If you are in a plan to initiate a food retail business, then it is necessary to hold a license from FSSAI (Food Safety and Standard Authority in India). It provides a license for the security as well as the regularity of food products that are made and sold in the country. Without the license, no wholesaler or retailer can stock goods.
If you’re projecting to start a food retail business in India, the most crucial license is the one from the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Family Health & Welfare, Government of India. Certainly, the FSSAI grants licenses for the safety and uniformity of food products produced and sold in India. However, without one, no legal wholesaler or retailer would stock your goods. Let us have a brief analysis of the FSSAI license:
- What is an FSSAI license?
- Importance of Food Safety and Quality Standards for Consumers
- Types of FSSAI Food Licenses in India
- What is the FSSAI Food License Eligibility
- Documents required for FSSAI Food License
- Conclusion
What is an FSSAI license?
The FSSAI serves toward establishing clear standards for articles of food, to improve their production, storage, shipping, exchanges, and import. Additionally, it is compulsory for any startup or business with a plan to start the food retail business to get an FSSAI license. This is, of course, in extension to the other licenses you would require.
This is an action by the Government of India to guarantee the food produced, shared, or imported adheres to the criteria set by the food authority and thereby evade obstacles such as adulteration and poor qualities of food.
The FSSAI license is classified into three sections:
- FSSAI license for single-state businesses with a yearly turnover of under Rs. 12 lakh.
- FSSAI license for single-state hotels, restaurants, and medium-sized food businesses with an annual turnover of Rs. 12 lakh to Rs. 20 crores.
- FSSAI central license for companies with a turnover of over Rs. 20 crores.
If you plan to open outlets in more than one state, you will require a Central FSSAI license for the certified office and state licenses for individual units. Furthermore, if you have warehouses in several states, you will be expected to get a separate license for each facility.
In India, any person or an entity intending to begin with a food business must get a food license or a certification from the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).
The implementation of FSSAI Rules and Regulations is undertaken by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, which is headquartered in New Delhi. It assures the availability of safe food products for human consumption by putting down a set of safety measures in lieu to improve the building, distributing, and collecting of the food products. It is therefore liable for improving the public health between the masses by having a regular check.
Approximately 90% of food products have a designated specification by FSSAI. Only the sea products and the products involving fishers and farmers are out of the scope of FSSAI. It usually takes two months to get the FSSAI License and nearly six months for the launch of goods approval in the business.
Importance of Food Safety and Quality Standards for Consumers
FSSAI Registration performs a vital role in formulating the governing methods for keeping the food quality levels to guarantee safety and catering comfort to each buyer. It executes steps to eliminate the poisonous and dangerous elements present in the food, appearing in the support of food safety to the consumers.
Consumer trust is the basic and the greatest asset for getting the point for the food experts. A product’s packaging talks volumes about the product condition and in a way, tell the customers about the food safety standards. The customers are also provided to contribute to producing experimental techniques to the government.
Food safety standards vary from one special food article to another. The basic purpose must be to achieve the required standards for every appropriate food type to have the primary focus on public well-being. Numerous malpractices like cheating, corruption, misleading claims, and other activities that double cross the customers should be strictly prohibited.
The Food Industry can begin various techniques to ensure food safety:
- Conduct risk analysis questionnaires regularly to recognize dangers and consequently eliminate them.
- Build critical limits for all the governing points, methods should be offered to have the food making actions and build confirmation methods to assure that the remedial steps are being completed efficiently.
- It should be made compulsory for the workers to go through thorough training as they are fairly accountable for the right treatment of food products.
- The publishers are to be forced to determine the quality check of the food products.
- The only thing that pulls the customers is the proper advertising, promotional projects for marketing the business.
- If you want to apply for a food license, you can go with an FSSAI license.
Types of FSSAI Food Licenses in India
Food Safety and Security Association of India, FSSAI issues three distinct types of food licenses in India:
- Basic FSSAI Registration
The petty and small-sized food business executives like manufacturers, transporters, storage units, distributors, marketers, retailers, etc are expected to take a Basic FSSAI Registration which is declared by the State Government for a minimum duration of one year and a maximum of 5 years. It is often for the units having an annual turnover of less than 12 lakh. The rest depends on the qualification.
- State FSSAI License
The authority has conducted the food business operators, holding an annual turnover of more than 12 lakh, like small to medium-sized companies, storage units, transporters, marketers, retailers, sellers, etc to get the State FSSAI License. It is published by the particular State Government becoming the least valid for one year and a maximum of 5 yrs.
- Central FSSAI License
Food business executives who have a turnover higher than 20 crores like large businesses, 100% trading oriented units, importers, operators in the Central Government offices, airports, seaports, etc are enforced to get a Central Food License published by the Central Government. Also, the FBOs are advised to take the Central License for their head office and if they work in more than one state. The minimum security of this license is one year, and the maximum is 5 years.
Eligibility for FSSAI License
The State FSSAI License can be used by the following food business operators:
- Meat Processing Units
- Proprietary Foods
- Slaughtering Units
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Food Processing Units including retailers and repackers
- Dairy Units, including Milk Chilling Units that are implemented to manage and process.
- Vegetable Oil Processing Units and the Units that create vegetable oil within the process of water extraction and factories, including the Oil Expeller Unit.
Documents required for Basic FSSAI License
- Latest Passport size photo of the candidate
- ID proof (voter ID card or Aadhaar Card)
- PAN Card
- Address Proof- Telephone or Mobile Bill/ Electricity or Gas Bill)
- Copy of Business papers (if owned)
- Copy of Rent Agreement and NOC letter from the Landlord (if rented)
Conclusion
The food control safety measure is the necessity to connect the gap within safe food and contaminated food. Hence, the food industry needs rules that are more adaptable and which is also useful in creating and marketing food and therefore ultimately serving the customers with a protective sheet.
