FSSAI is Food Safety and Standards Authority of India comes under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It has been established under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 consolidated under various acts & orders which handles food related issues in various Ministries and Departments. These standards are based on Science for food safety. It also regulates food manufacturers, food storage, food distribution, food sale and import of quality food to ensure safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

Genesis of Food Safety and Standard (FSS) Act, 2006

After the commencement of FSS Act, 2006, below listed Acts were, which were handled by various ministries and departments, repealed.

1. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
2. Fruit Products Order, 1955
3. Meat Food Products Order, 1973
4. Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947
5. Solvent Extracted Oil, De- Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967
6. Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988
7. Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992

After the FSS Act, 2006, FSSAI was consequently established in 2008 but work within the Food Authority effectively began in 2011 after its Rules and key Regulations were notified.

This Act established an independent statutory Authority for the food safety, which is FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) with head office in Delhi under which various State Food Safety Authorities shall work and FSSAI along with State Food Safety Authorities shall enforce the various provisions of this Act.

FSSAI Functions as per the FSS Act, 2006

• Framing of Regulations to lay down the Standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and specifying appropriate system of enforcing various standards.
• Granting FSSAI food safety license and certification for food businesses, laying down procedure and guidelines for laboratories in food businesses and notification of the accredited laboratories.
• To provide suggestions to the Central and State Governments in framing the policies.
• To collect data regarding contaminants in foods products, identification of emerging risks and introduction of rapid alert system.
• Creating an information network across the country about food safety and issues of concern.
• Promote general awareness about food safety and food standards.
• Contribute to the development of International technical standards for food, Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary standards.

FSSAI Legislative Framework

• Highlights of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 states-
  • The Act aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food safety and standards, by moving from multi- level, multi-departmental control to a single line of command.
  • The Act established FSSAI and the State Food Safety Authorities for each State.
• Highlights of Food Safety and Standards Rule, 2011. The Rules provides for-
  • The Food Safety Appellate Tribunal and the Registrar of the Appellate Tribunal, for adjudication of food safety cases.
• Highlights of Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2011,
  • It covers Licensing and Registration, Packaging and Labeling of Food Businesses, Food Product Standards and Food Additives Regulation.
  • It prohibits and restricts on sales or approval for Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients, such ingredients may cause harm to human health.
  • It provides for Food Safety and Standards on Organic Food and regulates Food Advertising.

However there are shortcomings and challenges as well such as unorganized sector, but these sectors also need to get registered with basic registration of FSSAI.

Lack of infrastructure such as food testing laboratories was another concern, but now there are 179 National Accreditation Board for testing and calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited Labs.

Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC) has been made necessary before undergoing the registration process.

FSSAI registration and approval is also a cumbersome and lengthy process however we should know the approval process if any startup wants to set up his/her food processing business then one can follow below steps-

Steps to Apply as FBO in FSSAI

Food licensing and registration system (FLRS) is an online application launched by FSSAI to facilitate FBO in India to apply for the Licence/registration and track their applications during the course of processing. Latest version was launched in September, 2014.

There are different license applications such as central license (annual turnover above INR 20 crores), state license ( annual turnover of more than INR 12 lakhs but confined to INR 20 crores) and basic registration (up to INR 12 Lacs annual turnover) available one should be aware of before applying for the FSSAI license. This license is valid for 5 years then after it is needed to renew the license after submitting required document and applicable fees.

Below are the registration steps one can refer but expert advice such as Lawyers/CAs should be taken as they help in creating documents and help in application process.

1. Go to FSSAI Food Licensing website
2. Check supporting documents such as premises photograph, company documents (how to register a company), directors list etc., applicable fees, rules and guidelines given at the bottom left of the site
3. You can search food business operators in your area/district from FBO Search and can contact them about the process
4. You can also get the contact details of the FSSAI state office from Contact details and can communicate with them for more information
5. In the site click on Apply Now button and on the next page, click on Accept button to accept the terms and conditions
6. In the next page, select your state from the drop down
7. Click on No radio button if your offices/premises or food business is not located in more than 1 state
8. Select your kind of business (KoB) on the page and click on proceed button
9. Now click on “click to apply” link given on the page where you need to login into the site as food business operator.

   

10. If you have not registered in the site then create your username and password then login and fill rest of the details along with supporting documents/photos/fees and submit the application. On this, you will be given an application reference number which will be used to track the application status in future
11. You can also refer guidelines for the registration

Steps To Do FSSAI License Number Search Online

1. You can visit the FSSAI site at “foodlicensing[dot]fssai[dot]gov[dot]in/index[dot]aspx“
2. At the right hand side, enter your Application reference number
3. Give captcha code and click on ‘Go’ button
4. In the page, your application status is shown

Steps To Do FSSAI License Number Renewal

1. Click on the link (“foodlicensing[dot]fssai[dot]gov[dot]in/LICRGDetails[dot]aspx“) for the renewal of your FSSAI license
2. Enter your 14 digit License/Registration No., Validity date and captcha code
3. Complete rest of the formalities such as documentation, fees etc. to complete the renewal process

Anatomy Of 14 Digit FSSAI License Number

The FSSAI license number which is issued to all types of FBOs consists of 14 digits which is further divided into 5 groups. These groups are denoted as below-

1. 1st digit shows the business is having FSSAI registration or FSSAI license. In case of FSSAI registration, 1st digit will be ‘1’, while in case of FSSAI license, 1st digit will be ‘2’.
2. 2nd & 3rd digits show the FSSAI License state code. Central FSSAI license is depicted by ‘00’, while State licenses are shown by successive digits.
3. 4th & 5th digits show the year when the business got the FSSAI registration.
4. 6th, 7th & 8th digits signify the Registrar Officer under whose jurisdiction the FSSAI License falls. So, each state will assign these digits from 001 to 999 as Registrar Officers.
5. 9th to 14th digits show the serial number of the food business operator, who is under a specific Registrar Officer. Each Registrar Officer can hold up to 10 lakh food businesses or serial numbers up to 999999.

You can also call the helpline number 1800112100, working hours from 9:30 AM to 1 PM and from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM on all seven days, you can email them and go through the guidelines and tips to avoid delay in registration process of Food Licensing.

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