Chandigarh, February 20-All food business operators in Haryana are required to be registered or licensed in accordance with the procedures laid down under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006,
While stating this here today, a spokesman of the Food and Drugs Administration Department said that any person undertaking food business whether for profit or not, whether public or private, carrying out any of the activities related to any stage of manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution of food, food services, catering services, sale of food or food ingredients were required to obtain requisite license or get registered under the Act.
Registration under the Act was mandatory for ‘Petty Food Manufacturer ‘ who manufactures or sells any article of food for himself or a petty retailer, hawker, itinerant vendor or temporary stall holder; or distributes food including in any religious or social gathering except a caterer and small scale or cottage or such other industries relating to food business or tiny businessman with an annual turnover not exceeding Rs. 12 lakhs, he added.
He said that the State government had notified Food Safety Officers as ‘Registering Authority’ under Regulation 1.2.1.5 of Food Safety and Standard (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations 2011 for purpose of registration of Petty Food business operators or manufacturers. ‘Designated officer’ of each district had been notified as ‘Licensing Authority’ for food business operators under Regulations 1.2.1.3 of FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations 2011.
He said that Rs 100 would be charged as registration fee from food business operators and Rs 5000 would be charged as licence fee from three star and above hotels and the manufacturers or millers having above one metric tonne per day production or 10,001 to 50,000 litres per day of milk or 501 to 2500 metric tonnes of milk solids per annum. Rs 2000 would be charged as licence fee from all food services providers including restaurants or boarding houses, clubs, etc., serving foods, canteens of schools, colleges, offices and institutions, caters, banquet halls with food catering, food vendors like dhaba wallas and from any other food business operator.
He said that application forms for purposes of registration or licensing could be obtained from office of Designated Officer-cum-Civil Surgeon or FSO of the District or downloaded from website www.fssai.gov.in. The persons engaged in the business of food articles should submit their application for licensing or registration (as per the requirement) to the designated officer-cum-civil surgeon or FSO of the district by March 31,2012.