FSSAI licence for a factory, office or school canteen.
A canteen at a factory, office, hospital or college needs an FSSAI Registration at ₹100 a year up to ₹1.5 crore turnover and a State Licence at ₹5,000 above that; the Club/Canteen row has no Central tier. Canteens at Central Government institutions, railway stations and schools running mid-day meals have rows of their own.
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Send on WhatsApp tooWhich FSSAI licence a canteen needs.
| Annual turnover | You need | Government fee (to FSSAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹1.5 crore | Registration | ₹100 a year |
| ₹1.5 crore – ₹50 crore | State Licence | ₹5,000 a year |
| Above ₹50 crore | Central Licence | ₹7,500 a year |
Per FSSAI’s kind-of-business table updated 01.04.2026. The government fee goes from you to FSSAI on FoSCoS (FSSAI’s licensing website) — it never passes through us. Our professional fee depends on the file and is quoted in writing after the free check. Operating in two or more States/UTs adds a head-office Central Licence (₹7,500 a year).
What to choose on FoSCoS
- Club/Canteen, under Food Services, as listed on FoSCoS — a dining area in an institution or establishment serving food to people associated with or visiting it
- Central Government Agencies — catering services such as departmental canteens at Central Government institutions (Central Registration / Central Licence)
- Mid-Day Meal Canteen — canteens serving food under the mid-day meal scheme in schools
- Railway Stations — canteens at station premises (Central, Railways)
- Caterer — for a contractor who cooks off-site and delivers to the canteen (no Registration tier)
What a canteen has to get right.
Each point comes with the regulation, order or FSSAI document behind it. Where FSSAI has not spelt something out, we say so and give you our advice.
The canteen row stops at State
Club/Canteen runs Registration up to ₹1.5 crore turnover (total yearly sales) and State Licence above. It has no Central cell, unlike Restaurants.
KoB table 01.04.2026, Club/Canteen rowContractor or company: who applies
The FSS Act makes the food business operator the person by whom the business is carried on or owned and who is responsible for compliance. Our view: a contractor who runs the canteen with its own staff is the operator and applies. A company running it in-house applies itself.
FSS Act 2006, s.3(1)(o); our adviceCentral Government canteens have their own row
Departmental canteens at Central Government institutions take a Central Registration at ₹100 up to ₹1.5 crore turnover, or a Central Licence at ₹2,000 above. It is one of only two rows with a ₹2,000 fee. FSSAI's 2021 FAQ said private operators running canteens in government organisations follow the general criteria, so confirm which row applies to you.
KoB table 01.04.2026, Central Government Agencies row; FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q90Schools: the operator must be registered, and no junk food
A school running its own canteen must register as a food business. A school contracting one must make sure the contractor is registered or licensed. Foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, added sugar or sodium may not be sold on the school campus or within 50 metres of the school gate.
FSS (Safe food and balanced diets for children in school) Regulations 2020, regs 3(1), 3(2), 5(1)Big canteens need several supervisors
One FoSTaC (FSSAI’s official food safety training)-trained supervisor per 25 food handlers at all times. An industrial canteen feeding three shifts with 60 handlers needs three per shift, not one for the site.
FSSAI order 02.11.2017Yearly medicals once you're licensed
On a State Licence, Schedule 4 (FSSAI’s hygiene rules) Part II applies, including a yearly medical fitness certificate for food handlers and water tested at regular intervals. FSMS guidance puts that at every six months.
Schedule 4, Part II 4.1, 10.1.2; FSMS guidanceOne canteen, one licence
Licences are premise-based. A contractor running canteens at five client sites needs five licences or registrations, one per site.
FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q1What you’ll be asked for.
On top of the owner’s photo ID and address proof. FoSCoS asks per kind of business (the category you register under), so we send you the exact list for yours before you gather anything.
Full documents checklist- Proof of possession of the canteen space — for a contractor, the agreement with the company or institution, or its NOC, allowing use of the premises
- List of food items served
- Photograph of the proprietor (Registration) or Form B signed by the proprietor, a partner or a director (State Licence)
- Constitution of the operator — partnership deed, MoA/AoA or incorporation certificate (State Licence)
- Food Safety Management System (FSMS) plan (State Licence)
- Nomination of a responsible person, Form IX, if the operator is a company
The authorities around this business.
FSSAI isn’t the only door you’ll knock on. These are the bodies that usually matter for this kind of business — each links to what it does and when you’ll meet it.
See the full regulatory map
Food Safety and Standards Authority of IndiaFoSCoSCommissioner of Food SafetyDesignated Officer and Food Safety Officers
FSSAI-notified, NABL-accredited food laboratoriesFoSTaC training partnersFSSAI-recognised auditing agenciesAdjudicating Officer and Food Safety Appellate TribunalMunicipal corporation or local bodyCommon mistakes with canteen licences.
Settle in the contract who the food business operator is, and keep a copy of the licence on the canteen wall and in the company's file.
If the meals are cooked at the contractor's kitchen and trucked in, the contractor is catering. Caterers cannot use a Registration, however small the contract.
Each canteen is a separate premises. A contractor's head-office licence doesn't cover the kitchens it runs.
Your canteen licence in three steps.
Most of the work is ours. Where something needs you, it says so — and nothing is filed without your approval.
- 1
Book a free 10-minute check
Tell us what you do. We confirm the exact kind of business, the licence and the full cost in writing — including the exceptions most people miss.
Free · no obligation - 2
We file it on your login
You get a checklist for your business, we check every document, and we file on your own FoSCoS account. The government fee goes from you to FSSAI.
Fixed fee, in writing - 3
We keep you licensed
Fees, returns, tests, medicals, labels and inspections — dated, tracked and handled, with a short status note each month.
Ready any day
Our promises, in writing
You get the fee before we start. If the scope changes, you hear it from us before it costs you.
We file on your own FoSCoS account with your approval. Nothing to hand back if you ever leave.
Straight to FSSAI on FoSCoS. It never passes through us.
Each rule comes with its source, and we say clearly when something is our advice.
FSSAI licence for canteen: questions
Is an FSSAI licence needed for a factory canteen?
Yes. A factory or industrial canteen is a food business under the Club/Canteen row: Registration at ₹100 a year up to ₹1.5 crore turnover, State Licence at ₹5,000 above. Trading without the registration or licence your business needs can draw up to six months' imprisonment and a ₹5 lakh fine (FSS Act s.63). Plan for FoSTaC supervisors across shifts, one per 25 handlers.
Who should take the FSSAI licence for a company canteen, the company or the contractor?
The food business operator: the person who carries on or owns the business and is responsible for compliance (FSS Act s.3(1)(o)). Our view: a contractor running the canteen with its own staff applies in its own name, using the company's NOC as proof of premises. A company running the canteen itself applies itself. Write it into the contract.
What are the FSSAI rules for a school canteen?
A school running its own canteen must register as a food business. A school using a contractor must make sure the contractor is registered or licensed. Foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, added sugar or sodium may not be sold on the campus or within 50 metres of the school gate. Mid-day meal canteens have their own row: Registration up to ₹1.5 crore.
What FSSAI licence does a hospital or office canteen need?
The same Club/Canteen row: Registration up to ₹1.5 crore turnover, State Licence above. The exception is a departmental canteen at a Central Government institution, which takes a Central Registration at ₹100 or a Central Licence at ₹2,000. A hospital canteen follows the same Schedule 4 hygiene rules as any other.
What is the FSSAI registration fee for a canteen?
₹100 a year for a Registration up to ₹1.5 crore turnover, and ₹5,000 a year for a State Licence above that, paid directly to FSSAI. Central Government institution canteens pay ₹100 or ₹2,000 on their own row. We quote our own fee after the free check, in writing and before you commit — a single premises and a multi-state operation are not the same job, so we don’t print one figure for both.
How do I apply for an FSSAI licence for a canteen?
Online at foscos.fssai.gov.in, FSSAI's official portal, under the Club/Canteen kind of business. Pick the site as the premises, upload proof of possession (for a contractor, the client's agreement or NOC), the item list and your identity documents, and pay the fee. A State Licence also needs Form B, constitution documents and an FSMS plan.
Get your canteen licensed — and keep it that way.
Book a free 10-minute check. A person — not a bot — calls you back within working hours, tells you exactly which licence you need and what it costs, before you commit to anything.
- Government fee paid by you, directly to FSSAI
- Filed under your own FoSCoS login
- Fixed fee, confirmed in writing before we start
Not ready to talk? Get the free 2026 checklist or find your licence yourself.