Do you have a food business that satiates the hunger of a sizeable consumer base? Are you looking forward to venturing into the food business with an aspiration to operate in multiple states? The food business is one such venture that revolves around an array of legal obligations, including the obtainment of a central food license. This write-up will talk about the important aspects of the FSSAI food license such as documentation, legalities, application filing, so on and so forth.
List of documents required for central food license
The following list entails the mandatory documents required for a central food license.
- Applicant’s digital photographs (passport size)
- Identity proof of the business owner such as PAN Card, Voter ID, DL, Aadhaar Card, etc.
- Registration certificate of the business
- Form IX Nominations.
- Proof reflecting the source of raw materials;
- Complete list of machinery & equipment available at the manufacturing facility.
- Details regarding the food items produced at the manufacturing facility.
- Authorization Letter reflecting the credential of the responsible person such as name and address.
- No-Objection certificate granted by the Municipality;
- Submit a copy of the Food Safety Management System (aka FSMS).
- A detailed list of the edible commodity for which the State or central food license is needed.
- Details of partners and a valid Partnership Deed in case the applicant represents the partnership firm.
- A copy of Trust Deed and Trustees records in case of a registered Trust.
- MOA, AOA, incorporation certificate, details of directors in case of an MCA registered company.
- For Co-operative Society, detail of all the members.
- Star rating certificate bestowed by the Ministry of Tourism[1].
Read our article:Renew FSSAI License – When and How to Do it!
Online procedure to apply for central food license
Once you arranged these documents successfully, you can approach FSSAI’s online portal (FosCos) to apply for this license in the following manner
- Open the FoSCoS portal from your web browser.
- Sign in to the portal to open the home page.
- On the home page, navigate to the left section and open the e-form the drop-down menu.
- Next, select the relevant state>type of business, and annual turnover limit
- While filing up the online application for a central food license, the applicant is supposed to enter the following details;
- Scroll to the bottom and hit the Save and Next tab. This will land you on the documentation section, where you need to upload an aforesaid document in the permissible format.
- Once done, proceeds further to make the online payment regarding the requested fee
- Once applied, the form will be routed to the investigation officer where it will be scrutinized for any potential error. During this process, the authority might send the designated officer to the place of business or the manufacturing facility to make some legal checks.
- If the authority is satisfied with the candidature of the applicant, they will bestow the certificate to the applicant.
What if you do not comply with FSSAI’s norms?
- If an FBO carries its operations in the absence of an FSSAI food license, then such action will be subjected to penal provisions cited under the FSS, Act 2006. In such circumstances, The business owner may confront imprisonment in addition to a penalty of up to INR 5 lakhs.
- If a business owner fails to maintain the quality of the food articles in view of FSSAI’s norms, then a penalty of Rs 5 lakhs shall be imposed on such an individual;
- The selling of misbranded goods is a punishable offense under the FSS Act, 2006. A person who is found guilty of such an act would be liable to pay the penalty of Rs 3 lakhs.
- In case of excessive adulteration, a penalty of Rs 1 lakhs shall be imposed on such a defaulter.
Essential factors pertaining to FSSAI Food License
- Food vending agencies seeking a central food license must have more than 100 vending machines and/or located in multiple states/UTs.
- Hotels having five stars and above must apply for a Central food license.
- Central FSSAI license is a mandate for transporters having more than 100 specialized vehicles such as milk tankers, wagons, and insulated refrigerated vans and generating yearly revenue of more than Rs. 30 crores
- Warehouses, Godowns having more than 50000 MT of storage capacity for storing edible items shall stay illegal in the absence of a Central Food License.
- FSS Act, 2006 governs the operating protocols of all the FBOs in India.
- The standard fee for a central food license is Rs 7500.
- Adulteration of food items is forbidden under the FSS Act, 2006.
- Make sure to upload the document in the permissible format during the application process.
- The issuance of a food license typically depends on parameters such as the scale of operation, production capacity, and of course annual turnover.
- During the course of business, the license holders can be scrutinized by the FSSAI’s officials for legal checks.
Conclusion
Central food license is generally obtained by businesses with a bigger market footprint or sizeable annual revenue. Keep in mind that legal obstacles shall become more apparent in case of non-compliance with FSSAI’s underlying provisions. Being prudent and watchful is immensely important in this context. And do not forget about the penal provisions and renewal requisites for your license. In case if you need some professional assistance then head to CorpBiz’s helpdesk without any second thought.
Read our article:How to Get FSSAI License in India: Full Guide
