FSSAI License in Punjab

An FSSAI license is issued as an endorsement of the trading activities of a food business. The licensing regulations pertaining to this FSSAI license is vested with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is the statutory body for food administration in the country. Though headquartered in Delhi, its widespread regional offices cater to the various Food Business Owners (FBOs) in terms of registration of businesses. This article looks at the concept of FSSAI license, with a specific bearing on the issue of FSSAI license in Punjab.

Functions of FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is India’s governing body for food regulations. It performs its functions in accordance with the Food Safety and Security Act of 2006; and is entrusted with the responsibilities of establishing the standards for healthy and consumable food products. Also, it regulates the storage, production, distribution, and sales of food products; thereby ensuring that the food products are devoid of impurities and adulteration.

Objectives of the License

The regulation of licensing the food system has been brought forth to facilitate the safety of food and to validate the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food. A typical FSSAI license consists of a 14-digit registration number, which is a mark of authenticity in all food products.

Applicability

An FSSAI license is issued to all FBO’s in pursuit of their endeavors; the likes of which include hotels, restaurants, food chains, packaged food manufacturers, food sellers/resellers, food importers/exporters, raw material suppliers of the food business, and canteens.

Benefits of the License

Following are some of the benefits rendered by an FSSAI license to the food manufacturer:

Grants a single point access to the pertinent laws and departmental controls.
Instils confidence in customers with respect to the quality and quantity of food.
Validates the operations of the FBO.

Types of FSSAI License

FSSAI generally issues the following forms of licenses by considering the nature of food business and its turnover:

Basic License
State License
Central License

License Determiner

Since we now understand the types of licenses, let us go ahead and explore the factors associated with the issue of these licenses:

Basic License

Basic licenses are issued for FBO’s, whose turnover ranges within 12 lakhs in a year. Business qualifying for this registration includes the likes of distributors, marketers, and retailers. A basic license is valid for a period of one-five years.

State Licenses

These licenses are issued if the turnover of the FBO is above Rs. 12 lakhs in a year but below Rs. 20 lakhs. These licenses are generally issued for:

Hotels
Restaurants
Manufacturers
Dairy units
Marketers
Distributors
Retailers
Other FBO’s with small or medium scale operations.

Central Licenses

Central licenses are issued for businesses whose turnover averages more than Rs. 20 crores in a year. Given the scale of turnover, such a license is generally issued to:

Hotels rated five-star and above.
Importers and exporters.
FBO’s enlisted in the state category who wish to extend their operations to a larger scale.
Food caterers supplying to airports and seaports.
Food processing units, resellers, and replacers who are processing more than two metric tons of food products, grains, cereals, and pulse milling units.
Refrigerated storage units with a holding capacity of at least 10,000 metric tons.
Wholesalers with an annual turnover of above Rs. 30 crores.

Documents Required

The following documents must be furnished by an FBO for availing the license in the State of Punjab. It may be noted that there might be subtle differences in the documentary requirements based on the type of license sought for. However, the following licenses are required to open any type of FBO unit.

Application form.
A sketch of the layout of the processing unit.
List of Directors/Partners/Proprietors/Executive Members of the Society/Trust with their address and contact details.
List of food category to be manufactured (if the proposed FBO is a manufacturing unit).
A letter of Authority with the name and address of the concerned person nominated by the manufacturer indicating the powers they are entitled to.
Details of the alternative responsible person in a manner as prescribed above.
Analysis report of the chemical and bacteriologic state of the water to be used in the ingredients of the food to be manufactured.
Proof of ownership of the premises.
Partnership deed (if the particular FBO is a partnership firm).
Affidavit of Proprietorship (if the particular FBO is a proprietorship firm).
MOA and AOA of the firm (if the particular FBO is a company).
Copy of the certificate issued under the Co-operative Societies Act, 1861 or the Multi-state Co-operative Societies Act, 2002 (if the proposed FBO is a co-operative society).
NOC and copy of the license from the manufacturer (applicable for re-labelers and re-packers).
Food Safety Management System plan or certificate (if any).
Details pertaining to the source of obtaining milk or procurement plan for milk, along with that of the raw materials (if the particular FBO is among the list milk or milk products processing units).
Details pertaining to the source of raw materials for meat (if the particular FBO is a meat processing unit).
Pesticides residues report of water (if the proposed FBO is a water manufacturing unit).
Recall plan (if necessitated).
NOC from the municipality or relevant local body.
Nomination of personnel by a company along with the board resolution.
Certificate issued by the Ministry of Tourism (for hotels).
Proof of turnover or self-declaration of the number of vehicles (applicable for a transporter).
Declaration form (for Delhi and Andhra Pradesh).

Applicable Fee

The license can be obtained by remitting the required fee. The following fee structure is enforced in the State of Punjab.

Type of Manufacturer/Miller	Fees
Where the production capacity is above 1MT per day	Rs. 5000
Where the production capacity is 10,001 to 50,000 LPD of milk or 501 to 25000 MT of milk solids per annum	Rs. 5000
Where the production capacity is below 1 MT	Rs. 3000
Where the production capacity is 501 to 10,000 LPD of milk or 2.5 MT to 500 MT of milk solids per annum	Rs. 3000
Hotels rated up to four-stars	Rs. 5000
Foodservice providers, canteens, caterers, banquet halls, food vendors and other FBO’s	Rs. 2000

Contact Details

For further details connected with the issue of license, kindly contact: Food Safety and Standard Authority of India, 2nd Floor, Kendriya Sadan, Sector – 9-A, Chandigarh- 160017 0172-2741321 0172-2741321 aksingla@fssai.gov.in http://www.fssai.gov.in/AboutFSSAI/