Mokokchung, 18 August (MTNews): The Health & Family Welfare Department of Nagaland has issued a directive mandating all Food Business Operators (FBOs) within the state to acquire or renew their Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) License/Registration Certificate in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. This directive encompasses both urban and rural areas and aims to ensure the highest standards of food safety and hygiene within the state.
The application process for the FSSAI License/Registration Certificate can be completed online through the official website of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India: https://foscos.fssai.gov.in. FBOs are required to complete this process on or before 31 October 2023.
The category of FBOs affected by this mandate encompasses stockists of food and dietary supplements, 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 was further mentioned that regardless of the scale of operations, compliance with the FSS Act, Rules & Regulations is mandatory.
The department noted that certain FBOs are still displaying outdated FSSAI License/Registration numbers, obtained through offline methods, on their food packaging labels. Therefore, the department informed that those numbers are no longer valid and added that the latest FSSAI License/Registration number obtained through online means must be printed on their packaging labels. Additionally, the labels must include essential information such as the date of manufacture, best-before date, and ingredients.
The department stated that operating any type of food business necessitates registration under the Food Safety & Standards Authority (FSS) Act, 2006, as well as obtaining an FSSAI License/Registration certificate. Therefore, failure to comply may result in penalties of up to Rs 5 lakh and imprisonment for up to 6 months under section 63 in conjunction with section 31 of the FSS Act, 2006.