Health dept. directs FBO to renew license

DIMAPUR —  In compliance to Food Safety and Standards (Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, the Health and Family Welfare department has instructed all food business operators (FBO) in the state to procure or renew their FSSAI license/ registration certificate for their food establishments.

The directive applies to both rural and urban areas. The process could be completed online through the website https://foscos.fssai.gov.in on or before October 31, 2023.

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The category of FBO encompasses stockists of food and dietary supplements, all forms of food or health supplement vendors, home-based manufacturers, hostel mess facilities, office/private canteens, street food vendors, meat and vegetable vendors, manufacturers, distributors/wholesalers, suppliers, retailers, hotels, restaurants, and resorts.

It stated that compliance with the FSS Act, rules and regulations is mandatory for any form of food business operation, a DIPR report stated.

“It has come to our attention that certain FBOs are still displaying outdated FSSAI license/ registration numbers, obtained through offline methods, on their food packaging labels. These numbers are no longer valid. It is imperative that the latest FSSAI license/ registration number obtained through online means be printed on their packaging labels, it stated.

Additionally, the report stated that labels must include essential information such as the date of manufacture, best-before date, and ingredients.

It further stated that operating any type of food business necessitates registration under the food safety and standards authority (FSS) Act, 2006, as well as obtaining an FSSAI license/ registration certificate.

It warned that failure to comply might result in penalties of up to INR 5 lakh and imprisonment of up to six months under section 63 in conjunction with section 31 of the FSS Act, 2006.

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