Now, easy licensing for food biz operators
As part of EoDB, FSSAI relaxed norms on licensing and registration of food businesses
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New Delhi: In a bid to enhance the ease of doing business (EoDB), the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has smoothened the licensing process for food business operators. Section 2.1.9 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation, 2011, stipulates, "food business operators shall ensure that the registering or licensing authority always has up-to-date information on their food business establishments and shall inform the relevant authority of any modifications or additions or changes in product category, layout, expansion, closure, or any other material information based on which the license was granted and such information shall be conveyed before the changes occur."
This necessitates all modification applications to be scrutinized by the licensing authority or the designated officer concerned. The modified licence is issued in a manner similar to that of the issuance of a new licence.
The FSSAI noticed that the modifications in licence are generally related to changes in company details such as address, names, communication and product details, and addition of new products in the licence, official sources told Bizz Buzz. Among the various modification applications, there are various applications wherein the manufacturers wish to add only standardized products (non-high risk) in the already existing licence, they added.
The FSSAI examined the matter and decided that instant modification of licences can be allowed in case of modification applications of vegetable oil and processing units and general manufacturing units except the high-risk food categories. However, these provisions are available only to the existing licensed manufacturers. The modification fee remains the same, that is, Rs1,000.
The FSSAI move is part of its drive to make the lives of entrepreneurs easier. As reported by Bizz Buzz, it recently directed the Commissioners of Food Security of all States and Union Territories as well as FSSAI Regional Directors to streamline the functioning of food security officers (FSOs) and designated officers under them. The objective was to rein in the indiscriminate and unbridled seizure of articles of food by FSOs.
