FSSAI licence for a food manufacturing unit.
A food manufacturing unit needs an FSSAI Registration at ₹100 a year up to ₹1.5 crore turnover, a State Licence at ₹5,000 up to ₹50 crore, and a Central Licence at ₹7,500 above that. Since March 2026 the licence no longer expires, but a manufacturer’s licence carries the heaviest running obligations: the D-1 return, six-monthly testing, a recall plan and daily production records.
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Send on WhatsApp tooWhich FSSAI licence a food manufacturing unit 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
- General Manufacturing (Manufacturer section) — "Manufacturers/ Processors other than Dairy Units, Vegetable Oil, Meat Processing, Fish and Fish products, and Slaughtering unit, Food or Health Supplements and Nutraceuticals etc., Ayurveda Aahara, Proprietary Food, Non-specified food and food ingredients, Substances Added to Food, Radiation Processing of Food, 100% Export Oriented units and Exporter-manufacturer"
- Separate rows for the excluded activities. Food or Health Supplements and Nutraceuticals, Ayurveda Aahara and Proprietary Food are Central at any turnover (total yearly sales)
- Grain, cereal and pulses milling — Registration up to ₹1.5 crore, then a State Licence at any turnover
- Repacker or Relabeller — if you pack bulk food or have a third party make your product
- Head Office (Central) — if you operate in two or more States or UTs
What a food manufacturing unit 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.
One licence per factory, covering every activity there
A licence covers one premises and only the kinds of business (the category you register under) written on it. Where one application covers several activities, the heaviest tier governs. A second plant needs a second application, and a new product line needs a modification before you sell it.
FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q1; KoB table 01.04.2026Form D-1 by 31 May, every year
Every licensed manufacturer files Form D-1 (the yearly return) for the previous financial year by 31 May, one return per licence. A late return costs ₹100 a day. A return that isn't filed at all makes the licence deemed suspended (it stops being valid automatically), without any notice being sent.
Reg. 2.1.13 and 2.1.13(3); 2026 amendment (deemed suspension)Test your product at least every six months
Testing at least once in six months at an FSSAI-notified or NABL-accredited laboratory is a condition of the licence itself, not just guidance.
Schedule 2, Annexure 3, condition 12A written recall plan
Manufacturers must have a recall plan. The licence application lists one "wherever applicable, with details on whom the product is distributed". FSMS guidance expects a mock recall every year.
Recall Regulations 2017, reg. 7(1); Licensing Regulations, Annexure 2Daily production records, kept long enough
Daily production records bind manufacturers under condition 8 as substituted in March 2026. Keep records for one year or the product's shelf life, whichever is longer.
Schedule 2, Annexure 3, condition 8 (as substituted 10.03.2026); Schedule 4 (FSSAI’s hygiene rules), Part II 8.2Water, people and training
Water used in food has to be tested at regular intervals; FSMS guidance says every six months. Food handlers need a yearly medical fitness certificate. You need one FoSTaC (FSSAI’s official food safety training)-trained supervisor for every 25 food handlers at all times.
Schedule 4, Part II 4.1 and 10.1.2; FSSAI order 02.11.2017High-risk categories: an annual third-party audit
Central-licensed manufacturers in high-risk categories need an annual third-party audit. These are dairy, meat, fish, eggs, special nutritional foods, prepared foods, fortified rice kernels and packaged drinking water. FSSAI expects to inspect high-risk manufacturers yearly and other manufacturers every two years.
Auditing Regulations 2018, reg. 8; FSSAI order RCD-02001/9/2021, 02.05.2022What you’ll be asked for.
On top of the owner’s photo ID and address proof. FoSCoS asks per kind of business, so we send you the exact list for yours before you gather anything.
Full documents checklist- Blueprint or layout plan of the processing unit, with dimensions and operation-wise area allocation
- List of equipment and machinery, with number, installed capacity and horse power
- List of directors or partners with addresses, and the authority letter nominating the person responsible
- List of food categories you want to manufacture
- Water analysis report (chemical and bacteriological) from a recognised laboratory, for water used as an ingredient
- Food Safety Management System plan, or a certificate if you have one
- Recall plan, with details of who the product is distributed to
- NOCs from the municipality or local body and the State Pollution Control Board, where your application asks for them
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 agenciesLegal Metrology DepartmentCPCBAdjudicating Officer and Food Safety Appellate TribunalMunicipal corporation or local bodyState Pollution Control BoardCommon mistakes with food manufacturing unit licences.
Crossing ₹1.5 crore or ₹50 crore moves you to a different tier. Staying on the old licence can count as trading without the right one, which carries up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh.
New categories need a modification first. Licences list what you make, and inspectors check the list against what's on your shelf.
There's no renewal any more, but an unpaid annual fee or an unfiled D-1 suspends the licence automatically. Diary both.
It's a condition of licence. A lab report from last year's launch doesn't cover this year.
Your food manufacturing unit 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 food manufacturing unit: questions
Which FSSAI license is needed for a food manufacturing unit?
It depends on turnover and on what you make. Most units apply under General Manufacturing: Registration up to ₹1.5 crore, State Licence up to ₹50 crore, Central above. Dairy, vegetable oil, meat, fish and slaughtering have their own rows. Supplements, Ayurveda Aahara and proprietary food need a Central Licence at any turnover, and grain mills go to State above ₹1.5 crore.
What is the FSSAI license cost for manufacturing?
The government fee is ₹100 a year for Registration, ₹5,000 a year for a State Licence and ₹7,500 a year for a Central Licence, flat since 01.04.2026. The old capacity-based fee bands are gone. There's no ₹15,000 manufacturer fee, whatever some websites say. Our own fee is separate and quoted in writing after a free 10-minute check — it depends on how many premises, how many states and how many SKUs the file covers, and it does not change once agreed.
Can a small manufacturer get FSSAI registration instead of a licence?
Yes, if turnover is up to ₹1.5 crore. The 2026 table puts General Manufacturing on Registration at ₹100 a year up to that figure, and a complete application can be granted instantly. The exceptions are supplements, nutraceuticals, Ayurveda Aahara and proprietary food, which need a Central Licence however small you are.
What documents are needed for an FSSAI manufacturing licence?
For a State or Central Licence, Annexure 2 lists: a layout plan with operation-wise areas, an equipment list with installed capacity, the directors or partners, the food categories, a water analysis report, proof of the premises, the constitution of the firm, an FSMS plan, a recall plan, and NOCs from the local body and pollution board where applicable. FoSCoS asks for them by kind of business.
What food safety certification does a manufacturing unit need?
The FSSAI licence or registration is the legal requirement. On top of it: one FoSTaC-trained supervisor per 25 food handlers, a Food Safety Management System plan (listed with the licence documents), and, for Central-licensed high-risk manufacturers, an annual FSSAI third-party audit. Private certifications such as ISO or FSSC are voluntary as far as FSSAI is concerned.
Do I need separate FSSAI licences for my factory and my shop?
Yes, if they are at different addresses. FSSAI licenses premises, and one licence covers every activity at one premises. A factory and a retail outlet across town are two applications. If you operate in two or more States, you also need a head-office Central Licence at ₹7,500 a year.
What happens when FSSAI sends a notice to a manufacturer?
FSSAI's notices follow a fixed pattern. They name every business in the chain with its licence number, quote each problem claim, name the provision breached, and give 30 days to reply, or 7 if an earlier letter went unanswered. The licensing authority is copied, to seek compliance and file for adjudication. Reply on time, point by point.
Get your food manufacturing unit 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
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