Oct 29, 2020
FSSAI is launching its cloud-based, upgraded new food safety compliance online platform called Food Safety Compliance System to be applied to the entire country.
Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) is been made functional in 9 States/UTs viz. Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Goa, Manipur, Puducherry, and Ladakh w.e.f 1st June 2020. FSSAI is now ready to extend its working force of FoSCoS to the entire country w.e.f 1st November 2020.
Since 2011, the FSSAI’s online licensing platform FLRS (Food Licensing and Registration System) is the soul of the licensing ecosystem with 100% India coverage including all State and Union Territories, 70 lakh licenses/ registrations issued till date, over 40 lakhs licensees/ registrants actively transacting on it.
FSSAI is launching its cloud-based, upgraded new food safety compliance online platform called Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS, URL – https://foscos.fssai.gov.in). It will replace the existing FLRS (URL – https://foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in).
FoSCoS is conceptualized to provide one point stop for all engagement of an FBO with the department for any regulatory compliance transaction. FoSCoS has been integrated with FoSCoRIS mobile app and will soon integrate with present IT platforms of FSSAI such as INFOLNet, FoSTaC, FICS etc.
Working extensively, sample management, improvement notices, adjudications, audit management system, etc activities/ modules will be enabled in a phased manner in the future. Technologies such as GPS location tagging, picture capture etc…will be utilized in the future to ensure transparent and accountable extension field services such
inspections and sampling helping the organization and consumers largely.
In future, this system will be integrated with other platforms of the Government of India such as GST, PAN, MCA, etc. to ensure a 360-degree profiling and validation of businesses. A single regulatory platform will enable pan India integrated response system to any food fraud and ensure an advanced risk-based, data-driven regulatory approach. This will keep a stringent check of all the activities that lead to fraudulation in food safety.
FoSCoS will be offering licensing, registration, inspection, and annual return modules. It essentially has flows similar to FLRS, so that users have convenience in migrating to FoSCoS.
This move is basically to bring forward the changes in the system. The paradigm change is the shift of methodology of licensing for manufacturers which now shall be based on a standardized product list. This will help in the speedy grant of licenses and eliminate any errors. The new approach is only for manufacturers of standardized food products.
For some manufacturers, in the field of non-specified food, supplements/nutraceuticals, proprietary food, and substances added to food – the approach continues to be as in FLRS. All other kinds of businesses such as catering, transport, storage, etc… the licensing/ registration shall be based on a broad category approach, as mentioned earlier.
With certain rules, along with FoSCoS, the module for filing an online annual return shall also be available. The returns for the financial year 2019-2020 may also be filed online. Delayed returns due to postal delays, need to preserve dispatch/receipt proofs and disputes regarding submission of returns resulting in harassment of food business operators shall be removed.
Many of the mandatory documents have been reorganized and many paperwork-based on the declarations have been replaced with tick-based declaration. The central theme is to enhance the ease of doing business for the food business operators and enhances the user experience for users which is easier.
Once the FoSCoS is launched, all data related to licenses/ registrations will be available on FoSCoS and the FLRS data shall be disabled for taking any action. However, for initial days, users can access their issued licenses/registrations or applications under processing on FLRS for viewing purposes only.
FSSAI stressed on to say that users will not be required to immediately do anything upon migration to FoSCoS apart from verifying the correctness of details in issued licenses/registrations and applications under processing. However, all manufacturers holding valid FSSAI the license shall be needed to modify their license to choose from the available list of standardized products before a prescribed date.
With ordinance to be followed, steps to be taken upon migration from FLRS to FoSCoS, FAQs, and other user-oriented material have been made available on the homepage of FLRS and FoSCoS both. States/UTs have been given directions for capacity building among the officers and Food Business Operators, to ensure a smooth transition from FLRS to FoSCoS.
FSSAI has been constantly conducting trainings/workshops on the key features of the system. Further, a training version of FoSCoS (https://fcstraining.fssai.gov.in) has been made available so that users of the system get acquainted with the upcoming system and work efficiently.