license is a 14-digit license number that is issued to food business operators who comply with rules & regulations mentioned in FSSA Act,2006 for a particular time period which needs to get renewed from time to time to keep their license valid to use.
Important Notice: FBOs are not allowed to use Logo anywhere in case their FSSAI Certificate has expired for any reason and would invite penalties and cancellation of license for a lifetime.
Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has made it mandatory for all hotels to obtain an FSSAI in order to start their venture. Just with simple registration you not only can obtain a FSSAI Certificate but can also use FSSAI Logo on menus & pamphlets to increase the credibility of your brand, boosts customer confidence, and give them the reasons why to buy food from you.
Customer Trust: Ask any customer and they would always want to eat good quality food prepared to maintain all hygiene and if the hotels & restaurants are FSSAI certified, customers won't think twice about value for money while buying from you.
Food Licensing and Registration System Provides the Food License also Known as FSSAI License, Which determines the Food Quality. A Food Licensed person only Authorized to sell his Food. As per Section 31(1) of FSS Act, 2006 Food Licensing is mandatory for Food Business Operators in India.
About FSSAI: FSSAI is the short form of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, and it is responsible for providing FSSAI license to food products and to the food business owners. FSSAI License online in India is essential for all types of food business operators such as food product manufacturers, food traders, and food store operators to receive the license of FSSAI.
It is the apex body which was incorporated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Government of India is answerable for preparing and launching the standards for selling, storing and packing of food items in India. Additionally, this license works as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
All types of food-related businesses must apply for a food license. And the type of Food License which you need to get depends on the various factors like turnover of the food business, the scale of the food business and the kind of operations or activities you are indulged in.
Eligibility: Basic FSSAI Registration is needed by petty food business owners. The turnover of such food-related business should not exceed more than Rs. 12 lakhs per annum such as a petty retailer, itinerant vendor hawker or temporary stallholders.
Eligibility: FSSAI State License is a license issued to a business that has a turnover of between Rs. 12 Lac to Rs. 20 Cr. Furthermore, the turnover limit is the same for an FSSAI State Manufacturing license or an FSSAI State trading license.
Eligibility: Central FSSAI License registration is a license issued to the food businesses which hold a turnover more than Rs. 20 Crore. Some of the FBOs that come under this category are Manufacturing, Trading and Storage units and so on.
The point of getting a food license is to ensure that the food items or products packed, which are traded and sold by Food Business Operators are up to the quality standards dictated by the FSSAI. The ultimate aim of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is to reduce the chances of inferior food products, food adulteration and to improve the activity of food manufacturers by granting them a FSSAI food license for food business or service.
After the verification process of all your documents by the concerned authority next is the login creation stage, and in this stage your login ID is created, then you have to submit duly filled Form A for approval along with the prescribed fees. Your license will be granted by the concerned within 10 to 15 days, as per the location of your business.
After the verification process of all your documents by the concerned authority, next is the login creation stage, and in this stage your login ID is created. Additionally, to obtain a State License, a special document called the 'Declaration' is needed to be submitted with the specified Form.
Furthermore, the 'Declaration' holds the signed general declaration statement of the operator along with specified Form 9, Proclamation of Food Safety License Management System FSMS and declaration depends on the kind of business carried on by the business operator.
Then, along with the needed documents, Form B has to be filed to complete the process. You will obtain your license within 20 to 30 days, depending on the place where the business operates.
Important: If your application has any error or any other issue, you have to edit it, and the application must be submitted within thirty days. Or else, your application will get declined, and you have to again start from the beginning stage.
The procedure to receive a Central License is the same as the procedure of obtaining a State License. The only difference is the type of food business operated by the FBO. And the time taken for the granting process of the Central License is also similar.
If the food business is involved in export or import of food items, then the operator needs an IEC, means, Import Export Code regardless of the turnover of the business. Likewise, if the food business is involved in the transportation of food items, then a central license is required, which should mention that FBO is involved in this food business of transporting food items.
All FBOs apart from the exempted group as per Section 31 (2) of the FSS Act need to get a food license depending on their eligibility criteria to run their food related business. To make it clear, Food Business Operators who are not obtaining a FSSAI food licence is liable for fine or penalty as prescribed below:
| Violation Type | Penalty Amount |
|---|---|
| Quality of food not in-abidance as per the Act | Rs. 2 Lakhs, Rs. 25,000 for petty manufacturers |
| For misbranded food products | Rs. 5 Lakhs |
| For substandard or low quality food products | Rs. 3 Lakhs |
| For false promotion or misleading advertisement or false description | Rs. 10 Lakhs |
| For not pertinent matters in the food product | Rs. 1 Lakh |
| For failing to follow with the food safety officer's directions | Rs. 2 Lakhs |
| For using unhygienic methods of processing or preparing or manufacturing food items | Rs. 1 Lakh |
All the food businesses operators should follow the rules and regulations defined in the FSSAI Act 2006. Receiving FSSAI license is a must for every food business owner or operator. And the majority of the population doesn't aware that getting FSSAI License renewal is equally important as obtaining FSSAI license.
Mandatory Requirement: It is mandatory to get FSSAI license renewal within the prescribed time period. As an entrepreneur it is essential to obtain food certificates online whether your food business is all about processing units or manufacturing units or distributing units or food packaging units or trading units in every 1-5 years.