Food safety regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has mandated food business operators to mention FSSAI license or registration number on cash receipts or purchase invoice with effect from October 1, 2021.
“Licensing and registration authorities are directed to widely publicise the policy and shall ensure its implementation mandatorily with effect from October 2, 2021,” the order said.
The move is aimed at helping consumers to lodge online complaints against a particular food business (if required) using the FSSAI number, it said.
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.”
No database can be created without a unique locator code, which in case of food safety is the FSSAI number, it added.
Currently, the FSSAI number is compulsory to be displayed on packaged food labels, but tracking a complaint is difficult when it comes to establishments such as restaurants, mithai shops, caterers and retail stores, FSSAI said.
The regulator also disclosed 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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