Printing the FSSAI number on a new food label: what to confirm before the first print run

Can you print the FSSAI number on your packaging before the licence is approved? No. Wait for the number.

The FSSAI number on a food label is the 14-digit number of a registration or licence that has actually been granted. The reference number you get when you apply is not that number. And the Food Safety and Standards Act does not allow you to start a food business until you hold a licence or, for a small business, a registration.

So the safe order is simple. Get the certificate, check the number on FoSCoS, then send the artwork to the printer.

The rest of this guide covers what we would check before that first print run, and how to plan the packs so that a later change of number does not leave you with a godown full of useless pouches.

I run Jagannath Polymers in Jaipur. We make packaging films, and our sister company, Jagannath Labels, prints labels. So we see this question from the printing side, where one wrong digit means a new plate or a new cylinder.

I am not a food-safety consultant. The licensing rules changed in 2026, and some FAQ pages on the FSSAI website are older than that. Please confirm your own case with a consultant or your licensing office before you print.

Why can the number not go on before approval?

We see three reasons, and each one comes from the official texts.

1. The Act. Section 31(1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 says no person shall start or carry on a food business except under a licence. Section 31(2) lets petty food businesses register instead. Section 63 sets the penalty for a business that needs a licence and works without one: up to six months in prison and a fine of up to five lakh rupees.

2. The label rule. Regulation 5(7)(a) of the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 asks for the FSSAI logo and licence number on the label, in a colour that contrasts with the background. An application number does not meet that.

3. Online selling. Regulation 4(2) of the same regulations says that food sold through e-commerce must show the buyer the mandatory label details before the sale. So your website and your marketplace listings need the number too, as well as the pouch.

Registration or licence: which number will you get?

FSSAI runs three tiers: registration, state licence and central licence. You can tell them apart from the number itself. The FSSAI FAQ on licensing and registration (last updated 30 September 2021) says a licence number has 14 digits and starts with 1. A registration number also has 14 digits, and it starts with 2.

The turnover limits changed this year. An FSSAI order of 13 March 2026 set new thresholds from 1 April 2026:

The old limits were much lower.

A lot of advice online still quotes them, so check the date on whatever you read.

Turnover is not the only test.

Your kind of business also decides the category, and FoSCoS has an eligibility check for it. In our reading, two cases matter most for a new brand.

1. You sell from your own website. The 2021 FAQ (question 80) says a food business selling through its own online platform also needs a licence under the e-commerce category. Ask your licensing office whether this still applies to you after the 2026 changes, because it decides what you apply for.

2. Someone else makes your product. The same FAQ (questions 71 and 84) says a brand that gets its products made by a third-party manufacturer applies as a "relabeller", which FSSAI treats as a deemed manufacturer. Your label then carries two numbers. Regulation 5(7)(b) asks for the logo and licence number of the brand owner, plus the licence number of the manufacturer or packer if that is a different business.

How long does it take?

The 2021 FAQ gives the time limits. A registration certificate is due within 7 days of the application, or within 30 days if the authority wants to inspect the premises first (question 57). A licence is due within 60 days of a complete application, and that includes the inspection (question 58).

I would apply before you even brief the designer.

You can follow your application through "Track Application Status" on FoSCoS. FSSAI also sends SMS and email alerts at many stages.

Use that waiting time for the artwork. We would get everything designed and approved with a blank box where the number will go. Ask the printer for a proof only, not a production run.

The moment the certificate arrives, the number goes in and the job goes to press.

Check the number before it goes to the printer

This is the check I would do on every new label, even when everything looks fine. It takes ten minutes.

1. Read the number off the certificate itself, not from an email or a WhatsApp message.
2. Check the first digit. A 1 means a licence and a 2 means a registration. It should match what you applied for.
3. Search for your business on FoSCoS using FBO Search, or on the Food Safety Connect app. The FAQ (question 38) names both as the way to verify a licence. Check the name, the address and the status.
4. Scan the QR code on the certificate. According to the FAQ (question 39), it shows the details held in the FSSAI database.
5. Check that every product on the new label is endorsed on the licence. The FAQ (question 40) is blunt about this: making a product that is not endorsed on your licence counts as conducting business without a licence.
6. If a contract manufacturer makes the product, run the same checks on their number. It is going on your label too, so their mistake becomes your reprint.
7. On the final proof, have two people read the 14 digits aloud against the certificate, one digit at a time. Then both sign the proof.

The colour matters as well. The FSSAI FAQ on the labelling regulations gives black on a white background as its example of contrast. I would worry about a grey number on a silver metallised pouch.

Will the number change later?

Sometimes it will. It is better to know when, before you print 50,000 pouches.

1. Registration to licence: the number changes. A registration starts with 2 and a licence starts with 1, so they cannot be the same number. With the 2026 limits, a brand can stay on registration up to ₹1.5 crore turnover. Plan the move to a licence before you cross it, and keep printed stock low in those months.

2. State licence to central licence, or back: the number can stay. An FSSAI order of 16 September 2021 says businesses have been able to migrate from a state to a central licence without changing their existing number since 1 June 2021. The order gives the reason as saving pre-printed packaging material.

3. A new contract manufacturer: their number on your label changes, so your label changes.

4. A new factory or a second unit: an FSSAI licence belongs to a premises (FAQ questions 1 and 68). A new unit has its own licence, and packs made there carry the number of that unit.

Of these, the first is the one we would plan for from the day you launch.

One more change is coming. The 13 March 2026 order says the 2026 amendment regulations bring perpetual validity for registrations and licences, subject to risk-based inspections. Until your certificate shows that, keep an eye on its validity date.

Under the 2021 FAQ (question 27), a licence that expired before renewal could not be renewed. You had to apply afresh.

If the number changes and you already have printed stock

There is a route, but it is not automatic. The FAQ (question 91) says that after a change of name, address or licence number, you can apply to FSSAI headquarters for permission to keep using pre-printed packaging, with a fee. An FSSAI order of 2 August 2023 (RCD-12003/1/2022-Regulatory-FSSAI) confirms that these requests are still handled under its orders of 23 November 2016 and 14 November 2017.

So it is a permission you ask for and pay for. I would not plan a print run around it.

How to print so that a change costs little

This is where a little planning saves real money. Here is what we would do for a new brand.

1. Keep all the details that may change (licence numbers, the name and address of the manufacturer) together in one block on the pack. One block means one change, on one plate or cylinder.

2. In the first months, consider a pouch or box printed with your brand only, plus a printed label for the regulated details. A label is far cheaper to reprint than a printed pouch. The regulations ask that a label stays fixed to the pack and is indelible (regulation 4(6) and 4(7)), so choose a label stock and adhesive made for that surface.

3. Do not cover an old printed number with a sticker on your own. FSSAI has a formal permission route for old printed packaging, so ask your licensing office or consultant first.

4. Match the printing method to the run. A rotogravure pouch is printed from engraved cylinders, one per colour, which suits long runs of a design that will not change. A short digital or flexo run is easier to change while your details are still settling.

5. Order the long run only when the number, the product name and the address are all final.

6. Bundle your changes. If other label changes are due, make them in the same reprint. FSSAI has labelling amendments coming in from 1 July 2027, which we cover in what changes on 1 July 2027.

For the full list of what must go on a box, besides the number, see our guide to FSSAI labelling for sweet shops and bakeries.

Honestly, the most expensive label is the one printed one week too early. Get the number, check it, and then print.

If you would like a second pair of eyes on where the changing details sit on your pouch or box, send me the artwork and we will tell you what we would move.