Ø Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Notifies Amendments to FSSAI Licensing and Registration Regulations to Enhance Ease
of Doing Business
Ø Record-keeping and FIFO/FEFO stock rotation
requirements rationalised for non-manufacturing food businesses while maintaining
critical food safety safeguards
·
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
has notified amendments to the Food
Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses)
Regulations, 2011 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
·
The
changes have been introduced through the Food
Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Amendment
Regulations, 2026.
·
The
amendment aims to:
o Create a transparent and business-friendly
regulatory environment
o Reduce unnecessary compliance requirements
o Maintain essential food safety and
traceability standards
·
Earlier,
all licensed food businesses were required to:
o Maintain records
o Follow stock rotation practices based on First In First
Out (FIFO) or First
Expiry First Out (FEFO) principles
·
After
the amendment, these requirements will apply only to food manufacturing businesses,
where they are essential for:
o Food safety
o Quality control
o Product traceability
·
Non-manufacturing
food businesses,
including retailers and similar entities, have been exempted from these
record-maintenance and stock rotation requirements.
·
The
reform is expected to:
o Reduce compliance burden on food business
operators
o Provide relief especially to small and
medium enterprises (SMEs)
o Ensure strong safety monitoring where it
is most needed
·
The
amendment is part of the government’s broader regulatory reform agenda focused on:
o Ease of doing business
o Risk-based regulation
o Outcome-oriented compliance in the food
sector
·
Previous
food sector reforms include:
o Introduction of perpetual licences and
registrations
o Revision of turnover thresholds
o Removal of dual compliance requirements
for street food vendors
o Implementation of risk-based inspection
systems
·
The
amendments were finalised after consultations with:
o State and Union Territory authorities
o Stakeholders across the food business
sector
·
The
reforms align with recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms
constituted by NITI Aayog, which called for reducing
unnecessary regulatory burdens while ensuring effective oversight.
·
The
Ministry reiterated its commitment to strengthening India’s food safety system
through:
o Science-based regulations
o Stakeholder consultation
o Simplified regulatory processes.
In line with the Government's commitment
to fostering a transparent, efficient and business-friendly regulatory ecosystem,
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified amendments to the Food Safety
and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011
under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The amendments, notified through the Food
Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Amendment Regulations,
2026, seek to rationalise compliance requirements for food businesses while
ensuring that essential food safety and traceability measures continue to be maintained
where they are most relevant and necessary.
Under the existing regulatory framework,
all licensed food businesses were required to maintain records and adhere to stock
rotation practices based on the principles of First In
First Out (FIFO) or First Expiry First Out (FEFO). Following the amendment,
these requirements will now be applicable only to food manufacturing businesses,
where such controls are critical for ensuring food safety, quality assurance and
product traceability.
Non-manufacturing food businesses, including
retailers and other similar entities, have been exempted from these requirements.
The move is expected to significantly reduce the compliance burden on food business
operators, particularly small and medium enterprises, while maintaining robust food
safety oversight in areas where such controls are essential.
The amendment is part of the Ministry's
broader agenda of regulatory reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business
and promoting risk-based, outcome-oriented regulation in the food sector. Over the
past few years, several measures have been introduced to simplify compliance for
food business operators, including the provision of perpetual licences and registrations,
revision of turnover thresholds, removal of dual compliance requirements for street
food vendors, and implementation of a risk-based inspection system.
The reforms have been finalised after
extensive consultations with States and Union Territories as well as stakeholders
from across the food business ecosystem. The amendments are also aligned with the
recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms
constituted by NITI Aayog, which emphasised the need for reducing unnecessary regulatory
burdens while ensuring effective oversight.
The Ministry remains committed to strengthening
India's food safety framework through science-based regulations, stakeholder consultations
and regulatory simplification measures.