Another remarkable initiative of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the country’s apex food regulator to give easy access to the Food Licensing & Registration System (FLRS). FSSAI has launched a user friendly, upgraded cloud-based platform called FoSCoS.
FoSCoS is built with modern technology, a one-stop pan India platform for food safety regulatory needs. It has a new and advanced user interface, is intuitive and technically superior to FLRS. Easily configurable and has architectural capabilities to meet the envisaged functionalities and modules. The application is designed in such a way that it has interoperable capabilities to integrate and merge with other FSSAI applications for providing solutions to all kinds of food businesses on a single platform.
The key features of FoSCoS are:
While initially the new platform will assist licensing, registration, inspection and annual return, gradually FSSAI will include a host of other services like (FICS) food import clearance system, (INFLONet) portal for test results and sample collection from laboratories, Food Safety Connect-Complaints Management System, Audit Management System (AMS), adjudications and penalties, Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) portal at a later stage. FosCos has a robust architecture capable of future extensions and enhancements.
In a move to issue license faster and remove errors, the process of licensing will be based on standardised food products. FoSCoS has a standardised list of food products in accordance with various food categories. Once the FoSCoS is live, Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS) will be deactivated but will remain functional for viewing existing valid licenses. The new change is only for manufacturers of standardised food products. Manufacturers will have to select standardized products only out of the licensing platform. The standardized product shall have its classification as per the food category system 1-16 (FCS). In case, the products are not in the list of standardised food products, The FBO will have to apply under the respective category. Only for the purpose of licensing, where the standardised products do not have a Food Category System mapped a new category is created called category 100. The text box approach will remain functional for category 99 (additives/ processing aids/enzymes) as standards for some of the food additives are under development.
All non-manufacturing business owners with valid food license and registration need not do anything upon migration to FoSCoS whereas all manufacturers with valid FSSAI license must modify their license in accordance with the available standardised food product list by 31st December 2020. The approach continues to be the same as in FLRS for manufacturers of non-specified food, health supplements/nutraceuticals, proprietary food, and substances added to food.
FoSCoS will be launched in phases, in the first phase it is scheduled to launch on 1st June 2020 in 9 states and UTs (Delhi, Chandigarh, Goa, Gujrat, Odisha, Puducherry, Manipur and Ladakh, and Tamil Nadu), it will launch soon in remaining states/UTs.
