Glossary
The FSSAI compliance glossary.
60 terms you’ll meet on FoSCoS, in notices and on inspection — in plain English, each with the rule it comes from.
No term matches. Try a shorter word — or ask us.
A
- Adjudicating Officer
- The officer who decides money penalties under sections 50–58 of the FSS Act, weighing the gain made, harm caused and whether it repeats.FSS Act s.49, s.68
- Allergen declaration
- A separate “Contains …” statement naming the allergen actually present — wheat, milk, peanut and so on. Listing the ingredient alone doesn’t satisfy it.L&D Regs 2020, reg. 5(14)
- Annual fee
- The yearly licence or registration fee. Since 10 March 2026, not paying it puts the licence under deemed suspension.Reg. 2.1.7(2)
- Annual return
- Form D-1, filed by manufacturers and importers by 31 May for the previous financial year. The half-yearly Form D-2 for dairy is in the regulation but FSSAI’s July 2022 FAQ says it was discontinued from 2020-21.Reg. 2.1.13 · FSSAI FAQ 26.07.2022
- Appendix A
- FSSAI’s food category system and the list of additives permitted in each category. An additive allowed in one category may not be in another.FSS (FPS & FA) Regs 2011
- Ayurveda Aahara
- Foods prepared to recipes from classical Ayurvedic texts, with their own regulations, categories and six extra label items.FSS (Ayurveda Aahara) Regs 2022
B
- Best before
- The date until which the food keeps its quality. Different from “use by”, which relates to safety.L&D Regs 2020
C
- Central Licence
- The licence issued by FSSAI’s Central Licensing Authority — for turnover above ₹50 crore, and for importers, exporters, e-commerce and nutraceuticals at any size. ₹7,500 a year.KoB table 01.04.2026
- Claim
- Any representation that says or implies a food has particular qualities. Product names, pictures and emphasis can all be claims.FSS (Advertising & Claims) Regs 2018
- Commissioner of Food Safety
- The state’s head of food safety administration, under whom State Licensing Authorities work.FSS Act s.30
D
- Deemed suspension
- Automatic suspension of a licence when the annual fee is unpaid or a required return isn’t filed. No notice is issued, and you may not trade while it lasts.Reg. 2.1.7(2), 10.03.2026
- Designated Officer
- The district-level officer who issues registrations and certain licences and oversees enforcement.FSS Act s.36
- Display board (FSDB)
- The Food Safety Display Board every premises must show, carrying the licence or registration number.FSSAI order 19.09.2018
E
- E-commerce FBO
- A business selling food through an online platform it runs. Licensed centrally at any turnover; its sellers need their own licences.KoB table 01.04.2026
F
- FBO
- Food Business Operator — the person or company that runs a food business and is responsible for compliance.FSS Act s.3(1)(o)
- FEFO / FIFO
- First-expiry-first-out and first-in-first-out stock rotation. Since June 2026 the Schedule 4 requirement no longer applies to retailers.Schedule 4, 5.2.5, as amended 23.06.2026
- Food category (FPC)
- The product category a food belongs to under FSSAI’s classification. It decides standards, additives and sometimes the licence.Appendix A
- Form A
- The application for FSSAI Registration.FSS (L&R) Regs 2011
- Form B
- The application for a State or Central Licence.FSS (L&R) Regs 2011
- Form IX
- The nomination by a company of the person responsible for food safety, with a board resolution.FSS Rules
- FoSCoS
- Food Safety Compliance System — FSSAI’s only portal for licences, registrations, returns and modifications: foscos.fssai.gov.in.FSSAI
- FoSTaC
- Food Safety Training and Certification. One FoSTaC-trained supervisor is required for every 25 food handlers; the certificate no longer expires for someone who stays in the same kind of business.FSSAI order 02.11.2017 · OM 21.07.2022
- FSDU
- Food for Special Dietary Use — a nutraceutical-family category for people with specific dietary needs, including sportspersons.Nutraceutical Regs
- FSMP
- Food for Special Medical Purpose — for use under medical supervision. Some formats (tablets, gummies, capsules) are prohibited for it.Nutraceutical Regs
- FSMS plan
- Food Safety Management System plan — how a business controls hazards, and which records prove it. Required with a licence application.Schedule 4; FSSAI FSMS guidance
- FSS Act
- The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 — the law under which FSSAI and all its regulations operate.Act 34 of 2006
- FSSAI
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India — the regulator. It does not appoint or endorse consultants.FSS Act s.4
H
- Hawker / street vendor
- A petty food business selling from a cart or stall. Registration carries no government fee since 28.09.2024; vendors registered under the Street Vendors Act are deemed registered.Reg. 2.1.1(7)
- Health supplement
- A product that supplements the diet with nutrients or other substances, within one RDA and permitted schedules.Nutraceutical Regs
- High-risk category
- Food categories FSSAI treats as higher risk — dairy, meat, fish, eggs, special nutritional foods, prepared foods, packaged water and others — which attract audits and more frequent inspection.FSSAI RBIS order 02.05.2022
- Hygiene rating
- A voluntary rating for food service and retail, valid two years, awarded after an audit by an FSSAI-recognised agency.Hygiene Rating Scheme
I
- IEC
- Importer-Exporter Code from DGFT. Your FSSAI import licence is deemed cancelled if the IEC is suspended or cancelled; it must be updated every April–June.Import Regs, reg. 4(4)
- Improvement notice
- A notice requiring an FBO to fix specific failures within a set time, after which the licence can be suspended.FSS Act s.32
- INS number
- The international number that identifies a food additive on a label — INS 330 is citric acid, for example.L&D Regs 2020
- Instant registration
- Registration granted on FoSCoS on submission of a complete application, introduced by the 2026 amendment.Reg. 2.1.1(4)
K
- Kind of business (KoB)
- The activity a licence is issued for — manufacturer, caterer, retailer, importer and so on. FSSAI’s KoB table sets the tier and fee for each.KoB table 01.04.2026
L
- Legal Metrology
- The separate law on weights, measures and pre-packed goods. It sets the size of net quantity, MRP and date declarations, and requires packer registration.LM (PC) Rules 2011
- Licence modification
- A change to an existing licence — products, kind of business, details. A new tier or new premises needs a fresh application instead.Schedule 2, Annexure 3
- Licensing Authority
- The officer who grants and administers licences — State or Central.FSS (L&R) Regs 2011
M
- Misbranded food
- Food whose label or presentation is false, misleading or missing required information. Penalty up to ₹3 lakh.FSS Act s.3(1)(zf), s.52
- Mock recall
- A timed rehearsal of a product recall to prove traceability works.Recall Regs 2017; FSMS guidance
N
- NABL
- National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. Product and water tests should come from NABL-accredited or FSSAI-notified labs.Condition of licence 12
- Non-specified food
- A food or ingredient with no standard that needs FSSAI’s prior approval before sale.NSF Regulations 2017
- Nutraceutical
- A product containing specified bioactive ingredients from the nutraceutical schedules, licensed centrally at any turnover.Nutraceutical Regs
P
- Perpetual validity
- Since 10 March 2026, licences and registrations stay valid unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered. There is no renewal.Reg. 2.1.7
- Petty food business
- A small food business eligible for Registration. The 2026 definition expressly excludes caterers.Reg. 1.2.1(4)
- Principal display panel (PDP)
- The part of the pack most likely to be seen at sale. Minimum 40% of the pack for rectangular and cylindrical packs.L&D Regs 2020
- Proprietary food
- A food not standardised but made from standardised ingredients within permitted limits. It doesn’t need prior approval.FSS (FPS & FA) Regs 2011
R
- RDA
- Recommended Dietary Allowance. Labels use a 2,000 kcal adult basis; nutraceuticals are capped at one RDA per ICMR 2020.L&D Regs 2020; ICMR-NIN 2020
- Recall plan
- The written procedure for withdrawing unsafe food, required of manufacturers, importers and wholesalers.Recall Regs 2017, reg. 7(1)
- Registration
- The entry tier for businesses up to ₹1.5 crore turnover. ₹100 a year; nil for street vendors.KoB table 01.04.2026
- Risk-based inspection
- Inspection frequency set by business type, past compliance, audit results and food risk category.Reg. 2.1.17, 10.03.2026
S
- Schedule 4
- The hygiene and sanitary requirements every food business must meet — Part I for petty businesses, II general, III dairy, IV meat.FSS (L&R) Regs 2011
- Section 63
- Carrying on a food business without a licence — up to six months’ imprisonment and a fine up to ₹5 lakh.FSS Act
- Shelf life (imports)
- Imported food must have at least 60% of its shelf life, or three months, whichever is less, left at import.Import Regs, reg. 5(6)
- State Licence
- The licence issued by a State Licensing Authority for turnover between ₹1.5 crore and ₹50 crore, all caterers and hotels up to 4-star. ₹5,000 a year.KoB table 01.04.2026
- Sub-standard food
- Food that doesn’t meet its specified standard, though not unsafe. Penalty up to ₹5 lakh.FSS Act s.51
T
- Third-party audit
- An audit by an FSSAI-recognised agency — yearly for Central-licensed high-risk manufacturers, or on direction of the Commissioner.Auditing Regs 2018; reg. 2.1.17(5)
U
- Unsafe food
- Food whose nature, substance or quality is injurious to health. Punishment scales with harm caused.FSS Act s.3(1)(zz), s.59
V
- Veg / non-veg symbol
- The green or brown mark on the pack, sized by panel area.L&D Regs 2020
Get licensed. Stay licensed.
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.
Get a call backStep 1 of 3