My nearby lane is speckled with small food stalls. In a corner, Bhavesh takes out sizzling jalebis, which sizzles with sparkly droplets of sweat. Joshi ji gesticulates you to his chicken biryani under the Pipal tree, obviously garnishing the fare with bird droppings. Shubham is fighting with his rajma chawal, covered by the masala of Delhi’s pollution and dust.
In India, millions of us survive on such small street stalls for the search of cheap meals but today we have also become health conscious. Before buying a food product, we ensure the product is free from adulteration, contamination and is fit for consumption. The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) was therefore created to sniff into everything, we eat. To improve the safety of food on our plates, FSSAI has been mandated to make eating safer.
All about FSSAI
In India to do food business, every food business operators has to take food license which is one of the most important license and controlled by Food Safety and Standard Authority of India(FSSAI) under FSS(Licensing and Registration of Food business) Regulations 2011. Food business operators (FBO) under the FSS Act means, a person who undertakes and carries out any of the activities related to any stage of manufacture, packaging, storage, transportation of food, import of food, sale of food, whether publicly or privately must get a 14-digit registration or a license number which must be printed on food items.
FSSAI License/Registration for Food Business Operators
Three different types of food licenses differs on the basis of the scales of operation of the food business which is being carried out.
| S.No. | Type of License | Eligibility Standard |
| 1. | Basic Registration | Annual turnover is up to INR 12 Lakhs |
| 2. | State License | Annual turnover is more than 12 Lakhs but up to 20 crores |
| 3. | Central License | Annual turnover is more than 20 crores |
FSSAI’s Initiatives
Every citizen wants that food which is being sold and prepared is under hygienic conditions and should be of good quality. The “Eat Right India” movement therefore was launched by FSSAI on 10th July 2018. The food industries, public health professionals, influencers and celebrities came together on a common platform to motivate people of country. With the agenda of “Sahi Bhojan, Sahi Jeevan” (Right Food, Right Life), the campaign aimed to make individuals, food procedures and marketers aware about the most basic thing that is, eating and serving healthy food.
“Eat Right India” though is just one part of story. Through so many efforts, FSSAI has been able to create a regulatory environment for the food sector in the country. But, still today, food producers are giving many items out in the market which are high in sugar, salt and even in trans-fat. As a food regulatory body, it is the duty of FSSAI to pass on some strict guidelines for such producers and have some restrictions. Overall, the big picture is that actions is being taken on all fronts to raise the standards of food safety in our country and bring them at par with world standard.
