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Eateries to mention FSSAI licence or registration number on bills/invoices
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Wednesday, 16 June, 2021, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwin Bhadri
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Eateries to mention FSSAI licence or registration number on bills or invoices. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a latest order in this regard.
Apex food safety regulatory body, has made it compulsory for food business operators to mention FSSAI licence or registration number on bills or purchase invoice with effect from October 1, 2021.
Due to lack of information, many complaints remain unresolved. This move will allow consumers to lodge an online complaint against a particular food business operator using the FSSAI number, it stated.
The regulator said that this shall improve the overall awareness as food business operators not mentioning FSSAI number will indicate non-compliance or non registration/licencing. FSSAI said the 14 digit number of any FBO is not "easily visible and available to consumer/service recipients" as the food business ecosystem is quite large.
If the FSSAI number is not visible to a consumer, expecting him to complain with proper coordinates is a bit much. Even the authorities find it difficult to trace the origin of the complaint and act on it promptly, it said. The FSSAI number acts as a unique locator code without which no database can be created.
Currently, FSSAI number is mandated to be displayed on packaged food labels but the problem lies especially in the case of establishments such as cafes, restaurants, caterers, mithai shops, and even retail stores. Furthermore, FSSAI said that it is making amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Licencing and Registration of Food Businesses Regulations in order to mandate display of 'food safety display boards' every time in case of restaurants.
Mentioning the FSSAI number will certainly help in improving traceability for food products, the regulator added.
FSSAI Registration and the FSSAI Licence are different in the sense that based on the size and nature of the business, an FBO must obtain the required registration or licence.
It is a 14 digit number that is printed on all the food packages. The registration number provides details about the producer’s permit, assembling state. In order to make the FBOs more accountable for the quality of their food products, this registration procedure is put in place. The Licencing and registration process and criteria are regulated by Food Safety & Standards (Licencing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011.
Types of Businesses that Require FSSAI Registration/Licence
The following types of business are mandated by the FSSAI to obtain a Registration/Licence:
• Petty retail shops or retailers such as confectionery shops, snacks shops, bakery Shops.
• Fixed stalls or temporary stalls or food premise involved in preparation, storage, distribution, and sale of food items such as chaat stall, gol gappa stall, tea stall, snacks stall, fruits/vegetables vendors, bread pakoda stall, Chinese food stall, samosa stall, sweets stall, South Indian food stall, juice shops.
• Hawkers who sell freshly prepared or packaged food by travelling (generally on foot or movable carts) from one location to another.
• Dairy Units including milk vendors, chilling units and petty milkmen.
• Vegetable Oil Processing Units.
• Slaughtering houses such as mutton shops, chicken shops, meat shops, lamb meat.
• Fish processing and meat processing units.
• All food processing/ manufacturing units that include repacking of food.
• Novel food and proprietary food.
• Cold/refrigerated storage facility.
• Transporter of food items having a number of specialised vehicles like milk tankers, refrigerated van/wagon, food trucks, food wagons.
• Supplier, wholesaler, distributor and marketer of food products.
• Hotels, restaurants and cafeterias.
• Canteens including mid-day meal canteens.
• Food vending caterers and agencies.
• Dhaba, banquet halls, with food catering arrangements, food stalls in fairs or religious institutions, as well as home-based canteens.
• Importers and exporters of food products including food ingredients.
• E-Commerce food suppliers including cloud kitchens.
Depending on the eligibility criteria, the type of FSSAI licence/registration required by each of the above-mentioned businesses varies.
Benefits of Obtaining FSSAI Food Licence
Acquiring a licence can provide the food business with legal benefits, ensure food safety, build goodwill, create consumer awareness, and assist in business expansion. Also, it helps regulate the process of manufacturing, storing, distribution and sale of food products.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
Any registered or licenced individual under the FSSAI has to comply with the rules and regulation specified under the FSS Act, 2006. Generally, a food safety officer conducts the inspection of a food business operator’s facility and measures the level of compliance with the regulations using a checklist. Depending on the compliance level, the food safety officer marks it as:
• Compliance (C)
• Non-compliance (NC)
• Partial compliance (PC)
• Not applicable/Not observed (NA)
Based on the above, the food safety officer might issue an improvement notice wherever required (as mentioned in the FSS Act, 2006). If the FBO fails to adhere to the improvement notice, the officer may cancel his licence. Any FBO indignant by the improvement notice can appeal to the State Commissioner of Food Safety. From thereon, the decision can be challenged by appealing to the Food Safety Appellate Tribunal/High Court.
A great move by FSSAI to ensure eateries in India have the proper registration and licence number as many are still unorganised in that regard. More power to the consumers now. Not only will they have assurity that the restaurants they are eating at are FSSAI-compliant, but they can easily access information about a particular food business operator on FSSAI’s portal or the Food Safety Connect app.
(The author is CEO of Equinox Labs)
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