FSSAI — Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
FSSAI is the statutory body that licenses every food business operating in India. Every restaurant, hotel kitchen, caterer, food truck and packaged-food seller needs an FSSAI number — and it has to appear on your bills, your menu, and displayed on premises.
The three licence tiers
FSSAI issues three tiers of licence based on annual turnover and business scope. You cannot pick — it's determined by your numbers.
| Tier | Applies to | Number Length |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Registration | Turnover up to ₹12 lakh — small eateries, home-based sellers, tea stalls | 14 digits |
| State Licence | Turnover ₹12 lakh to ₹20 crore — most standalone restaurants and small chains | 14 digits |
| Central Licence | Turnover above ₹20 crore, imports, e-commerce sellers, chains operating in more than one state | 14 digits |
Where the FSSAI number must appear
Compliance requires the number in all of the following places:
- On the bill. Printed on every customer receipt.
- On the menu. The physical menu card and any digital menu (website, QR-code menu, delivery app listings).
- On packaging for any pre-packaged item you sell (bottled water, packaged snacks, take-home boxes with your branding).
- Displayed on premises. A printed board with your FSSAI number, visible to customers.
- On advertising. Any print or digital advertisement mentioning your food product.
Renewal cadence
Licences are valid for 1 to 5 years, at the licensee's option. Renewal must be filed at least 30 days before expiry — late renewal incurs a per-day penalty (₹100/day, capped at the licence fee), and running a food business on an expired FSSAI licence attracts a fine of up to ₹5 lakh under the Food Safety Act.
What the number looks like
An FSSAI number is 14 digits. The first digit encodes the licence type (1 = Central, 2 = State). Digits 2–6 are the year and state code. Digits 7–14 are a unique application ID. Example: 12345678901234. When printing on a bill, the standard format is "FSSAI: 12345 6789 01234" for readability.
In TBN software
Pass stores your FSSAI number per outlet — so a business running several outlets under separate licences keeps each one correct — and prints it on every bill. Slate and Folio are adding the same, with a Settings toggle: on by default, and if you switch it off we'll tell you plainly that display is a legal requirement, then respect your decision.