Every Food Business Operator in the country has to mandatorily register or get a license from the FSSAI. What does the FSSAI number mean? Let us decode the FSSAI number in this article.
What Is FSSAI?
The Food Security and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) is the apex body that monitors the health and hygiene of all the food and beverage products in the country. Lets Discuss about FSSAI Certification Number in this article.
All the Food Business Operators (FBOs) in India must get certified by the FSSAI. You can seek the help of professionals like Vakilsearch to help you apply for an FSSAI licence registration or certification. All FBOs must adhere to the guidelines of FSSAI. Non-compliance with the regulatory standards of FSSAI would attract penalties.
Kinds of Certification From the FSSAI:
Based on the turnover of your food business, you need to apply for one of the following:
- Registration: Registration is mandatory for all FBOs in the country whose annual turnover does not cross ₹12 lakhs
- State Fssai license: For all FBOs that have an annual turnover between ₹12 lakhs to ₹20 crores, a state license is a must
- Central Fssai license: If the annual turnover of your business exceeds ₹20 crores, you must apply for a central license.
What Does an FSSAI Certification Number Look Like?
An FSSAI Certification Number issued to any food business would comprise 14 digits. A uniform numbering system of licenses is issued by the food authority to each FBO that applies to the FSSAI.
Decoding the FSSAI Certification Number:
The FSSAI Certification Number is divided into 5 sections. Each section of the license number represents some information about the FBO that helps them segregate the categories of the FBOs
Section 1
The first section is the first digit. It represents whether the food business owns an FSSAI registration or an FSSAI license. If it is FSSAI registration, the 1st digit will be ‘1’. And if the business has a foscos fssai renewal, the 1st digit would be ‘2’.
Section 2
The 2nd and 3rd digits of the FSSAI Certification Number are included in the second section. They represent the FSSAI certification state code in which the business is registered and operational. A central license is denoted by ‘00’ while any state license is denoted by the successive digits.
Section 3
The 4th and the 5th digits of the FSSAI Certification Number are a part of the third section that represents the year in which the food business operator received the license/registration from the FSSAI.
Section 4
The 6th, 7th, and 8th digits are included in section 4 of the FSSAI number. These represent the Registrar Officer under whose jurisdiction the FSSAI license or registration falls. Each state assigns a Registrar Officer to these digits from 001 to 999
Section 5
It includes the rest of the FSSAI Certification Number from the 9th to 14th digits. These digits represent the serial number of the FBO under a specific Registrar Officer. It represents the unique FSSAI number. Each Registrar Officer can hold a food business up to 10 lakh or serial numbers up to 999999.
How to Apply for Registration/License Online:
- Visit the FoSCoS portal
- Select your food business category from the list of kind of business(KoB)
- Fill out Form A for registration, and Form B for licensing
- Submit the required documents, and self-attest them if needed
- Make the payment
- The authorities will verify all your details and documents
- On being satisfied, the statutory authority will grant you a license or a registration number within 45 to 60 days.
The Bottom Line:
It is mandatory for all FBOs to print the 14-digit FSSAI Certification Number on all their product labels. Restaurants and hotels must display their license certificates in an area of vicinity at their premises. Display of the FSSAI logo and certificate will be an indication of the compliance by the FBO to the regulatory standards of the FSSAI.
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