TAD News Desk, New Delhi:
- All Home Chefs require FSSAI registration.
- If the chef earns less than twelve lakhs per annum then he/she requires a state license and when more than twelve lakhs per annum then Central license.
- A central license is needed to sell their products online.
- The licensing may be approved in between two weeks to one month.
This pandemic has turned few culinary enthusiasts in Home-Chefs. Thus, due to the closing of eateries people who lost their jobs turned into home cooks. Recently it has been made mandatory by the government to acquire an FSSAI registration to run this newfound business. This news has made quite a rush for registrations between home chefs and some fear they might have to pay penalty up to five lakhs.
Easy registration –
Bharavi, a professional turned home chef, said that he got to know about this rule recently and thus focused on getting the FSSAI registration as soon as possible. Bharavi said,
“The onus is on us (home-chefs) to see what rules and regulations apply to our business. I applied and am set to get my registration number soon. It is a simple, online process – all you need to do is submit a few documents and provide information on the FSSAI website. If you are not tech-savvy, then there are people who will do it for a nominal fee.”
Important points to take care before applying for Registration number –
F&B consultant Neetha Bhoopalam told that there is no need to panic over the registration process. She said that as per rules, it is easy to get registration number and she has got many FSSAI registration for her clients. There are two kinds of registration number – first, marketed by and second, manufactured by – which the applicant must take cognizance of. Neetha said,
“Those who are sourcing materials from someone else and selling them under their brand need to apply for a ‘Marketed by’ FSSAI number. Those who are preparing food from scratch and selling need to apply for a ‘Manufactured by’ FSSAI number,” Neetha added on, “Depending on the number of years, you want to opt for the registration (can be from 1-5 years), the fees for the same including the government fee and department charges range from Rs. 1,500-5,000 approximately.”
Central license for Online market –
Neetha told about the need of getting a central license if you wish to have an online presence to exhibit your culinary aesthetics before the world. She said, “One can apply for a state license or a central license. Home-chefs whose annual turnover is below Rs. 12 lakhs need to apply for a state license and those earning above Rs.12 lakhs need to apply for a central license – depending on the category of the product. However, if you wish to sell through e-commerce, then you will have to apply for a central license.”
Source – Agro and Food Processing
