The pandemic in its initial phase threw the world considerably oﬀ-balance and without any possibility of change anywhere in sight, individuals, organizations, and institutions initiated numerous eﬀorts to ﬁnd ways of dealing with this new normal. Interactions – social and educational – moved online, as did small, medium, and large enterprises. The internet turned into the best platform for brand awareness, promotion, marketing, uniting, meeting, and everything else. It was due to these much-needed and well-timed switches of course that most businesses, small, micro, and medium alike were able to weather through the pandemic without hitting rock bottom.

The last couple of years saw one of the biggest upsurges in the food business, with people starting food carts, opening canteens, providing home deliveries for COVID patients, and more. While such eﬀorts may have initially begun without much thought given to the formal processes involved, the good news is that getting the eﬀorts formalized is not too diﬃcult. Entrepreneurs in Telangana can get a food license with just a few mouse clicks and the correct documentation at hand. If you’re in this initial phase of starting something of your own and are looking to know more, here’s what you should keep in mind.

Process of Registering Food Businesses in Telangana

In Telangana, as in most other parts of India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare handles food safety regulations. Entrepreneurs starting with food businesses – whether, dairy units, big food processing sectors, or oil manufacturing industries – need to apply for an FSSAI registration in Telangana.

There are two categories of FSSAI licenses – the State license and the Central license. Under the State license, the following enterprises can register themselves:

Food processing units that deal with more than 100kg per liter to more than 2 MT in one These could include re-packers and re-labelers as well
Slaughtering units dealing with up to 2 animals or even those with upto ten small animals would fall under this
Neat processing units handling anything between 5001m meat to 150 MT per day
Wholesalers, distributors, and retailers with turnovers of more than 20-30 crores

On the other hand, when the output is beyond a certain threshold, the enterprise falls into a diﬀerent category and thus needs a central license. The food-related enterprises that require an FSSAI Central license are as follows:

Processing units having more than 2 MT daily
Vegetable oil processing sectors and factories that exceed 2 MT a day
Dairy units used for handling or processing milk and milk products of more than 50,000 liters or 2500 MT of milk solids every year
Retailers, suppliers, and distributors having turnovers over 20 crore

The best part is that the registration procedure can be done entirely online by visiting the oﬃcial website of FSSAI and clicking on Licence Registration. After that, you select the state you are in and answer the questions posed. Choose the kind of business for which you wish to have a license. It is important to know the capacity of the establishment or enterprise to see which category it will come under. Once the form is submitted online, the applicant will have to pay a fee to wrap up the process. Unfortunately, the licences are not a one stop thing and have to be renewed regularly which is something that most businesses that register for an FSSAI do not handle. However, getting an FSSAI renewal for an existing licence is now a lot simpler as it can be done online as well.

When it comes to the speciﬁcs of getting a license, depending on the states, the taxes and rules vary slightly but within reason. Getting a food license in Telangana and another state might not cost the same while following the process might have few variations. Additionally, they also carry out inspections diﬀerently.

Is there a need for FSSAI?

In Telangana, it is mandatory for people dealing with food operations, food processing, food distribution, or transportation to have an FSSAI license to ensure the proper safety of food products.

So irrespective of whether you handle a micro, small, or medium enterprise, they need to have proper licensing, and getting the enterprise registered is paramount. Registering MSMEs has

become so simple today, especially with the shift online. All you need to do is ﬁll an online form and send the required documents across on WhatsApp. Next, you will be required to pay the given fee. Payment of this can also be done online, after which you will receive your license.

What is also important to remember is that like the FSSAI license, which gives your products the stamp of safety, having your MSME registered also comes with a host of beneﬁts. Some of these include:

Business Promotion

Once you obtain an MSME registration, you have greater opportunities to promote your business. From the invitation to trade fairs to better exposure to national and international vendors, there is far better scope for you to promote your business on a larger platform.

Ease of Bank Credit

When you opt for MSME registration, the process of getting loans becomes far easier, with the possibility of being collateral-free. There is no need for assets to be attached to loans due to the initiative of the Indian Government to promote MSMEs.

Subsidies

Whether it is subsidies provided for bar code registration or for getting ISO certiﬁed, by registering as an MSME, applicants have the opportunity to reap these beneﬁts.

Income Tax Exemptions

In the initial stages of starting a business, most micro, small and medium enterprises get an income tax exemption to help them during those initial stages. But that isn’t all. Waivers of registration charges, stamp duty, and they provide other small beneﬁts as well.

Is the MSME process simple?

The MSME registration process is not mind-boggling anymore and can be easily done from one’s home with the click of a few buttons. All that needs to be understood are the eligibility criteria and document necessities. It is important to understand the type of entity or enterprise that can register under MSME. These include partnership forms, cooperative societies, production companies producing material, limited liability partnerships, a one-person company, a private limited company, and so on.

The documentation isn’t something worth worrying too much about. All you need to provide is address proof for the premises used for the business – it can be electricity or water bills, Aadhar card, etc. You also need to mention your email ID, contact number, bank details, and most

importantly, certiﬁcate of proprietorship or partnership deed of the place along with the PAN card details of the primary applicant.

By keeping all of these documents at hand before beginning the process, you will be able to sail through it with ease and have all the required licensing and documentation to beneﬁt your enterprise in its initial stage and beyond.

There are many who cannot get through the documentation process for the MSME registration because they have many requirements. However, there is the Udyog Aadhar process that can assist them through it for a bit. They can then work through the process of registering.