India exports a lot of commodities outside the country and is recognised extensively in the world market for the products that it exports to foreign markets and countries. It is very well-known for exporting food items that are produced in the country and is a masterpiece of a distinct region in India.
FSSAI, being the ultimate authority concerning the guidelines and regulations for the Export of Food Product approves the food products that can be exported from the country.
Countries throughout the globe greet only those food products that obey the guidelines of FSSAI for the export of food products from India. Consequently, an exporter obliges to mandatorily comply with the guidelines issued by the FSSAI and provisions of the FSS Act 2006.
The exporter needs to apply for the FSSAI License with FSSAI.
The FSSAI makes sure that the companies obtain a license and provides licenses only to those products which are good for health, high in quality, and would not damage the health of the people outside the country and bring the country to shame. The standards are set in place to protect the best interest of the people and to maintain health decorum outside the country as well.
Procedure to Obtain FSSAI License for Export of Food Products from India
For beginning the business of export of food products from India, you must obtain an FSSAI License. FSSAI Authority can equip you with this license.
1. Register Your Company
In the initial step, you should get your company or corporation registered as a legal entity.
2. Obtain IEC Code
Next, you must acquire (IE Code) Import Export Code by clicking at the link- http://164.100.78.104:8080/dgftiec/IEClogin.jsp under Director General of Foreign Trade.
3. Acquire No Objection Certificate
In the next step, the applicant exporter needs to acquire a No Objection Certificate regarding the food quality and compliance of regulations from FSSAI;
4. Obtain Approval
Now, the exporter requires to obtain approval from the authorities;
5. Export Food License
In the last step, the exporter requires to attain an export license from the Central Authority of Licensing.
Importance of NOC in the Export of Food Products
Obtaining NOC before exporting the food items is a very important step as it will permit you to further obtain a license from the FSSAI to export your items. Without a NOC, doing additional formalities for the export of food items will not be possible.
You need the following documents to apply for a NOC:
- Country of Origin Certificate
- Importer Exporter Code (IEC) issued by the DGFT
- FSSAI Food Business License
- Bill of Entry
- The end-use declaration, a declaration that food is not GM food
- Besides this, depending on individual import items, other documents may be required.
Hereupon, you can apply for a NOC Certificate and pay the required amount for the laboratory testing of food.
You need to meet all the requirements from the FSSAI Registration Authority to get the NOC, such as follows:
- The sample should be free from fungal infestation and visible insects.
- The food item should have a healthy remaining shelf life at the time of clearance.
- Compliance with the FSS (Packaging & Labelling) Regulations, 2011, and the product-specific labelling requirements.
Once you have made all of the requirements, you will be awarded a NOC which will assist you in accomplishing the license to export the food items outside the country.
Labelling Requirements on Food Exports:
For exporting the food into foreign markets, you need to make sure that you have enough information and contents listed on the packaging of each food item for them to be acceptable in the foreign markets.
The labels and content requirements needed for exporting food items are as follows:
- Nutritional facts and information.
- The name of the brand, company, product, etc.
- The product description and the name of the ingredients used in the product.
- The volume of contents and net weight.
- The Labelling Language should be as per FSSAI (Packaging & Labelling) Regulations, 2011, and the product-specific labelling requirements.
- The “Best Before” date declaration.
- Net weight.
- Declaration of vegetarian and non-vegetarian by symbols.
- The name and address of the exporter in India.
- Batch number, code number, lot number, and many more.
These food labelling requirements have to be met by the company that is exporting food outside India into the international market for the item to be accepted by the international standards and sold in the market outside.
Essential Documents for Exporting Food Products
The essential documents needed to export food products outside India are-
1. Import Export Code License;
2. FSSAI License;
3. Product Approval Certificate;
4. Ministry of Agriculture Permit;
5. Ministry of Animal Husbandry permit;
6. Narcotics Certificate;
You can apply for the registration for the IEC code online and fill the form on their website. The code is issued by DGFT and remains constant throughout the export activities.
Conclusion
Food items are exported to different countries and are not limited to only a single country and for the same purpose they are required to be registered and licensed under the FSSAI and health ministry for them to be sent out of the country.
They are required to obtain an FSSAI License to export all types of food items to the country to keep track of all the exports.
The FSSAI makes sure that the businesses get a license and give licenses only to those products which are suitable for health, high in quality, and will not damage the health of the people outside the country. The standards are fixed in place to protect the best interest of the people and to manage health decorum outside the country as well.
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