Restaurants, food businesses to mention FSSAI licence no. on invoice/bills from Oct
Restaurants, food businesses to mention FSSAI licence no. on invoice/bills from Oct

Food safety and Standards Authority of India has mandated food business operators to mention FSSAI licence or registration number on cash receipts or purchase invoice with effect from October 1 2021.

Since complaints remain unresolved due to lack of specific information, this move will help consumers who can lodge an online complaint against a particular food business using the FSSAI number, added the regulator in the statement.

"Licensing and registration authorities are directed to widely publicise the policy and shall ensure its implementation mandatorily with effect from October 2, 2021," added the order.

Mentioning of FSSAI number shall also improve the overall awareness, it said if not mentioned, it will indicate non-compliance or non registration/licensing by the food business.

Stating that the food business ecosystem is large, the regulator said 14-digit FSSAI number of any food business operator is not "easily visible and available on consumer/service recipient."

If the FSSAI number is not available to consumers, expecting him to complain with complete coordinates is an uphill task. Even regulators find it difficult to trace the origin of complaint and attend to it promptly, it said. No database can be created without a unique locator code, which in case of food safety is the FSSAI number, it added.

Presently, FSSAI number is compulsory to be displayed on packaged food labels but the issue lies especially in case of establishments such as restaurants, mithai shops, caterers, even retail stores.

Further, food safety body also mentioned that it is amending the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses Regulations to mandate display of 'food safety display boards' at all times at prominent places in case of restaurants.

 
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