How Do I Cancel My Food Licence?

A food licence, or an FSSAI licence, is the permission given by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to every Food Business Operator (FBO) that is qualified to operate an establishment that serves food to customers. The licence is only given to FBOs that conform to all rules and regulations laid down by the FSSAI regarding hygiene, safety and quality. In case a change in the details of the food licence is necessary, a food licence modification can make the changes official.

The type of licence varies according to the scale and type of the FBO. There are 2 broad classifications for food licences, which are State licences and Central licences. Usually, large scale businesses that deal in import and export are required to obtain Central licences, whereas smaller scale businesses can make do with State licences. The other qualifications that determine the type of licence required include the FBO’s annual turnover, the productive capacity of their manufacturing units and their daily consumption of dairy. Both licences have a maximum period of 5 years and a minimum period of 1 year.

The broad types of food license modification are cancellation, transfer and update.

Food Licence Modification: Cancellation

All actions related to food licence modification can be performed through the FSSAI’s website, which is https://foscos.fssai.gov.in/. The process for food licence modification by cancellation is as follows:

1. Visit https://foscos.fssai.gov.in/ and click “Login-Business” at the top-right of the screen.
2. Login using your FBO’s credentials.
3. On the home page, click the “Apply for Surrender/Transfer of Licence/Registration”.
4. This will bring up a list of all your active food licences. For cancellation of food licence, click on the “surrender” button corresponding to the licence that you want to cancel.
5. A page asking you to fill in remarks will appear. Add supporting documents to substantiate the cancellation, and add remarks relating to the circumstances of the cancellation.
6. Click on “Proceed” to initiate the surrender of the food licence.

This option can be used in case the licence holder wants to close their business, or radically alter it in a way that the licence can no longer be used for it. Once the FSSAI accepts the request for cancellation, it will officially be a cancelled licence.

Food Licence Modification: Transfer

The following steps are required for food licence modification by transfer:

1. Visit https://foscos.fssai.gov.in/ and click “Login-Business” at the top-right of the screen.
2. Login using your FBO’s credentials.
3. On the home page, click the “Apply for Surrender/Transfer of licence/Registration”.
4. This will bring up a list of all your active food licences. For transfer of food licence, click on the “transfer” button corresponding to the licence that you want to transfer.
5. A page asking you to fill in the details of your licence will appear. Fill in the requisite details, such as the name of the company, death certificate of the owner and the details of the legal heir of the owner.
6. Click on “Proceed” to initiate the transfer of food licence.

This will begin the process of transfer of food licence. It is important to note that a transfer of food licence can only be done in case the licence holder dies. In such an event, the FSSAI’s regulations stipulate that a transfer of food licence can only be done in favour of a legal representative of the licence holder, or a family member of the deceased.

Food Licence Modification: Update

Food licence modification by updating is necessary when details of the food licence must be altered. The main details that require an update through food licence modification are the company name, the registered office address, the kind of business, the services it provides, its productive capacity, contact details and any supporting documents. Due to the different kinds of food licence modification possible, the  food licence modification process has been simplified into two kinds, known as Normal Modifications and Non Form C Modifications. The common steps for both are as follows: 

1. Go to https://foscos.fssai.gov.in/ and click on the green box that says “Modification of licence and Registration Fee”. This box also lists the fees required for modification, which are Rs. 1,000 for modification of licence and Rs. 100 for registration.
2. Login using your credentials.
3. This will lead to the homepage, with a menu on the left side. Click on “Apply for Modification in licence/Registration”.
4. Select the details you want to change. Selecting any or all of the first three options (company name, registered office address details, kind of business/product/quantity details), either by themselves or along with any or both of the last two options (contact details and supporting documents) leads to a Normal Modification. Selecting either or both of the last two options, without selecting any of the first three, leads to a Non Form C Modification.
5. A Normal Modification will result in all fields being mutable. Change whatever details are necessary in the page that appears.
6. In the “Required Documents” section, upload all relevant documents that serve as proof for the updated information, fill in the purpose of the food licence modification and click the checkbox to accept the declaration. Then, click on “Save & Next” to proceed.

If all the steps have been followed correctly, a green pop-up should appear, confirming that the request for food licence modification has been successfully submitted. An officer working with the FSSAI will review your application and take further actions to update your licence.

Conclusion

Food licence modification can be done through the FSSAI Portal. Through the process of food licence modification, the food licence can be cancelled, transferred or updated. Cancelling a food licence would result in it being unusable, so remember to apply for a new food licence before opening another FBO. All food licence modification processes require proper documentation, so it is important for a person seeking food licence modification to have a record of all relevant documents. An FBO with an FSSAI licence is subject to the rules and regulations given in the FSS Act of 2006, so there are additional guidelines to keep in mind apart from those regarding food licence modification.