FSSAI Registration for School

School and college students depend on canteens for having their food. In India, the school and college canteen come under the definition of the food business. According to the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 (‘Act’), it is mandatory for all the school and college canteens to obtain the FSSAI Registration or License. The FSSAI License ensures the quality and safety of food items that the students consume in the school and college canteens. 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the autonomous body that issues a registration or license for different kinds and categories of food products in India. Thus, when food operators want to operate a school canteen, tiffin service or food stall near a college or school, they must obtain the FSSAI Registration or License.

Necessity of FSSAI Registration for Schools

Schools and colleges provide contracts to individuals or hire food contractors to prepare and operate canteens inside school premises. These canteens sell breakfast, lunch and snacks and are run by outsiders. Schools and colleges also provide hostel facilities to their students and run hostel mess where they can order and eat all three meals a day.

Since students consume the hostel mess and canteen foods, the food must be safe and high quality. Any carelessness in school canteens would cause health problems for students. Thus, the school should abide by food safety rules as prescribed by the FSS Act and Regulations and obtain FSSAI Registration for their canteens and mess.

FSSAI Regulation for Schools

The  Food Safety and Standards (Safe food and balanced diets for children in school) Regulations, 2020 (‘Regulation’) provides the following rules that a school must follow:

• Schools catering or selling school meals by themselves inside the school campus should obtain FSSAI Registration or License as a food business operator from the concerned authority provided under the Act and ensure that the food is balanced and safe. 
• A school that enters into a transaction or contract with Food Business Operators (FBOs) for catering or selling school meals on the school campus should ensure that such FBOs have FSSAI Registration or License.
• The Department of School Education should ensure that all FBOs contracted for operating the mid-day meal scheme have FSSAI Registration or License.
• The FBOs catering or selling food on the school campus should ensure compliance with the hygienic and sanitary practices provided to the food manufacturers in the Food Safety Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.
• The schools should ensure that no person sells or offers for sale, including a free sale, food products high in trans-fat or saturated fat or sodium or added sugar inside the school campus or premises or within the 50 meters of the school premises.
• The schools should promote and encourage consumption of a balanced and safe balanced diet in the school mess or canteen or kitchen as per the guidelines provided in this Regulation.

Types of FSSAI Registration for Schools

The type of FSSAI registration that a school selling food or FBOs selling food for school students must obtain differs based on the scale of operation of their food business. However, the FSSAI prescribes two types of FSSAI registrations for FBOs providing canteen services in schools, which are as follows:

• FSSAI Basic Registration – When the annual turnover of a food business of an FBO operating in a school or school selling food is below Rs.12 lakh, they must obtain the FSSAI Basic Registration. 
• FSSAI State License – When the annual turnover of a food business of an FBO operating in a school or school selling food is more than Rs.12 lakh, they must obtain the FSSAI State License.

Procedure of FSSAI Registration for Schools

The procedure to apply for FSSAI Registration or License by a school as an FBO when it sells food or by the FBOs operating canteen or mess inside the school campus is as follows:

• Go to the FoSCoS website. 
• Click on the ‘Apply/License Registration’ option on the homepage.
• Select the state where the school is situated from the drop-down menu.
• Select the ‘Food Services’ option and select the ‘Club/Canteen’ option from the list provided below.
• Select the turnover and click on the ‘Proceed’ button.
• Click on the option ‘Click here to apply for Registration for all businesses’ or ‘Click here to apply for State License for all businesses’.
• Fill in the details on Form-A or Form-B and click on the ‘Save & Next’ button.
• Upload the documents, pay the FSSAI registration fees and submit the form.
• The FSSAI authorities will verify the form. If required, they can also inspect the school premises where the food is served.
• The FSSAI authorities will issue the FSSAI Registration/License Certificate when they are satisfied that the FBOs meet the required criteria. The schools or FBOs can download the FSSAI Registration/License Certificate by logging into the FoSCoS portal.

The schools or FBOs selling food inside the school premises can also apply offline for the FSSAI Registration/License. They need to visit the food safety commissioner’s office or food safety officer-in-charge and get the repetitive registration form, i.e. Form-A or Form-B. They must fill out the form and submit it to the food safety department with the required documents. The FSSAI authorities will verify the application and grant the FSSAI Registration/License.

Documents Required for FSSAI Registration

The documents required to be submitted for obtaining the FSSAI Basic Registration are as follows:

• Business name and address proof.
• Aadhaar card or identity proof of the FBO.
• Details of the business activity, i.e. school food business details.

The documents required to be submitted for obtaining the FSSAI State License are as follows:

• ID proof of the FBO (Aadhaar card, Voter ID, or driving license)
• Any government registration certificates, such as company incorporation certificate, firm registration, GST registration number, trade license, panchayath license, corporation license, municipality license, etc.
• When the applicant is a private limited company or partnership firm, they should provide the Memorandum and Article of Association or partnership deed copy, respectively.
• Nature of business, i.e. school food business.
• Declaration form.

Disclaimer: The materials provided herein are solely for information purposes. No attorney-client relationship is created when you access or use the site or the materials. The information presented on this site does not constitute legal or professional advice and should not be relied upon for such purposes or used as a substitute for legal advice from an attorney licensed in your state.

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