FSSAI licence for spices and masala.
Grinding, blending or packing spices and masalas for sale needs an FSSAI registration or licence, and turnover alone sets the tier. What makes spices different is the standards: most single spices and masala powders have a named standard with limits that decide whether your label name is lawful.
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Send on WhatsApp tooWhich FSSAI licence a spices and masala business 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
- Manufacturing — the manufacturer kind of business (the category you register under) on FoSCoS, with products chosen from the herbs, spices, seasonings and condiments category (12.2 in FoSCoS's food product categories)
- Relabelling or repacking as its own kind of business if you pack spices ground by someone else, as listed on FoSCoS
What a spices and masala business 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.
No added colour in turmeric and chilli powder
Turmeric powder must be free from any added colouring matter, including lead chromate, and from foreign starch. Chilli powder must be free from extraneous colouring and flavouring matter and mineral oil; it may contain up to 2% edible vegetable oil only with a label declaration of the amount and kind of oil.
FPS&FA Regulations 2011, Chapter 2.9 (Version 2, 04.11.2024), 2.9.18(2) and 2.9.3(2)Curry powder: at least 85% spices
Curry powder must contain not less than 85% spices by weight. It may contain added starch and edible common salt, with salt capped at 5% on a dry basis.
Chapter 2.9, 2.9.19Masala powder: declare the spice content
Mixed masala powder has tiered limits by minimum spice content, and the minimum percentage of spice content must be printed on the label. You may add the specific name — chana masala, sambar masala — and any salt above 5% must be declared.
Chapter 2.9, 2.9.20(5)–(6)Pan masala: no tobacco, big warning
Tobacco and nicotine may not be used as ingredients in any food product, which rules them out of pan masala. The pan masala warning must cover 50% of the front of the pack.
Prohibition & Restrictions on Sales Regulations, 2.3.4; Labelling & Display Regulations 2020Test every six months and file by 31 May
Licensed manufacturers test their products at least once in six months at an FSSAI-notified or NABL lab, and file Form D-1 (the yearly return) by 31 May for each class of food, one return per licence. A delay costs ₹100 a day; an unfiled return deems the licence suspended.
Schedule 2, Annexure 3, condition 12; reg. 2.1.13FSSAI's own guidance for spice units
FSSAI publishes a sector FSMS guidance document for spices (23.10.2018). It is guidance, not regulation, but inspectors use it as the benchmark — for example, it expects food handlers to be vaccinated yearly and water to be tested every six months.
FSSAI FSMS Guidance Document — Spices, 23.10.2018What 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- Layout plan of the grinding, blending, sieving and packing areas with dimensions
- List of machines — pulveriser, blender, sifter, packing machine — with installed capacity
- List of products you will make, named as in the Chapter 2.9 standards where one exists (turmeric powder, curry powder, mixed masala powder)
- Food Safety Management System (FSMS) plan, with pest control for raw spice storage
- Water analysis report if water is used in processing or cleaning
- Recall plan, with details of whom you sell 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 BoardCommodity boardsCommon mistakes with spices and masala business licences.
Garam masala has no standard of its own; a blend is sold as mixed masala powder, and the minimum spice content has to appear on the label. Work out the percentage from your recipe before the artwork goes to print.
Added colouring is barred from turmeric and chilli powder by their standards. It is the most direct route to a sub-standard or unsafe food finding — penalties up to ₹5 lakh for sub-standard food under section 51, and higher for unsafe food.
Exporters need a Central Licence at any turnover (total yearly sales). A home-scale masala maker that starts shipping abroad has to move up before the first consignment.
Your spices and masala 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 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 spices and masala business: questions
Which FSSAI license is required for a spices business?
It depends on annual turnover: Registration up to ₹1.5 crore, State Licence from ₹1.5 crore to ₹50 crore, Central Licence above ₹50 crore. Two exceptions push you to Central at any size: exporting, and running your own e-commerce food store. Operating premises in two or more States adds a head-office Central Licence.
What is the FSSAI license fee for spices?
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 amounts, whatever your capacity. There is no renewal fee any more, because licences are perpetual since March 2026, but the annual fee must be paid. 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.
Is FSSAI license mandatory for spices?
Yes, for anyone who manufactures, packs, stores or sells spices as a business. Operating without a licence or registration can bring up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh under section 63 of the FSS Act. Even a small home unit selling masala needs at least a Registration.
What are the FSSAI standards for spices?
Chapter 2.9 of the Food Products Standards Regulations sets standards for single spices and blends — turmeric (2.9.18), chillies and capsicum (2.9.3), coriander (2.9.7), curry powder (2.9.19), mixed masala (2.9.20) and asafoetida (2.9.29), among others. Each sets limits such as moisture and extraneous matter, and several bar added colour outright.
Do I need an FSSAI license for pan masala manufacturing?
Yes, pan masala is food under the FSS Act and needs a licence by turnover like other manufacturing. Two rules bite hard: tobacco and nicotine may not be used as ingredients in any food, and the pan masala label warning must cover half of the front of the pack. Check your formulation before applying.
How to get FSSAI license for a masala business?
Work out your tier from turnover, then apply on FoSCoS under your own login as a manufacturer, picking products from the spices and condiments category. Upload your layout plan, machinery list, product list and FSMS plan, and pay the fee. State and Central applications may be inspected. Once granted, register as a packer under Legal Metrology within 90 days of pre-packing.
Do I need an FSSAI license for turmeric powder?
Yes. Turmeric powder is a standardised product (2.9.18(2)), so you licence it like any spice and it must meet that standard — including being free from added colouring matter such as lead chromate, and from foreign starch. Test it at least once every six months at an FSSAI-notified or NABL lab if you hold a licence.
Get your spices and masala 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.