Food Business is growing in India widely and many have started their food business through their outlets and many are opting for cloud kitchen business. The manufacturing of nutraceuticals in India is experiencing a significant upsurge, with the FSSAI license serving as the essential regulatory requirement. Several Aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato also shared a space in development and growth of food business.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Fssai) is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, to regulate the food business and to provide registration and licenses. FSSAI Registration ensures that the food products are safe for consumption and it is essentially a food safety certificate circulated by the food authority in India. All the manufacturers, traders, grocery stores, restaurants, importers, exporters and E-commerce operators, etc. are eligible for issuing a FSSAI Licence. FSSAI Licensing assures that food products undergo specific quality checks, thereby decreasing the cases of adulteration, substandard products.
Types Of Fssai License
- Basic Registration– If Expected/ Actual Sales <12 lakh/year (For Small-sized businesses or start-ups)
- State Registration: If Expected/ Actual Sales of 12 lakh – 2 Crore/year (Medium-size business)
- Central Registration: For Sales > 2 Crore/year
NOTE: For E-commerce business or Export Business Central license is applicable irrespective of turnover.
Fssai License fees
Fssai Basic | Rs 100 / Year (For All kind of small business) |
Fssai State License | Rs 2000/ year – for Retail / Wholesale / Restaurant / Distributor Rs 3000 / Year – for Manufacturing units |
Fssai Central License | Rs 7500 for all Kinds of business. |
Documents Required for Fssai Registration
1. Aadhar and PAN of proprietor .
2. Passport size photo.
3. Rent agreement/ Sale deed
4. GST certificate if available.
Documents Required for Fssai State and Central License
1. Aadhar and PAN of proprietor/ partner/director.
2. Rent agreement/ Sale deed.
3. Water Analysis report from NABL accredited Lab (for restaurant and manufacturer).
4. Layout plan (for manufacturer).
5. Production unit photo (for manufacturer).
6. List of machines (for manufacturer).
7. NOC from manufacturers (for 3rd party Manufacturing).
8. IEC code (for Exporter&Importer).
9. Any Business registration document(COI/DEED)
10. NOC from Municipal Corporation(for meat and meat based prodcuts)
Tatkal Fssai License
FSSAI has introduced and extended the Instant (Tatkal) issuance of licenses/registrations nationwide, excluding Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya, with State-specific requirements to be added later. This provision applies to specific food business categories such as wholesalers, retailers, importers, and food vending agencies. Licenses will be issued instantly via the FoSCoS platform, subject to digital verification (GST, PAN, AADHAAR, etc.), alongside the regular application process, to enhance ease of doing business.
FSSAI License Renewal
So if you don’t renew your FSSAI license before it expires, like 30 days before, you’ll start getting a fee of Rs. 100 every day. If the license gets expired than also you have option to renew it but that will penalised with huge amount.
If you renew within 90 days after it’s expired, you’ll pay three times the normal price. But if you wait longer, like 91 to 180 days after, you’ll end up paying five times what it usually costs.
Annual Return for FSSAI License
I must file an annual return (Form D1) by May 31st each year if my FSSAI license is for manufacturing, repackaging, relabeling, or importing food stuff.
If I don’t submit it by then, I’ll get charged Rs. 100 every day late. Maximum penalty can reach up to five times the license amount. So like, if I had a central FSSAI license and forgot to file a return for three years, I’d have to pay Rs. 109500 (which is 365 x 3 x 100). But the highest penalty would be capped at Rs. 37500, or five times the license fees.
License Modification
There’s two types of changes you can make to your FSSAI license:
Form C Modification: If you want to change something like the name, address, business type, or even the production capacity, you need to fill out Form C, and it costs Rs. 1000 plus any other charges if you increase production.
Non-Form C Modification: If you only change minor things, like contact info or technical staff, you don’t need Form C. Those things won’t affect the license details directly.
Fostac Certificate for FBO
Fssai has authorized training partners to train the food business operators operating in different types of food business and then issues Fostac certificate to all who qualify the exam conducted by training authority.
Purpose of this training scheme is to make aware of the fssai guidelines applicable on their kind of food businesses and to make aware of best practices to adopt within the industry. FBO who want to get certified must apply on the portal – Fostac.fssai.gov.in and pay a government fees of Rs 5000 + GST.
Mandatory 3rd Party Audit
Fssai has prescribed mandatory 3rd party audit from recognized inspection agency which inspect the premises and provide overall marks to the business. If marks obtained is below than 50% then fssai Non Compliance is marked and it may result to cancellation of fssai license after giving an opportunity of being heard likewise if marks obtained is 50%-79% then improvement status is given and certain remedial action is prescribed.
FBO enagaged in manufacturing must reach to these authorised inspection agencies and for this these auditors charge their professionals Fees. This 3rd party audit is mandatory for all manufacturers of high risk category products which is specified in fssai orders.
What is a FSSAI licence?
Fssai License is an authorization by Food safety authorities to sell,store and manufacture all kinds of foods and food based products including all agricultural produces. Fssai License is mandatory for all kind of foods and it is a premise based license which means it is applied separately for each location where food is stored or manufactured or dealt with.
Is a FSSAI license mandatory for small business?
Fssai License in Mandatory of all kinds of businesses where foods is the main subject. Irrespective of the size of the business it is mandatory for all. Fssai has 3 types of licenses based on the nature of work and size of the business. They consider turnover to decide which license are applicable. For small sized businesses having turnover upto or less than 12 lakhs Fssai Basic Registration is required.
Who are eligible for FSSAI?
Fssai is applicable to all food business operators(FBO) who are manufacturing, selling and storing the food products like restaurant owners, Kirana stores, Beverage manufacturer, Hawkers and food products manufacturer. But a drug retail and wholesale stores does not require fssai license as drug and medicinal products are excluded from the definition of food in Fssai Act, 2006
Is GST required for FSSAI?
GST is not a mandatory document for applying fssai license however in some cases trade license by municipal corporations can be asked by the fssai authority for Fssai License.
How much money is required for FSSAI registration?
License fees is different for different types of Fssai Lciense. For Fssai Basic Registration license fees is Rs 100/year , for fssai state license license fee is 3000/year for manufacturer and 2000/year for non-manufacturer applicant and for central license fee is 7500/year. Additional 18% GST is levied on license fees.
Is food license required for Swiggy and Zomato?
While getting listed on Swiggy and Zomato platform, fssai license with category - food vending establishment or petty retailer of snacks or restaurant is mandatorily required. If you want to list your food products on Amazon or Flipkart then also fssai license will be required.
What is the turnover limit for a food license?
For Turnover upto 12 lakhs Fssai basic registraton is required and for turnover exceeding 12 lakh and upto 2 crores Fssai State license is required and for turnover exceeding 2 crore Fssai central license is required.
What is the time period of food license?
Fssai license is issued for a period of 1 year to 5 years. Option to apply for 1 year or more remains in hands of Food business operator. License fees will be adjusted as per number of years applied for.
What is a tatkal food license?
Tatkal food license is relaxations given to food business operators to get license license within a day. Fssai has provided this relaxations under ease of business scheme to facilitate FBO for getting license instantly. Fssai has prescribed this scheme for certain kind of business which are under low risk categories like Retailers, Distributors, Petty retailers of food snacks.
How to make a FSSAI license online?
Draft an online application on Foscos website. Select the license period you want to apply for. Attach mandatory documents as per kind of business selected and proceed to pay the license fees. Once fee is paid acknowledgement will be generated which will be used to track the application and any further queries if any received from Fssai Authority.
Which are the three types of FSSAI license?
Fssai License is of 3 types depending on the turnover of the business and kind of business to be applied. Fssai Basic license is for small business owners having turnover less than 12 lakhs . Fssai State license is for businesses having turnover more than 12 lakhs but less than 2 crores. Fssai Central license is for business having turnover exceeding 2 crores and for businesses having export import and selling products online.
Which products need a FSSAI license?
Fssai license is required for all kinds businesses manufacturing products of any food based products like peanut butter,nutraceuticals or beverages. It is also required for cloud kitchen, restaurants and retail or wholesale businesses of food products.
Expert opinion
In order to receive the fssai license without any delay and with no difficulties Fssai application should be filed keeping in view of all rules and regulations prescribed for any particular kind of business. For Instance, Application for Fssai License for Dairy business, Test report of Milk from authorized lab must be attached while submitting the application.
