New Delhi, March 13: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved several significant regulatory and procedural reforms aimed at simplifying business operations and ensuring robust food safety standards. These reforms were finalized after extensive discussions with states, union territories, and various stakeholders. They align with the recommendations from a high-level committee on non-financial regulatory reforms established by the NITI Aayog.
To reduce regulatory burdens, the proposal for permanent validity of registration and licenses by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has been approved. Previously, registrations and licenses required periodic renewal, but under the new system, their validity will be permanent, eliminating the need for frequent renewals.
This reform will significantly reduce compliance costs, paperwork, and the need for repeated contact with licensing authorities for food business operators. It will also enhance business continuity. Consequently, regulatory resources can be more effectively focused on enforcement, monitoring, and capacity-building activities.
Under these reforms, the turnover limit for registration will increase from ₹12 lakh to ₹1.5 crore starting April 1, 2026. For businesses with a turnover of up to ₹50 crore, state licenses will be applicable, while a central license will be required for businesses exceeding this threshold. This streamlined system aims to empower state authorities to more effectively oversee, facilitate, and enforce food safety regulations within their jurisdictions.
This initiative will provide food business operators, especially micro and small enterprises, with simplified compliance requirements, reduced paperwork, and fees, the elimination of pre-inspections, and immediate registration, making it easier to conduct business.
To address the issue of double compliance, street food vendors registered under the Street Vendors Act, 2014 in municipal corporations or town vending committees will be automatically recognized under FSSAI. This move will relieve over one million street food vendors from the need for separate registrations across various departments, thus reducing compliance burdens and allowing them to focus more on their livelihoods, hygiene, and business operations.
Additionally, a technology-enabled and dynamic risk-based inspection system has been implemented. This system will incentivize compliant food business operators and reduce the frequency of inspections. Inspections will be conducted based on predetermined risk factors, such as the nature of the food item, the operator’s past compliance record, performance in third-party audits, and information from enforcement and monitoring activities. This will ensure transparent and focused regulatory oversight while minimizing unnecessary burdens on compliant businesses.
According to the government, these reforms represent a significant step toward strengthening the commitment to providing safe food to citizens and creating a transparent, efficient, and business-friendly regulatory environment for the food industry.
My name is Himanshu Tiwari. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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