Under the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, the concept of seasonal food businesses—operating during short-term events such as fairs or food festivals—exists under Form A of Schedule 2. However, the Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) previously lacked a mechanism to issue registration certificates for such temporary operations, forcing applicants to follow the standard registration process, which was impractical for short-duration activities.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has now introduced a specific provision in FoSCoS enabling the Registering Authority to issue registration certificates for seasonal food businesses operating during short-term events like religious fairs and food festivals. Key highlights include:

• Application & Documentation: To be processed as per Form A, with the Registering Authority filling out details on behalf of the applicant.
• Permitted Kind of Business (KoB):
  • Trade/Retail: Retailers and Food Vending Agencies (including vending machines).
  • Food Services: Petty retailers (snacks/tea shops), hawkers (mobile/itinerant vendors), and food vending establishments.
• Validity: Up to 3 months, non-renewable.
• Fee: ₹100, with hawkers exempted under FSSAI Order No. RCD-01003/1/2024-Regulatory-FSSAI (E12332) dated September 30, 2024.

A detailed User Manual for Registering Authorities has been attached in original document, and this new functionality on FoSCoS has been operational since August 1, 2025.