In the view of the prevalent situation of COVID-19, FSSAI has extended the date for the mandatory Food Safety Audit of food business under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Safety Auditing) Regulations 2018.
The FSSAI has directed the food businesses to get such mandatory audits of their premises conducted by 31 December 2020.
In an earlier order dated 13 August 2019 the FSSAI had first mandated food safety audits for food businesses that fall in the high-risk category.
Under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Safety Auditing) Regulations, 2018 the FSSAI has prescribed mandatory audits for food businesses holding Central Licenses and falling under the high-risk categories.
The FSSAI has mandated that all FBOs who fall under the following six categories of food businesses as per FLRS shall be subject to mandatory food safety auditing.
| Product ID | Products |
| 1 | Dairy products and analogues, excluding products of food category 2.0 |
| 8 | Meat and meat products including poultry |
| 9 | Fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms |
| 10 | Egg and egg products |
| 13 | Foodstuff intended for particular nutritional uses (food for infant nutrients, etc.) |
| 16 | Prepared foods (catering etc.) |
FSSAI had also clarified earlier that though it was important that the complete chain from manufacturing, transport, storage, packaging etc, follow good hygiene practices in the initial stages only those food businesses involved in manufacturing and processing sector under the product categories mentioned above need to get their premises mandatorily audited.
As per Part III Section 8 (3) of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Safety Auditing) Regulations 2018, the food businesses subject to mandatory food safety auditing in the above mentioned six food categories, are directed to get their food business audited from a recognised auditing agency, at intervals as specified by the FSSAI.
