FSSAI Food License

Learn About Food Processing Industry

The food processing industry is one of the largest industries across the globe and is considered as “sunrise industry” and the needs of the consumers are also growing day by day. India has the capacity to develop the agricultural economy by the establishment of large-scale processed food and other related facilities result in the generation of employment opportunity and export earnings. The food industry can achieve its success by providing the best quality of food items. If the quality is not as per mark standards then food items are not to be consumed.

What are the Standards which are Required to Safeguard the Quality of the Food?

For doing food processing business in India have to take certain licenses required by the Food Safety and Standards Authority in India (FSSAI). As India is formally declared as agriculture country. Therefore, grains and other related food items are produced and packaging and labeling at the time of sale should be optimum.

The quality of the food items and hygiene are the two signs of safe consumption. There are numerous laws and standards which certify by FSSAI which is mandatory to opt for the food processing industry.

So, for operating the food processing industry there are most common and popular licenses have to be taken as listed below:

• Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 (PFA): Food is the basic need of people to survive and they are very conscious about their health. It should be pure, fresh and healthy for the people. The main object of this legislation to safeguard that the food is made with wholesome nutrition and has taken safety standards related to FSSAI.
• Meat food Products order, 1973: Poultry meat and red meat are very high in protein and is largely consumed by consumers as it is very perishable in nature and can transmit disease from animals to human being so for prevention of this, legislation was passed for assurance that the quality of the poultry meat is safe and optimum for consumption. The persons who are dealing in poultry meat and other related products have to obtain a license as per standards.
• Vegetable oil Product Order, 1947: Persons engaged in the business of manufacturing any vegetable oil product have to follow standards of quality and other as per specified in schedules respectively.
• Food Products order, 1955: All manufacturers of fruits and vegetables include some non-fruit products such as non-fruit vinegar, syrup and sweetened aerated water are required to obtain licenses under this order. All vendors who are deals in the processing of fruits and vegetable products have to maintain the level of hygiene and sanitation and the premises must be clean from any germs. If premises are found to be unsafe for production and distribution then such items can be penalized.
• Edible Oil Packaging (Regulation) Order, 1988: Edible oil must be packed in conformity with the standards of weights and measures to ensure the quality at a predetermined price to the consumer. The companies who are doing packaging business have to the required certificate under this order.
• The Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992: Any person who deals in dairy products and producing 10,000 liters milk in a day or 500 MT of milk solids per annum needs to be registered with the registering authority regulated by Central Government. Dairy products must be processed and sold under sanitary conditions.
• Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), 2006: Food license is regulated by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under Ministry of Family Health & Welfare, Government of India^[1]. The licenses provide for the safety and standardization of food products manufactured and sold in India. If any person or company wants to deal with the production, storage, distribution, sale, import or export of any food item required to get an FSSAI License. And it depends upon the size, location, and turnover of the company.

What are the Categories of FSSAI License?

The FSSAI license is divided into three categories:

1. If the annual turnover is up to INR. 12 lakhs then Basic Registration required to be done;
2. If the Annual turnover is more than 12 lakhs but up to 20 crores then State license required to be obtained; to do business in the particular
3. For enterprises with the Annual turnover is more than 20 crores then Central license required to be obtained. To do business centrally.

The Essential Commodities Act, 1955: This act was introduced to stop any unlawful production and distribution of the same product. The company has to sell the product in the market as per standard and at best price. Some companies tried to sell a product other than actual price to violate consumer rights and they are liable for punishment under this act.

Agmark: In India on agricultural commodities certification mark is employed i.e. “AGMARK” to ensure that product is approved by Directorate of Marketing and Inspection an agency of the Government of India. Pulses, cereals, vegetable oils, essential oils, fruits, and vegetables are falls under this category.

Conclusion

For protecting the food in contradiction of impurities licensing has become more considerable in past periods. Hence for the maintenance of the quality of the foods and all safety measures are taken to consume the product safely. The government of India took a severe step and designed numerous licenses to protect consumer rights to quality food. Hence, it is important to obtain licenses through various authorities as prescribed by the Government of India who deals in food items.
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