One of the necessary condition after registering business entity is to obtain Government License / Permits. In case you are into food industry e.g hawker, itinerant vendor, temporary stall holder; food distributor in any religious or social gathering events except a caterer, or by any way related to manufacturing, transportation, storage or distribution of food product or tiny food business, you must obtain an FSSAI Registration or FSSAI License before starting operations.

As mentioned under the FSS Act 2006, every food business operator (FBO) shall get its business registered or obtain a license under FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India)

Below are the categories in which FSSAI has divided license/registration based on the turnover limits of the company

Ø  Failure of registration for FSSAI Registration/License may charge heavy penalties and considered as a legal offense.

Ø  Based on business requirement, a Food license is issued for 1 year to 5-Year validity 

• Photo ID issued by a Government authority
• Passport size Photo
• Authority letter

Other than Manufacturers

FSSAI registration is compulsory for all food businesses who are involved in a petty food business. The Petty food business operator can be any person or entity who fulfills below criteria

• Manufactures or sells any item of food himself or with the help of any other petty retailer shop;
• Any hawker, itinerant vendor, temporary stall holder; food distributor in any religious or social gathering events except a caterer;
• food businesses including a small scale or cottage or such other industries relating to food business or tiny food businesses having an annual turnover of not more than Rs.12 Lakhs

Manufacturing Capacity

• The volume of production of food items (other than milk, milk products, meat and meat products) must be less than 100 kg per day.
• Procurement, handling, and collection of milk is up to 500 Kg per day.
• Slaughtering capacity of FBO must be less than 2 large animals or 10 small animals or 50 poultry birds per day.

All food processing plants including re-labelers and re-packers
Turnover of FOB not exceeding 12 lakhs and whose production capacity of food do not exceed 100kg per day

Dairy units including milk chilling house equipped to handle or process
FOB capacity of Up to 500 liters per day or up- to 2.5 MT per annum

Vegetable oil processing units and units involved in producing vegetable oil by the process of solvent extraction and refineries including oil expeller unit:
Turnover up-to 12 lakhs annum

FBO involved in Slaughtering
Large animals up-to 2 numbers
Small animals up-to 10 numbers
Poultry birds up-to 50 numbers per day

FBO processing Meat products
Turnover up-to 12 lakhs per annum

It's compulsory for all Petty food business operators to obtain FSSAI registration/basic license.

• FBO can obtain registration by submitting an application to food and Safety Department of India.
• The application shall be submitted in Form A.
• The application for registration can be accepted or it may be rejected by the Food and Safety Department.
• In both the cases of acceptance and rejection, Food and Safety Department will inform FOB within 7 days from the date of submission of the application.
• The decision of the Food Department about the accepting or rejecting the application of the FBO should be intimated in writing.
• The registration certificate issued by the Food Department after accepting the application shall contain the registration number and the photo of the applicant.
• At the time of carrying on the food business, the Food Business Operator must prominently display the certificate of registration at the place of business.

The application for renewal should be made not later than 30 days prior to the expiry of the FSSAI License.