Process of Food Licensing in India

What is food licensing?

Food being a very delicate subject matter has to be Kept under strict vigilance as it directly
affects the health and well-being of its consumers. Rules and regulations are strictly to be
followed so that these food are completely safe for consumption. Verification of these food
products becomes very necessary. Hence they have to follow the verification procedure at the
time of the registration of their food products. When this registration is successful they are
provided with the food license.

Food license is a proof that the food has undergone standard testing and is now fit for human consumption without causing any health complications. This licensing process increases the efficiency of reliability on the companies selling those food products. In India FSSAI which stands for Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is the standard authority of providing food licensing in India and is considered to provide authorise legal permission to sell these food products by the companies for commercial purposes.

According to FSSAI rules every company involved in manufacturing, processing, storing,
distributing and selling of food for commercial purpose 1 is bound to apply for its registration and
get the FSSAI licensing but according to the guidelines a food company with an annual turnover
of below Rs.12 lakhs only need to comply with the registration process after the verification is
conducted therefore no food license is required by such companies. However any company with
a turnover of more than 12 lakhs needs a food licence mandatorily.

Necessity of food licensing

FSSAI licensing provides a verification to ensure that the food is chemically tested to check it’s
reliability for consumption. Health being a sensitive topic strikes a lot of questions in mind
especially before consumption of food products, therefore a regulation body is needed to ensure
consumers about any product they are consuming. On the other hand it is equally important for
the food industry as it is subjected to a higher risk of food adulteration acquisitions for the
ingredients used for its preparation or chemicals used for its preservation.

Food licensing protects them from such acquisitions by providing the proof of test those products go through. FSSAI registration creates a sense of reliability of the consumers on the company which can be a greater market strategy for these companies to sell their food products thus gaining a larger
number of customers. It creates a sense of trust in them which attracts not only the customers but
also other business investors as well increasing the company’s market.

The registration process involves technically proven methods of testing the food under
professional guidance which assures that the consumers are provided with food safe for
consumption. Any food product which does not match the standard criteria is not registered
under FSSAI.

Types of Food licensing

There are three types of license available for the FSSAI registration. The classification is based
on the type of business, its turnover and the production capacity of the business. The three types
of registration are:

1. FSSAI basic registration- Food business operations with a turnover less than 12 lakhs per
annum require FSSAI basic registration, it requires them to fill form A for the registration
process.
2. FSSAI State License- Food business operations with turnover more than 12 lakhs per annum
but less than 20 crores per annum have to obtain FSSAI state license for this process they have
to fill form B of the FSSAI registration form.

3. FSSAI Central License- Food business operations with turnover more than 20 crores per
annum have to obtain this license they have to obtain the central license by filling in form B.

Process of Food licensing

FSSAI registration number or a license number is a 14 digit number printed at the food package
which provides details about the assembling states and producer’s permit. The licensing as well
as the registration is regulated by the Food Safety and Standard (License and Registration of
Food Business Regulation) act of 2011 

Food business operators can obtain the license and registration by filing and submitting the
FSSAI registration form from the FoSCoS portal .  They can also register off-line application by
submitting the respective forms to the Food and Safety department other required documents
should be submitted along with the forms either off-line or online whichever mode is selected for
the process of registration and licensing. The department shall accept or reject the form within
seven days of receiving such application either off-line or online. The department may also
conduct an inspection at the food premises as a process of granting the registration certificate if
all the grounds are met the FSSAI shall grant the registration certificate along with the
registration number in addition to the photo of the applicant email ID.
This certificate has to be prominently displayed during the business are at the place of business.

Eligibility for registration

For small scale food business the food-based operators require the following categories to be
covered.
-An annual turnover of not more than 12 lakhs.
-Petty retailer dealing in food products.
-Any individual selling food products on his own.
-Temporary food stalls.

-Individual distributing food in any religious or social gathering except a caterer.
-Any small scale or cottage industry which deals in food business along with the following 6 .

Except the small scale food businesses all other food business have to obtain the license which
are classified into state license and central license based on the size of industry. Large-scale
industry obtains the Central FSSAI registration license whereas small to medium size
manufacturing units obtain the State FSSAI license. 

Other conditions include manufacturing capacity of 2MT per day and dairy units handling
business up to 5000 L per day. Three star hotels, re-labelling units, clubs and canteens will have
to apply for the licensing which shall have its validity for maximum five years from the date of
issuing and minimum of one year 

Documents required for obtaining the FSSAI registration/license 

-Identity proof of the food business in photograph.
-Certificate of business Constitution such as the certificate of incorporation, partnership deed or
any other business registration certificate.
-Proof of possession and non-objection certificate from the owner if the premises is rented.
-Food safety management system plan.
-Food products manufactured.
-The information of bank account.
-Other supporting documents such as the non-objection certificate by the municipality or the
health not objection certificate, manufacturing license etc.

Apart from the above mentioned documents in case of State and Central licensing the following
documents are also required. 
-Form B duly filled and attested
-Plan of the processing unit showing the dimensions and operation-wise area allocation

-List of Directors/ Partners/ Proprietor with address, contact details, and photo ID
-Name and list of equipment and machinery used with the number and installed capacity
-Authority letter from manufacturer nominated a responsible person name and address
-Analysis report of water to be used in the process to confirm the portability
-Copy of certificate obtained under Coop Act 1861/Multi-State Coop Act 2002

Apart from the general license, the following specific documents are required to obtain FSSAI
central license: 

-Form B duly completed and signed
-Plan of the processing unit showing the dimensions and operation-wise area allocation
-List of Directors/ Partners/ Proprietor with address, contact details, and photo ID
-Name and list of equipment and machinery used with the number and installed capacity
-Authority letter from manufacturer nominated a responsible person name and address
-Analysis report of water to be used in the process to confirm the portability
-Source of raw material for milk, meat etc
-Recall plan wherever applicable
-Ministry of Commerce Certificate for 100% EOU
-NOC/PA document issued by FSSAI
-IE code document issued by DGFT
-Form IX
-Certificate from Ministry of Tourism
-Supporting document for proof of turnover and transportation
-Declaration form

Registration fees 
Basic registration requires a fees of Rs.100
State license requires a fees of Rs.2500 to 5000 which depends on the business carried out 

The central license requires a fees of Rs.7500

Conclusion

As an aware consumer it is important to know about the product and the process it goes through
before being sold in the market. Food industry has a fair share in today’s market and this gives
rise to competition among different companies. FSSAI guidelines provide a standardized norm to
be followed by all these producers and ensures safe consumption, along with that it also keeps a
check on the quality of the product. This helps in maintaining a regulated food product supply in
the market thus creating a healthy environment.

Article by- Manjushree Mitra.