Center For Food Safety

Fssai License and Registration

Form C– Overview

As per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) provisions, an importer or manufacturer who wishes to initiate food business on any premises is required to take FSSAI license. The importer or manufacturer needs to obtain a Form C to carry out any food-related business. The process for obtaining FSSAI permission is as follows:

Collect all the required for obtaining the license.
Fill the form B and upload all the necessary documents.
After checking the declaration form, go through all the details entered in Form B and submit.
Pay the prescribed fees.
The acknowledgment number obtained would be used as the number.
The applicant can track the progress of their application for the query.
Submit the query response, if any.
The applicant will obtain the license within 30 days after the last response.

Who Can Apply?

Manufacturers including re-packers for the following manufacturing types:

Dairy units, Vegetable oil and processing units, Slaughtering units, Meat processing units, Food or Health Supplements and Nutraceuticals etc., Proprietary food manufacturers, Substances added to food, Manufacturer exporters, 100% export oriented units, Radiation Processing of Food, Non-specified food and food ingredients (after receiving approval from FSSAI)

Trade/Retail which includes:

(Except Controlled Atmosphere and Cold), Storage (Cold / Refrigerated), Storage (Controlled Atmosphere + Cold), Transportation (having a number of specialized vehicles like insulated refrigerated van/ wagon and milk tankers etc.), Wholesaler, Distributor, Retailer, Food vending agencies, Importer, E-commerce, Trader/Merchant-exporter.

Food Services which includes:

Petty Retailer of snacks/tea shops Hawker (Itinerant / Mobile food vendor), Restaurants, Food Vending Establishment, Club/Canteen, Caterer, Hotel, Mid day meal caterer and canteen

Head office or registered office (If carrying out food business activity in more than one state with same company name. Central Govt. Agencies having Food Catering Services in establishments and units under Central Government Agencies, Storage (Except Controlled Atmosphere and Cold), Storage (Cold / Refrigerated), Storage (Controlled Atmosphere + Cold), Wholesaler, Distributor, Retailer.

How To Apply?

FBOs need to file an application depending upon the Kind of business activity, product category and turnover under registration, state license or central license in Form A or Form B as applicable.

The information about product categories, proof of premise, blueprint of premise, water test report, production capacity, formulation details, memorandum of association, article of association, Certificate of incorporation, Import export Code, list of equipment and machinery, person responsible for food safety and operations, FSMS plan, Recall Plan etc., needs to be uploaded.

The declaration needs to be submitted for complying with FSSAI regulations and conditions for license.

FBOs need to revert to FSSAI within 30 days in case any query raised by authority.

In case of no queries or concerns from FSSAI, the license is granted in Form C within 30-45 days of submission/query response.

Fee Involved

INR 100 year is the registration fee for taking the FSSAI license to begin any food business on any premises whereas INR 2000/ 3000/ 5000 per year are the fees prescribed for obtaining a State License for the food business activities and INR 7500 per year for obtaining Central License.

Validity

Depending upon the fees paid for obtaining an FSSAI license, the license will be approved for one to five years.

Important Documents

The following documents are required to be submitted by the applicant for the registration purpose of the FSSAI license:

Timeline to get Form C from FSSAI

The Government Timeline for grant of Form C is 30-45 days.

Essential Tips

To avoid any queries, the importer or manufacturer seeking permission for an FSSAI license to start food business activity should ensure the following:

The category of business and license required are applied correctly.
The category, details, and end-use of the product should be submitted.
Address and proof of possession of the premises must be filed in sync as the details do not match most of the time.
A NABL accredited water test report should not be older than three months. The category and ingredients of the food product must be filed correctly as most of the time, the details are inappropriate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of food products or ingredients are covered under these regulations?

The following food products or ingredients are covered under these regulations:

Novel food or novel food ingredients.

New additives or new processing aids (including enzymes).

Articles/papers of food products or ingredients that contain or are isolated from microorganisms, bacteria, yeast, fungi, or algae.

Other non-specified food.

What is a novel food or food ingredient as per the FSSAI?

A novel food or food ingredient is the one that itself or any ingredient used in it does not have any history of human consumption. This also includes the food product or ingredients derived from any innovative engineering process, which changes the composition or structure of food, thereby altering the nutritional content, metabolism, or the levels of unwanted substances.

What is a new additive as per the FSSAI?

A new additive can be defined as an ingredient that has not been included in any specific food category per the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR). The products listed under this category also include the additive assessed for safety by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The food additive is included in Codex and approved by other regulatory authorities.

What is a processing aid as per the FSSAI?

A processing aid is not included in FSSR, but Codex and other regulatory bodies are categorized under new processing aid.

What does the COA should include?

A COA should include parameters relevant to the food product or ingredient like:

Physical parameters

Nutritional details

Active ingredient

Heavy metals

Residues

Microbiological parameters

Pesticide residues

Naturally occurring toxicants

Validated test method

Other tests method

References, wherever applicable.

Fssai License and Registration

What is

Form Names

Who Can Apply?

How To Apply?

Fee Involved

Validity

Important Documents

Timeline to get Form C from FSSAI

Essential Tips

Expert Advise

Frequently Asked Questions

food safety a shared responsibility

fssai-license-and-registration

Fssai License and Registration

What is

Form Names

Who Can Apply?

How To Apply?

Fee Involved

Validity

Important Documents

Timeline to get Form C from FSSAI

Essential Tips

Expert Advise

Frequently Asked Questions

food safety a shared responsibility