'Food bizs to mention FSSAI licence No. on invoice/bills from Oct 1'

New Delhi: Food safety regulator FSSAI has mandated food business operators to mention FSSAI licence or registration number on cash receipts or purchase invoice with effect from October 1 this year.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a latest order in this regard.

Since complaints remain unresolved due to lack of specific information, this move will help consumers who can lodge an online complaint against a particular food business using the FSSAI number, it said.

"Licensing and registration authorities are directed to widely publicise the policy and shall ensure its implementation mandatorily with effect from October 2, 2021," the FSSAI order said.

Mentioning of FSSAI number shall also improve the overall awareness, the regulator said if not mentioned, it will indicate non-compliance or non registration/licensing by the food business. Stating that the food business ecosystem is large, the regulator said 14-digit FSSAI number of any food business operator is not "easily visible and available on consumer/service recipient."

If the FSSAI number is not available to consumers, expecting him to complain with complete coordinates is an uphill task. Even regulators find it difficult to trace the origin of complaint and attend to it promptly, it said.