FSSAI Registration

Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) Registration is a mandatory requirement for any person (natural or artificial) or entity (individual or group) that desires to run a food business in India. The FSSAI Registration primarily serves as the approval of theFood Safety and Standards Authoritytowards the food businesses to confirmthe safety standards of their food. Any trader, operator, and entrepreneur who is carrying out any food manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution, or sale of any kind of food product or any food-related business must get thisRegistration from the appropriate Authority.

FSSAI Registration or License isdealt with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, i.e., the FSS Act 2006 and as per its Section 31 (1) and (2), every Food Business Operation, FBO in India needs to be registered or licensed under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Such Registration/Licensing is regulated by the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011. It has a unique registration number of 14 digits that is given to the holder, which must be imprinted on all the food product packages. In case the Food Business Operator (FBO) does not obtain this Registration before establishing its business then it is liable to pay a penalty of up to Rs. 10 lacs.

The FSSAI Registration is valid for one year or five years, and the holder is required to apply 30 days before the expiry of the Registration for its renewal.

FSSAI i.e., the Food Safety and Standard Authority is an independent organization. However, it was established in 2011, by the Ministry of Health and Family (MoHFW), Government of India, as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.

Benefits

The following are the advantages or benefits of having FSSAI Registration

• Legal Benefits

The Food Business Operators (FBOs) matchtheir food product with quality and safety standards. It complies with standards of transparency and governance of food products. The FBOs will not have to face any penalty if they have this Registration.

• Food safety and security

It is ensured that the raw material or the finished food product complies with the benchmark of the quality check.

• Logo and FASSAI Registration number

The consumer's trust in the FBOs will increase if they have the FASSAI Registration number or logo imprinted on their product. Consumers are most likely to go for the product that has the FSSAI logo or number marked on it.

• Create Goodwill

It improves the confidence of the Food Business Operators (FBOs) in dealing with food products.

• Consumer awareness

With such Registration, there will be an impact on consumers, and the reputation of businesses will increase in the minds of consumers. Today's consumers ensure that the product has complied with the quality of all the FSSAI requirements.

Entity Covered

The FSSAI Registration is for the following individuals or entities:

• All types of food manufactures
• Food packaging unit or storage unit
• Hawkers or itinerant vendors selling packaged or freshly prepared food, usually on foot or movable carts, by travelling from one place to another or the Petty retailers, for example, retail shops, snack shops, confectionery or Bakery shops, etc.
• Temporary stalls or fixed stalls
• Dairy units and milk chilling units
• petty milkmen
• milk vendors
• Vegetable oil processing units
• Meat processing units
• Fish processing units
• Slaughtering houses like meat/mutton shops, chicken shops, etc.
• Food processing units including the repacking business of food.
• Food premises involved in the preparation, distribution, storage, and sale of food products
• Wholesale or Trading Food Business Operator
• Online Food Business Operator
• Transporter of food products having specialised vehicles such as food trucks, insulated refrigerated vans or wagons, food wagons, milk tankers, etc.
• Proprietary food businesses
• Novel food businesses
• Cold or refrigerated storage facility
• Caters, Hotel, Restaurants, bars, or Raw material suppliers
• Canteens and cafeteria
• mid-day meals canteens
• Food vending entities and caterers
• Exporter and Importer related to the food business
• Dhaba
• PGs with a facility for food
• Banquet halls having a food catering business
• Home-based canteens
• Food stalls in fairs or religious institutions
• Transporters, suppliers, Distributors, and marketers of food products
• Retailers of Food Products
• Importers and exporters of food items, including ingredients
• E-commerce food suppliers
• Cloud kitchens

Documents Required

The primary documents required for FSSAI Registration are mentioned below:

• Photo identity Proof of Food Business Operators
• Pan card of Food Business Operators
• No Objection Certificate (NOC) through Municipality or Panchayat
• Health NOC
• Declaration relating to the business details in Form A
• Proof of business premises possession
• Copy of property paper (in case the property is owned)
• Copy of Rent agreement (in case the property is rented)
• Incorporation Certificate
• Deed of Partnership
• Articles of Association (AOA)
• Form IX
• Food Safety Management System Plan with required Certificate
• Water bill
• Electricity bill
• Passport size photo
• Shop and establishment license or other business registration certificate
• List of food products manufactured or processed
• Bank account information
• Certificate of analysis of food products
• List of Directors

Additional documents are as follows:

• Declaration Form
• Ministry of Commerce Certificate for 100% EOU
• Supporting documentary evidence for turnover
• NOC or PA document issued through FSSAI
• Import Export Code issued by DGFT (for importers and exporters)
• BIS License
• Receipt by manufacturers
• Re-packer- declaration or undertaking

Procedure for FSSAI Registration

The FSSAI Registration is the most compulsory requirement for any entity desiring to start any food business. Without Registration, an entity cannot run its food-related business. So, let us help you get this Registration for your business by following these procedures:

• Step I: Contact the team of Adviso

Firstly, contact our team to get your job done without wasting your time.

• Step II: Connect with the Advisor Expert

Secondly, we will assign an experienced expert to help you get your FSSAI Registration.

• Step III: Filling out the Application Form

Our FSSAI Registration expert will fill out the required FSSAI Form (A or B) on your behalf.

• Step IV: Documents submission

You are required to give us all the required documents to mandatorily submit the FSSAI Application Form.

• Step V: Unique Application Reference Number

After completion of the Application Form, it is submitted to the required Authority by our expert. Our expert will help you achieve an application reference number.

• Step VI: Application status

The Registering Authority notifies the status of the application as acceptance or rejection of the FSSAI Registration, and reasons for the same will be recorded in writing within seven days. Our expert will look into your application status for you.

• Step VII: Grant of FSSAI Registration

After the successful completion of all the procedures of this Registration, the Certificate is issued after approval by the Authority.

Adviso will conduct all the required follow-ups of your application status, and then the Certificate will be shared with you.

Types

FSSAI Registration is divided into three categories depending on the category of business turnover. There are additional criteria, too, which are dependent on the production capacity of the food business unit regardless of the turnover. The following are three different categories:

• Basic FASSAI Registration

It is compulsory for small Food Business Operators (FBOs) whose annual turnover does not go beyond the limit of Rs. 12 lacs. They can be hawkers, temporary stall holders, itinerant vendors, etc.

• FSSAI State License

It is compulsory for Food Business Operators with annual turnover between Rs. 12 lacs to Rs. 20 crores, such as medium-sized manufacturers, storage units, transporters, retailers, marketers, and distributors. It is valid for five years.

• FSSAI Central License

It is compulsory for Food Business Operators (FBOs) with an annual turnover beyond Rs. 20 crores, such as import-export oriented units, large manufacturers, Central Government agencies, airports, ports, etc. The Central Government issues it, and it is valid for five years.

Penalty for Non-Compliance

All the Food Business Operators are required to have FSSAI Registration to comply with the set standards of FSSAI. If the FBOs fail to comply with these set standards, they will be penalized. The penalties set by the Authority are as follows:

• Penalty for misbranded food: up to Rs. 3 lacs
• Penalty for sub-standard food: up to Rs. 5 lacs
• Penalty for misleading advertisement: Rs. 10 lacs
• Penalty for Food containing extraneous matter: Rs. 1 lac
• Food quality not in compliance with the Act: Rs. 2 lacs (petty manufacturer- Rs. 25,000)
• Penalty for unhygienic or unsanitary processing or manufacturing of food: Rs 1 lac
• Penalty for failure to comply with the directions of the Food Safety Officer: Rs. 2 lacs

Why Adviso

We have a team of qualified and experienced lawyers, CAs, and CSs who personally deal with your queries and help you obtain the required FSSAI Registration within the time very smoothly. We ensure the highest customer satisfaction for all our clients in Pan India.

• Team of experts:

We have a team of experienced experts who are just a call away. We do our best to answer all your queries and clear all your doubts.

• Full Confidentiality:

We strive to maintain high confidentiality of our client's information.

• Customer support and satisfaction:

Our team of experts is 24X7 available for your phone calls and answers all your queries to your satisfaction.