Key Points:
- As per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules, it is mandatory for food-related businesses, however small, to apply for a license or registration.
- Start-ups from home without a license will be fined with Rs. 5 Lakh and may even have to spend six months behind the bars.
- Serving adulterated food could lead to imprisonment depending upon the intensity of the offence.
The lockdown has forced people to turn to their hobbies and earn money through that. A huge number of Home cooks have also been encouraged to deliver homemade food as the Food-industry was shut since seven months.
The home cooks, if are delivering food without a license, will be fined with Rs. 5 Lakh and even an imprisonment of six months, for unregistered home kitchens, said the The State Food Safety Department. The rules are as per the norms of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The FSSAI says that the rules apply nationwide and a licence is mandatory for units with sales of over Rs 12 lakh and registration is mandatory for those with revenues below Rs 12 lakh per annum with the State Commissioner of Food Safety.
Those running smaller hotels, home based take-away, street stalls and bakeries will have to apply for a basic food safety registration.
A penalty of Rs 3 lakh for sale without label and penalty of Rs. 5 lakhs for selling without quality tags license registration for homemade cakes will be imposed.
With a lot of people unaware of the fact that the law regarding licensing and registration of food units has been around since 2011 under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulation.
People who aim to expand their businesses and have not yet registered, can check the FSSAI website in order to register themselves and avoid any form of penalties. To apply, the owner of the food unit must provide basic personal details as well as those of the formation, and also shall upload a passport size photo and an ID proof.
