FSAAI - Food Safety in India

Eating out has become a common trend. It is also an upward trend, which results in many new restaurants and cafes sprouting all over the country. But has one ever wondered who checks them. What body governs them. This is where FSSAI body comes in play.


What is FSSAI ?
FSSAI stands for Food Safety and Standard Authority of India. It was established in the year 2011 by Former Union Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramdoss. It operates on the food safety standards formulated in 2006. FSSAI is a autonomous body and it is under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

What is FSSAI Registration ?
FSSAI registration is a a mandatory compliance which required to do any food related business in India. Once registered the FSSAI body issues a 14 digit number to the restaurant / cafe / food importer / food packaging company, etc.

This number is segregated into 5 parts

1. The 1st number indicates whether the business is registered or not.
2. The 2nd and 3rd number indicate the state code
3. The 4th and 5th number tells you which year the business was incorporated.
4. The 6th, 7th and 8th number is for the quantity of the enrolling master
5. The 9th to 14th number are the makers permit number.

For whom is it mandatory to get FSSAI licence in India ?

It is mandatory for any individual or company which operates with food substances to obtain the registration.

1. Hotels
2. Wholesaler
3. Restaurants
4. Food chains
5. Food sellers and re-sellers
6. Dairy and dairy processing
7. Food importers and exporters
8. Processors like pickle and dry fruit maker
9. Raw material suppliers to food businesses
10. Retailers & establishments who have a retail outlet
11. Simple transporters who transfer items from one location to another
12. Canteens in corporations, schools, colleges, hospitals or government institutions
13. Packaged food manufacturers who produce items such as biscuits and ready to eat products Storage units and warehouses require a food safety registration instead of a production license.

What are the types of FSSAI Registration ?

The basic license: This is the primary kind of food license and it is issued for:

- Businesses that are small in turnover – 12 Lakh INR approximately
- FBO that is at the budding stage like a dairy with a capacity of less than 500 ltr/day.
- Trades like tea shops, canteens, food processors and small warehouses ideally require this licence. It can be upgraded when the business begins to expand in capacity and profit.

The State Licence: Companies that have a profit greater than 12 lakhs and less than 20 Crores INR require the state license.Some examples are:

• - Dairies with a capacity of over 50,000 litres/day

• - Hotels with a 3-star rating and above

The Central License: The above two licences were for small and mid-sized trades. The central registration is for bigger businesses. 

It is issued to:An exception here is the catering business. Irrespective of their turnover, they have to apply for a state license and not a basic license.

     - Companies that supply food to governments offices and departments.

     - Trades that have a turnover of over Rs. 20 Crores.
     - Food import and export commerce

Conclusion

This is some basic info on FSSAI and why it is important

There are some great minds at Vakil Search who help you in obtaining the licence with ease.
I have used Vakil Search for getting my company set-up. They work really fast and diligently. 

Do check the following link for more info.

https://vakilsearch.com/online-food-license-fssai-registration