In India every person/entity who is willing to carry food business must get themselves licensed/ registered under The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Therefore It is necessary to understand how food business and its aspects are defined.
What includes in Food Business?
As per section 3(n) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 “ Food Business” means
Any undertaking,
- whether for profit or not
- whether public or private,
carrying out any of the activities related to:
- any stage of manufacture,
- processing,
- packaging,
- storage,
- transportation,
- distribution of food,
- import and
- includes food services,
- catering services,
- sale of food or food ingredients;
Who are Food Business Operator?
As per section 3(n) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 “ Food Business Operator” means
In relation to food business:
- a person by whom the business is carried on
- or owned and
- is responsible
for ensuring the compliance of this Act, rules and regulations made thereunder;
Who are required to get license?
As per section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 No person shall commence or carry on any food business except under a license.
As said earlier person willing to carry business can do so either by registration or by obtaining licensing. It is necessary to understand when only registration will suffice and when license is required.
When Registration is required?
Registration with FSSSAI is required for small food business operators also known as Petty Food Business Operators Below given kind of business required registration on basis of Annual Turnover and Production Capacity
| S.No | On basis of Annual Turnover Annual Turnover upto Rs. 12 Lakhs |
| 1. | Manufactures or sells any kind of food by himself/herself, Petty retailer, hawker, itinerant vendor, temporary stall, Thela, Sweets Shop, Juice Stall etc. |
| 2. | Hawker – Selling packaged or freshly prepared food by travelling (usually on foot or movable carts) from one location to other |
| 3. | Processing of vegetables oils. |
| 4. | Meat/Fish Processing |
| 5. | All Food Manufacturing/ Processing units other than Dairy Units, Vegetable Oil, Meat Processing and Slaughtering House |
| 6. | Storage |
| 7. | Transporter |
| 8. | Wholeseller/Distrbutor/Retailer/Supplier/Marketer |
| 9. | Hotel/Restaurants/Bars/Club/Canteen/Dhaba/Mid day meal canteen/Food vending agency |
| S.No | On basis of Production |
| 1 | Dairy Units including Milk Chilling Units whose production is Upto 500 Ltrs of Milk per day Upto 2.5 MT of Milk Solids per annum |
| 2 | Slaughtering House: Large Animals-2 Small Animals- 10 Poultry Birds-50 |
| 3 | All Food Manufacturing/ Processing units other than Dairy Units, Vegetable Oil, Meat Processing and Slaughtering House Production capacity upto 100 Kgs/Ltrs per day |
| 4 | Food vending agency Upto 12 Vending Machines in only one State/UT |
When licences is required?
All food business operators which does not fall under category of petty food business operators are required to procure license.
License is also categorised in two parts:
- State Licence
- Central License
On basis of production capacity and turnover these licenses are bifurcated. Some examples are given below
| Food Item/entity | Production Capacity/Turnover State Licence | Production Capacity/Turnover Central Licence |
| Dairy Units including Milk Chilling Units | 10001 – 50,000 Ltrs of Milk per day 501 MT – 2500 MT of Milk Solids per annum | More than 50,000 Liters of Milk per day More than 2500 MT of Milk Solid Per annum |
| Vegetable Oil Processing Units | 1-2 MT per day | More than 2 MT per day |
| Slaughtering House | Large Animals: 3 to 50 Small Animals: 11 to 150 Poultry Birds: 51 to 1000 | Large Animals: More than 50 Small Animals: More than 150 Poultry Birds: More than 1000 |
| All Food Manufacturing/ Processing units other than Dairy Units, Vegetable Oil, Meat Processing and Slaughtering Houses | More than 2 MT per day No Grains, Cereals or Pulses Milling Units | 101 Kgs/Ltrs – 1 MT per Day All Grains, Cereals, Pulses Milling units without any limit on Production |
| Wholesaler | Turnover more than Rs. 30 Crores per annum | Turnover upto Rs. 30 Crores per annum |
| Distributor | Turnover more than Rs. 20 Crores per annum | Turnover upto Rs. 20 Crores per annum |
Till 30th October 2020 license and registration was granted by the Authority through Food Licensing and Registration System popular known as FLRS.
With effect from 1st November 2020 Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) is operational Pan-India to replace existing Food Licensing and Registration System.
Food business operators are required to make application and submit necessary documents at FOSCOS along with the fees. After submission of application reference number will be generated and applicant can track the status of their application through this application number.
It is advisable for all entities/person engaged in food business to get themselves registered with FSSAI as this not only increases the buyer’s confidence but also ensure safety of consumers.
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