NEWS

FSSAI regulations will require mandatory registration of FFMFs for certain food categories from 1 Sept.

01/09/2024
Food Technologist Zoya

In reference to the FSSAI’s order dated October 10, 2022, and its subsequent order dated April 4, 2024, which notify that, as of September 1, 2024, foreign food manufacturing facilities (FFMF) that fall under the following five food categories and plan to export these food products must register.

  1. Milk and Milk products;
  2. Meat and Meat products including Poultry, Fish and their products;
  3. Egg powder;
  4. Infant Food;
  5. Nutraceuticals.

As per the order dated 10th October 2022, FSSAI notified that registration of Foreign Food Manufacturing Facilities (ReFoM)  intending to export these 5 products to India is mandatory.

In this respect, an online portal- ‘ReFoM,’ available on the FSSAI website, has been created, which contains the information about the FFMF intended to export articles of the above food categories to India as provided by the Competent Authority of the exporting country.

Registration Process of FFMF

  • After examining the requisite information, the individual FFMF is registered.
  • Access unique Registration Numbers (URNs) for each Facility.
  • Further, the FSSAI order dated 04th April 2024 mentioned that FFMF of the exporting country shall be registered, through their competent authority, to comply with the provisions from 1st September 2024.
  • Only imports from registered FFMFs will be allowed from the specified date, so it’s crucial to ensure your facilities are registered and compliant.
  • Visit the ReFoM portal (https://sites.fssai.gov.in/refom/) for the latest updates and ensure your facility is registered before the deadline.

Documents required for registration of Foreign Food Manufacturing Facilities

  • Registration or License or similar document granted by the concerned country’s authority;
  • Owner’s consent of the Foreign Food Manufacturing Facility for the verification by the FSSAI Officials;
  • Detail compositions of products or items;
  • Authorisation for the authorised representative (in case applied through an FSSAI authorised representative);
  • Any additional documents or details that may be needed by Food Authority or FSSAI.

It is also informed that the registration of foreign food manufacturing facilities at the FSSAI portal is a continuous process, and FSSAI will keep updating the portal based on information received from the Competent Authority of the exporting countries.

Therefore, it is advised to sensitize the Officials and the Concerned Importers to comply with the requirement from 1st September 2024.

Around 3419 companies from 49 countries have already registered as on 1 September 2024.

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