FSSAI Mandatory Audit For FBOs

On 25th of September, FSSAI Notified Food Business Operators of the mandatory third party audit requirement through an email. The following are the FAQs related to the same.

Q1. What is third party mandatory audit?

A. As per the notification issued by FSSAI in 2019, and subsequent clarifications and orders, it was mandated that all manufacturers/processors holding a central license under high risk categories shall get its business audited by an FSSAI recognized food safety auditing agency once in a year. Which means you must meet all the 3 criteria, which is License Type: Central, KOB: Manufacturing and Product Category: As listed below. Unless otherwise specified, year refers to the financial year.

Q2. Do state license holders also need to get the third party audit done?

A. This is not mandatory. However, the state commissioner for food safety may mandate that as per their requirements.

Q3. What are the high risk categories?

A. The following are the high risk categories as identified by FSSAI

Q4. What are the benefits of getting the third party audits done?

A. Businesses who score 80% or above in the third party audit will not be required to go through a FSSAI inspection for 2 years.

Q5. Since when has this become mandatory?

A. This has been mandatory since 2019 onward and the first audit was to be completed by 31st Dec 2019 which was subsequently extended to 30th Sept 2020.

Q6. Can an audit agency who has certified the FBO for other standards conduct this audit?

A. No. Agencies who have either certified the food business or provided training to them are not eligible to conduct the third party audits

.Q7. What is the last date for completing the audit?

A. Reminders have been sent out for completing it for this FY23-24. So it would be pertinent to complete this as early as possible, preferably before 31st December 2023 and definitely before 31st March 2024.

If you have already completed your mandatory audit and it does not reflect on the system, please contact your auditing agency as they are expected to upload the report and findings within 15 days from the date of audit. Additional questions may be directed to FSSAI at their customer care number 1800112100.