FSSAI licence for repacking and private label.
In FSSAI’s system, repacking and private label count as manufacturing: if you pack bulk food into your own packs you’re a Repacker, and if a third-party factory makes the product under your brand you’re a Relabeller. Both sit in the Manufacturer section, on the same turnover bands: Registration up to ₹1.5 crore, State Licence to ₹50 crore, Central above.
Brands using third-party, white-label or contract manufacturing apply as Relabeller. Packing bulk food into smaller packs is Repacker. Both follow the manufacturing turnover bands: Registration at ₹100 a year up to ₹1.5 crore, a State Licence at ₹5,000 to ₹50 crore, and Central at ₹7,500 above. The old Marketer category was disabled in 2021.
Which FSSAI licence a repacking or private-label business needs.
| Annual turnover | You need | Government fee (to FSSAI) | Our filing fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹1.5 crore | Registration | ₹100 a year | ₹4,500 |
| ₹1.5 crore – ₹50 crore | State Licence | ₹5,000 a year | ₹12,500 |
| Above ₹50 crore | Central Licence | ₹7,500 a year | ₹19,500 |
Per FSSAI’s kind-of-business table updated 01.04.2026. Our fee is one-time plus GST. Operating in two or more States/UTs adds a head-office Central Licence (₹7,500 a year).
What to choose on FoSCoS
- Relabeller (Manufacturer section) — "a food business operator who gets his product manufactured or packed from a third party manufacturer or processor"; covers private label, white label and contract manufacturing
- Repacker (Manufacturer section) — "repacks a food product into different sizes without changing or affecting the nature, composition or formulation"
- Marketer — no longer available: FSSAI disabled the Marketer and Supplier categories on FoSCoS from 16.09.2021
- Where the product is a nutraceutical, Ayurveda Aahara or proprietary food, those rows are Central at any turnover. Confirm with the licensing authority how that applies to a relabeller
2026 tablePer FSSAI’s table updated 01.04.2026. We confirm your kind of business before filing.
What a repacking or private-label business has to get right.
Each point comes with the regulation, order or FSSAI document behind it. Where FSSAI hasn’t spelt something out, we say it’s our reading.
Third-party manufacturing means a Relabeller licence
FSSAI's FAQ says businesses "who get their products manufactured through third-party manufacturers need to obtain FSSAI License under 'Relabeller' Kind of Business". The factory's licence covers the factory. Your licence covers you as the brand owner.
FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q71 (21.07.2022); KoB table 01.04.2026, Relabeller rowRelabellers are deemed manufacturers
FSSAI says relabellers "are deemed manufacturers and shall ensure all Schedule 4 conditions are laid down for manufacturers". You don't run the line, but you answer for it. In our reading that includes the manufacturer's running obligations: the recall plan, product testing and the annual return.
FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q84 (21.07.2022)Repacking allows minimal processing only
Repacking means packing food into different sizes with labelling, after only the minimal processing required, such as sorting, grading or sieving, from wholesale packages. Anything that changes the food, such as roasting, blending or flavouring, is manufacturing.
FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q83; KoB table 01.04.2026, Repacker rowBoth licence numbers go on the pack
The label shows the brand owner's name and address with qualifying words ("Manufactured by", "Marketed by", "Packed & Marketed by"). It carries the brand owner's FSSAI logo and licence number and, if different, the manufacturer's or packer's licence number too.
Labelling & Display Regulations 2020, reg. 5(6)(a) and 5(7)(b)NOCs from the manufacturer
The licence regulations list an "NOC from manufacturer in case of Re-labellers" among the documents for a licence. A repacker who wants to show the original manufacturer's name on the pack needs that manufacturer's NOC as a mandatory document.
Licensing Regulations 2011, Annexure 2; FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q120FSSAI writes to everyone in the chain
FSSAI's claim notices are addressed to every operator at once: "Manufactured by", "Marketed by" and "Processed & Packed by", each named with its licence number. The contract manufacturer doesn't absorb the brand owner's risk, or the other way round.
FSSAI notices, 2026 (project: enforcement-notices.md)Printed stock is not a defence
Permission to use up old printed packaging is narrow. The 2017 order covers only a changed name, address or licence number, and the 2023 blanket permission expired on 31.12.2023. In one case in FSSAI's notice file, a paid application for it was refused. Get the label right before the print run.
Project: enforcement-notices.md (PPM permission)Legal Metrology registers packers too
Anyone who pre-packs has to register as a packer under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules within 90 days (rule 27, ₹500 one-time). This is a separate law, with its own inspectors.
Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011, rule 27What 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- Agreement or contract with the third-party manufacturer (relabellers)
- NOC from the manufacturer (relabellers; repackers who show the manufacturer's name)
- Copy of the manufacturer's FSSAI licence, checked to confirm it covers the product category you're selling
- Layout plan and equipment list with installed capacity (repackers running their own packing floor)
- Label artwork showing the brand owner's details and both licence numbers
- Legal Metrology packer registration (rule 27)
- Recall plan naming who the product is distributed to
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 repacking or private-label business licences.
"The factory has a licence" is the most common private-label gap. Without your own Relabeller licence, your brand is trading without one, which carries up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh.
Regulation 5(7)(b) wants the brand owner's number and the manufacturer's or packer's number. Many private-label packs carry only one of the two.
The category has been disabled since 16.09.2021. If you hold an old Marketer licence, move it to Relabeller at your next modification.
A manufacturer licensed for one food category can't lawfully make another for you. Check the categories on its licence before you sign.
Your repacking or private-label business 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 — 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 requirement comes with the regulation behind it — and our readings are marked as ours.
FSSAI licence for repacking or private-label business: questions
Which FSSAI license is needed for third-party manufacturing?
The brand owner applies as Relabeller. FSSAI's FAQ says businesses that get their products manufactured through third parties need a licence under that kind of business. The manufacturer keeps its own licence for the factory. Your tier follows the manufacturing bands: Registration to ₹1.5 crore, State Licence to ₹50 crore, Central above, with nutraceuticals on Central at any turnover.
Which FSSAI license is required for repacking?
Repacker, in the Manufacturer section of FoSCoS. It covers packing food into different sizes after minimal processing like sorting, grading or sieving, without changing its nature or composition. The tier goes by turnover: ₹100 Registration up to ₹1.5 crore, ₹5,000 State Licence to ₹50 crore, ₹7,500 Central above.
What is the FSSAI repacking license cost?
The government fee is ₹100, ₹5,000 or ₹7,500 a year by tier, paid directly to FSSAI. There's no renewal any more, but the annual fee must be paid on time. Our fee to file is ₹4,500 for Registration, ₹12,500 for State and ₹19,500 for Central, plus GST. Legal Metrology packer registration is a separate ₹500.
Do I need an FSSAI license for a white label brand?
Yes. A white-label or private-label brand that has its products made or packed by someone else applies as Relabeller. FSSAI treats relabellers as deemed manufacturers. Your pack carries your licence number and the manufacturer's, and FSSAI notices name both of you.
Is there an FSSAI license for marketing companies?
Not under that name any more. FSSAI disabled the Marketer category on FoSCoS from 16.09.2021 because it overlapped with other activities. A company that only markets products made by others now applies as Relabeller. On the label it still uses the qualifying words "Marketed by" before its name and address.
What is a relabeller in FSSAI?
FSSAI's definition: "a food business operator who gets his product manufactured or packed from a third party manufacturer or processor". Relabellers are deemed manufacturers and must make sure all the Schedule 4 conditions for manufacturers are met. A licence application lists an NOC from the manufacturer among its documents.
Does a relabeller have to file Form D-1?
Form D-1 is due by 31 May from every licensed manufacturer. Because FSSAI treats relabellers as deemed manufacturers, our reading is that a licensed relabeller files one, and when we run your returns we file it. A missed return triggers deemed suspension, so confirm the position with your licensing authority rather than skip it.
Get your repacking or private-label business 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.