Food is directly proportional to the health of an individual. If the individual intakes something bad his or her health will be directly affected by it. Hence, the government came up with this idea called food safety laws. 2006 was a remarkable year with respect to food safety in India. In the same year, the FSS Act or Food Safety and Standards Act came into existence. Under the same act permission to do food business has been given in the form of a license. These licenses have been given on three levels: general, state and central. Out of these three, it’s really important for food business owners to know about the FSSAI State License vs. Central License. The current blog will discuss in detail the FSSAI State License vs. Central License.
Types of Food or FSSAI Licenses
Under the food safety laws, there are three types of food or FSSAI Licenses in India. These three types of licenses have been given below:
General FSSAI Registration
General FSSAI License, which has been given on the lowest level under the food safety laws. Under this, petty food businesses will be covered. This license is very easy to take through online procedures. Also, its fees are minimal so that small food businesses with very little turnover can easily afford it. Under this, mostly the food business will be covered, whose turnover is less than Rs. 12 lakhs.
State FSSAI Registration
A State FSSAI License has been given mostly to those businesses whose turnover is more than Rs. 12 lakhs, but it is not the only criterion to decide whether a state food license will be applicable to a particular business or not. There are many other factors that help in determining whether a state food license will be applicable to a business or not. There are various kinds of food businesses covered under the state-level food license.
Central FSSAI License
The Central FSSAI License is applicable to specific types of businesses like the import food business, export food business, e-commerce food business, health supplement food business etc. There is no fixed turnover limit for this license. The turnover can vary from business to business also, for some kinds of businesses, turnover doesn’t even matter. This is the highest level of food license under the food safety law.
Kinds of Businesses FSSAI State License vs. Central License
There are different kinds of businesses that fall under the ambit of FSSAI State License vs. Central License. Applicability of both licenses depends on various factors like turnover, production, type of business, etc. Given below is the list of different kinds of businesses in the form of FSSAI State License vs. Central License
| Kind of Business | State FSSAI License | Central FSSAI License |
| Dairy Business | 10001 – 50,000 Milk Lt./day, and in solid form, it will be 501-2500 MT/annum | More than 50,000 milk Lt./day, and in solid form, it will be more than 2500 MT/annum |
| Dairy Business | 501 – 10,000 Milk Lt./day, and in solid form, it will be 2.5-500 MT/annum | NA |
| Vegetable oil units | 1-2 MT/day | If the production is more than 2 MT/day |
| Vegetable oil units | Below 1 MT/day | NA |
| Slaughtering houses where animals got slaughter | It depends on the number of animals: Large animals between 3-50Small animals between 11-150Poultry birds between 51-1000 | If the number of animals is more than: Large animals between 50Small animals 150Poultry birds 1000 |
| Food manufacturing businesses other than the dairy and vegetable oil units for processing | If the per day production capacity is between 101 Kgs/Ltrs – 1 MT/day | If the per day production capacity is more than 500 Kgs/Ltrs and 150 MT/day |
| Food manufacturing businesses other than the dairy and vegetable oil units for processing | If the per day production capacity is between 1-2 MT/day | NA |
| Addition of substances | If the per day production capacity is up to 2 MT/day | If the per day production capacity is more than 2 MT/day |
| Storage for chilling | The capacity of storage is up to 10,000 MT | The capacity of storage is more than 10,000 MT |
| Storage of food that can be atmospheric controlled | The capacity of storage is up to 1000 MT | The capacity of storage is more than 1000 MT |
| Transportation of food from one place to another | Up to 100 transports and turnover is up to 30 crores/annum | More than 100 transports and turnover is more than 30 crores/annum |
| Wholesaler of Food | Turnover of the business is up to 30 crores/annum | Turnover of the business is more than 30 crores/annum |
| Distributors of Food | Turnover of the business is up to 20 crores/annum | Turnover of the business is more than 20 crores/annum |
| Retailers of Food | Turnover of the business is up to 20 crores/annum | Turnover of the business is more than 20 crores/annum |
| Hotels that serve food | 1, 2, 3 and 4 star | Five-star and above hotels are covered here |
| Import Food Business | NA | No restriction on such business Central License will be applicable only |
| Restaurant Business | Turnover of the business is up to 20 crores/annum | Turnover of the business is more than 20 crores/annum |
| Club and canteen business | Turnover of the business is up to 20 crores/annum | Turnover of the business is more than 20 crores/annum |
| Caterer business | Turnover of the business is up to 20 crores/annum | Turnover of the business is more than 20 crores/annum |
| Food vending machine | Up to 100 machines in one single state or UT | More than 100 machines in two or more states or UT |
| Food Dhabas | Turnover of the business is more than Rs. 12 lakhs | NA |
| Paying guest facility that serves food | Turnover of the business is more than Rs. 12 lakhs | NA |
| Banquet halls provide catering services and serve food | Turnover of the business is more than Rs. 12 lakhs | NA |
| Home Based Canteen businesses | Turnover of the business is more than Rs. 12 lakhs | NA |
| Food stall holder | Turnover of the business is more than Rs. 12 lakhs | NA |
| Food stall arrangements in religious gatherings, fairs, etc | Turnover of the business is more than Rs. 12 lakhs | NA |
| Dabba Wallas | Turnover of the business is more than Rs. 12 lakhs | NA |
| Proprietary Food Business | NA | No restriction on such business Central License will be applicable only |
| Health Supplement Food Business | NA | No restriction on such business Central License will be applicable only |
| Non-Specific Food Businesses | NA | No restriction on such business Central License will be applicable only |
| Radiation Processing Food Business | NA | No restriction on such business Central License will be applicable only |
| Food Businesses on Government Premises | NA | No restriction on such business Central License will be applicable only |
| Department Canteens on Premises of Central Government | NA | If turnover is less than Rs. 12 lakhs, then central registration, and if more than that, then central license |
| Export Food Business | NA | No restriction on such business Central License will be applicable only |
| E-commerce Food Business | NA | No restriction on such business Central License will be applicable only |
FSSAI State License vs. Central License: An Overview
There are many differences between state and central FSSAI licenses. The purpose of this blog with the heading FSSAI State License vs. Central License is to clear the differences between both of them and give a basic idea about them to the users. Given below are some of the key distinctions between them:
- State license is provided by the state authorities while central license is provided by the central authorities
- The jurisdiction of both licenses is different between the central and state
- The scope of work is wider in the central license
- Through a state license, one can do business in a single state, but a central license gives the power to work anywhere in India.
- Formalities are more in the central food license
- Documents vary while taking both state and central license
- The process of application of both of them may vary
Conclusion
The distinction between the FSSAI State License and the Central License in India’s food safety framework is crucial for businesses. In the present blog, that is FSSAI State License vs. Central License, application, and the distinction between them have been discussed. The two-fold system of food license which is FSSAI State License vs. Central license is very important to understand. State Licenses are issued by state authorities and are suitable for businesses operating within a specific state, while Central Licenses granted by central authorities allow businesses to operate across India. Both licenses play a crucial role when it comes to the safety of food. Ignorance of these licenses can attract heavy penalties and fines hence one must take these licenses to run the respective food business.
