Foreign Manufacturers for Five Foods Products to Register at FSSAI Website, Customs to Allow only Registered Parties to Import

· Registration of foreign food manufacturing facilities at the FSSAI portal is a continuous process, and FSSAI will keep updating the portal based on information received from the competent Authority of the exporting countries.

· Online portal- 'ReFoM', available on the FSSAI website, has been created, which contains the information about the FFMF intended to export articles of the above food categories to India

[CBIC Instruction No. 29 dated 14^th November 2024]

Subject: Requirement of Registration of Foreign Food Manufacturing Facilities as per Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2021, dated 03.11.2021.

Reference is invited to FSSAI office Order dated 30.08.2024 issued from File No. TIC·B02/2/2022-IMPORTS-FSSAI (copy attached) on the above subject.

2. Vide above order, reference of FSSAI's even order no. dated 10^th October, 2022 and 04^th April, 2024 has been given whereby it was notified that registration of foreign food manufacturing facilities (FFMF) falling under following five food categories, who are intended to export these food products shall be mandatory from 1st September, 2024;

i. Milk and Milk products;

ii. Meat and Meat products including Poultry, Fish and their products;

iii. Egg powder;

iv. Infant Food;

v. Nutraceuticals.

2.1. It is father stated that an online portal- 'ReFoM', available on the FSSAI website, has been created, which contains the information about the FFMF intended to export articles of the above food categories to India as provided by the Competent Authority of the exporting country. After examining the requisite information, the individual FFMF is registered, the portal is updated, and a unique registration number (URN) is generated by FSSAI for each facility registered at the 'ReFoM' portal. The same may be easily accessed from the said portal 'ReFoM' (https://sites.fssai.gov.in/refom/).

2.2 Further, it has been stated as per the FSSAI order dated 04^th April 2024, FFMF of the exporting country shall be registered, through their competent authority, to comply with the provisions from 1^st September 2024. Thereafter, the import of above said food categories will be allowed only from the registered FFMF of exporting country. Since the requirement will be enforced from the 1^st September 2024, Officials involved in the Food Import Clearance are informed to ensure the compliance of office order dated 04^th April 2024 by verifying the details of the FFMF provided in the FICS from the ReFoM portal (https://sites.fssai.gov.in/refom/) as given below:-

FSSAI Home Page -- ReFoM -- Click here to view --·Country -- Status of FFMF

2.3 It has also been stated that the registration of foreign food manufacturing facilities at the FSSAI portal is a continuous process, and FSSAI will keep updating the portal based on information received from the competent Authority of the exporting countries.

3. In this regard, it is requested that necessary action may be taken to sensitize officers under your jurisdiction regarding the said matter. Earlier Instructions No. 30/2022-Customs dated 14.11.2022 stands modified to that extent.

4. The difficulties, if any, may be brought to the notice of the Board.

F. No.401/103/2021-Cus.lll