FSSAI: Food Businesses To Mention License No. On Invoices W.E.F. 1st October, 2021
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) passed an order on 8th June, 2021, making it mandatory for food business operators in the country, which are largely micro, small, and mid-sized enterprises, to mention their 14-digit FSSAI license/registration number on receipts, invoices or bills on sale of products w.e.f. 1st October, 2021.
In the order, the Food Authority mentioned, “Presently FSSAI number is compulsory to be displayed on packaged food labels but the issue lies especially in case of establishments such as restaurants, mithai shops, caterers, even retail stores, etc.”
Law: Section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 mandates every food business operator to obtain FSSAI registration/ license prior to commencement of any food business.
Access to information: The move would enable consumers to have access to information about a particular food business available on FSSAI’s portal or the Food Safety Connect app.
Complaint: The move would also ease consumers’ effort in registering a complaint about a restaurant which otherwise is difficult in absence of the license number on the bill or cash memo. Even the regulators find it difficult to trace the origin of complaint.
Non- Compliance: The absence of a license number on the bill will indicate non-compliance or non-registration by the food business.
Non-applicability: This direction shall not apply to GST e-way bills and other system generated govt. documents.
****
Disclaimer: The author is based in Jabalpur and is a Practicing Company Secretary dealing in Corporate, Legal & Taxation services. The information contained in this write up, as provided by the author, is to provide a general guidance to the intended user. The information should not be used as a substitute for specific consultations. Author recommends that professional advice is sought before taking any action on specific issues.
The author can also be reached at cstanveersaluja@gmail.com.
Author Bio
What does mean Purchase Invoices ? Food business operator need to mention customers FSSAI number on his invoice.