All the economic sectors have been severely shattered by the pandemic. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on India has been quite problematic in terms of economic activity too and there has been an enormous loss of human lives. It is worth mentioning that food and agriculture is a significant component of the Indian economy.
Small enterprises and entrepreneurship are the worst sufferers of the pandemic. Aviation the pharmaceutical industry and the tourism sector are highly affected. Both these sectors come under the economy of India. Huge profits are made by both these sectors. The telecom sector and the oil and gas sector are also the sufferers.
Heavy industries have also lost a lot in the pandemic. However, the worst hit is the food and agriculture sector. So it is extremely necessary, especially for the small enterprises who are engaged in the food and agriculture sector, to register under the food license registration in India in order to operate their business smoothly amidst this pandemic.
Before proceeding with the procedures you must be aware of the information about what is FSSAI license and FSSAI registration. There is a huge difference between the two terms.
What Does FSSAI Mean?
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established under the Food Safety and Standards in 2006. It is integrated based on different acts & orders that are implemented to manage food problems in different departments of India, as well as in different ministries. FSSAI came into being to provide science-based standards for food-related items and to regulate their production, storage, distribution, sale, and import in order to provide secure and Healthy Food For Human consumption.
Basic difference between FSSAI License and Registration
All Food Business Operators (FBO) must be registered under FSSAI Registration or FSSAI license, if they are involved in the process of holding, manufacturing, distributing, and transporting food commodities. For every food business operator in India, FSSAI is the competent authority that awards FSSAI registration or license.
Concept of FSSAI License
The medium and large-scale business operators of food-related businesses must obtain an FSSAI License. They must obtain either the license issued by the state or the license issued by the central govt. It is based on their business sizes. The manufacturers, marketers, traders transporters, the medium-sized processors require the FSSAI state license from the state government. Now you can ask how you are going to recognize what is a medium-sized FBO.
Well, a medium-sized FBO is one whose turnover during the year does not fall below Rs 12 lakh and does not exceed Rs 20 crore. Such an FBO will be eligible for the state license. If any FBO’s annual turnover exceeds the threshold of Rs 20 crore, then that will be eligible to obtain the central license.
Whereas, if big business manufacturing, transportation, and processing involve international business in terms of their food item, then they need to procure the central FSSAI Food License. Again you can raise the question as to what is the fundamental meaning of big business. If any FBO surpasses the yearly turnover Rs 20 crore barrier it is defined as a large-scale business. Such businesses will receive the central license of FSSAI.
FSSAI License consists of two kinds. They are the FSSAI Central License and FSSAI State License. Mostly the food business operators and medium and large-sized businesses come under the ambit of FSSAI License.
FSSAI Registration
FSSAI registration is not the same as FSSAI food license. The small Food business operators who manufacture or sell food products, you can say a retailer, a hawker or small vendors temporary stall holders, and those who fall under the small-scale industries. They must have similar conditions like having an annual turnover of not exceeding Rs 12 lakhs. They will be required to prepare the food items within 100 kg per day, the process, and the procurement of milk within the range of 500 liters daily. There is one more segment. It is the killing capacity of two big animals or again the killing capacity of 10 small animals or 50 poultry birds per day. The timeframe for the FSSAI registration is completely subject to the relevance of the registration process.
Conclusion
However, the FSSAI registration and FSSAI license both are processes of regulating and monitoring the food manufacturing and storage industry. But the difference lies in the fact that one of them is applicable for medium and large-scale-based food operators whereas the latter one is solely meant for small-scale-based business operators. But there is now available the online FSSAI registration process in India. If your business is small, you must opt for the FSSAI registration process in India.
