FSSAI has decided to issue online certificates of licensing and registration to food business operators (FBOs). The certificates will be sent directly to the FBOs’ registered e-mail addresses or the Food Licensing Registration System (FLRS) bin instead of sending across a hard copy to their addresses. This decision shall start from May 1, 2018.
The certificates shall also carry a statement at the end, which will state that this is a computer generated license/registration certificate and does not require signature of the license/registration authority. Further, the license/registration certificate will also bear a quick response (QR) code as a security feature to verify the license or registration certificate.
The computer-generated copy of licenses/registration certificates will be sent to the registered e-mail addresses of FBOs, the e-mail addresses of the persons nominated for complying the conditions of licenses by the FBO, in the FLRS bin of the FBO and a SMS alert in this regard will also be sent to the concerned FBO for information at the time of generation of the certificate.
Garima Singh, director, regulatory compliance, FSSAI headquarters, said that based on computer generated certificates, the FBOs will be in a position to start their businesses immediately.
At present the printed copy of licenses/registration certificates granted is sent by the authority to FBOs through post at their correspondence addresses, except in the states of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Madhya Pradesh, where such certificates are issued via mail having signatures of the concerned authority.
“The practice of sending licenses/registrations by post has certain disadvantages like postal delay in delivery, non-receipt of certificates and it has also leads to inconvenience and harassment of FBOs who have to visit the office of concerned authority in case of non receipt of certificates,†she said, adding that the apex food regulator has been seized of the matter for sometimes and it was decided that certificates will be sent to email addresses or the FLRS bin of FBOs.
A letter regarding this order has also been sent across the state food safety commissioners and Central licensing authorities by the apex food regulator.
