The Food Safety and Standards Authority of india (FSSAI) has mandated that food business operators (FBO) post closure reviews upon expiry of their licenses, according to a notice issued by the nationwide food safety regulator.
The notice, titled "Obligatory Submission of Closure File on Expiry of FSSAI License/Registration," stated, "All Food Commercial Enterprise Operators (FBOs) whose FSSAI license/registration has expired all through FY 2024-25 are hereby directed to mandatorily publish a closure file."
Within the special closure document, FBOs want to confirm that no enterprise activity is conducted at the premises, and they ought to offer motives for the non-renewal of their license. The notice, issued on the 16th, additionally directed FBOs to use it for renewal of license or registration well before the expiration date.
"This file needs to verify that no enterprise interest is being performed at the respective premises at the expired FSSAI license/registration number. In any other case, the food enterprise shall verify whether or not a new license/registration has been received. FBOs also are required to offer specific motives for non-renewal of the FSSAI license similarly," the awareness read.
The motives for closure of commercial enterprise or non-renewal of license have to be submitted in FSSAI's Food Safety Compliance Machine (FoSCoS) portal, the food regulator stated.
If an FBO continues to function after the license's expiry, a hefty fine might be levied. "It will be referred to that working a meals enterprise on an expired FSSAI license/registration shall be treated as a violation of phase 31 of the Meals Safety and Requirements Act, 2006, and can appeal to a penalty of as much as ₹10 lakh underneath segment 63," the awareness said.
FSSAI said this step has been taken for maintaining transparency and traceability inside the universal licensing framework created for meals groups operating in the U.S.A. "FSSAI has mandated the submission of a closure report upon the expiry of a license/registration. This is essential for preserving transparency and duty inside the licensing framework," the food regulator stated in an announcement issued on Thursday.
The meals regulator has taken the degree amid reports of food commercial enterprises operating on expired licenses. A senior official privy to the matter, soliciting anonymity, stated, "There have been reviews of food agencies continuing to feature even an expired license until they applied for or got their renewed license. That isn't acceptable and had to be forestalled. This pass is a try to make certain there is absolute transparency in their functioning."
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