FSSAI stands for Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, it’s an autonomous body formed under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare under Central Government of India. Any organization or body corporate, working in the field of food product manufacturing, distribution, packing & repacking, storage, restaurant, food joints or in any form which deals with consumable food items needs to acquire this license. This license confirms that the organization is aware and is following the food safety standards and guidelines set in by the central ministry. Overall, ministry has laid down standards to regulate the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. The criteria for getting a license would depend on the following variables:  Nature of the business  Capacity of production  Area of operation  The scale of operations, etc. As per the standards set in by FSSAI, food businesses are not allowed to use or modify words like fresh, natural, pure, authentic, genuine, traditional or real on their food labels or packaging unless the products are not processed, or only peeled, chilled, washed, or trimmed. FSSAI rules made it mandatory for the following to be mentioned on products –  FSSAI logo with its license  Vegetarian / non-vegetarian Mark  Hall Mark  Ingredients in the product being made  Nutritional value in percentage  Manufacture and expiration dates have to be mentioned on the product Now let’s talk something about the license - FSSAI license number is a 14-digit number that must be printed on all the food packaging by a business that is registered under the FSSAI. A business that fails to print its FSSAI number on packages may face heavy penalties. FSSAI provides three types of licenses based on the scale of the business. These are –  FSSAI Registration for businesses with an annual turnover of up to Rs. 12 lakh  State FSSAI License for medium-scale businesses with an expected annual turnover of more than Rs. 12 lakh to Rs. 20 crores  Central FSSAI License for large-scale businesses with an expected annual turnover of more than Rs. 20 crores Let’s now discuss the documents required to apply for this license –  Proof of identification such as PAN Card details, Passport, Voter ID, Driver’s license and so on  Proof of residence such as Passport, Voter ID, Government bank account, etc  Proof of ownership or lease documents if the land is being rented  Registration documents of the company or establishment to prove that it is valid  Self-attested no objection certificate (NOC) from the owner of the premise, if it is being rented out for an eatery  Trade License of the establishment  Certification of Incorporation of the Company/LLP  Memorandum of Association of the eating house/LLP  Complete list of Director or Partner Names and the current Form 32  The nomination of the Authorized signatory on the company’s letterhead. This could be more than one individual  Resolution of the board for conducting business  Updated GST registration certificate.  Certificate of registration issued by the Labor Department, GNCT of the state  Fire Safety Certification applicable for eating houses, seating a minimum of 50 people at a time  List of all employees working in the eating house including food handler details – their name, parentage, and address  Approved site plan with Fire Safety measure certificates  Police Clearance Certificate (PCC).  Permissions from the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS), for having amusement activities like DJ, Live Band, and Discotheque  Proof of CCTV or surveillance systems installed along with at least 30 days of video recording having the details of installation or invoice of CCTV, etc.  Photographs of the allocated space Please note that all these documents list is exhaustive in nature and are not required on each occasion, these are the complete lists and application documents are only considered for the registration process. Government fees for FSSAI Registration – 1) Basic FSSAI License – Fees Annual turnover below 12 lakhs – 100/- per year 2) State FSSAI License – Fees Annual turnover above 12 lakhs and below 20 crores – 2000/- or 5000/- per year 3) Central FSSAI License – Fees Annual turnover above 20 crores – 7500/- per year After application, it takes about a month for approval post which FSSAI certificate & registration would be completed and product and or place needs to specifically mention that products are prepared following FSSAI standards.