Imported food item for re-export doesn't need clearance, says FSSAI

The FSSAI advisory should also come as a big relief in ease of doing business

The Custom authority does not need to send an imported food item for clearance to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) if it is meant for re-export or production of value-added items, which are only for exports, the authority has clarified.

The clarification came after several business groups and industry associations approached the regulator in the view of objections raised in some quarters.

The advisory should also facilitate ease of doing business. The FSSAI stated that consignments don’t need clearance if they are imported for use in a company’s sister concerns or wholly-owned subsidiaries, meant for 100 per cent export production. 

However, this is subject to a defined relationship agreement between the two entities and accompanied with a sanitary or health certificate issued by the competent authority of an exporting country.

The food importers may take a self-declaration to the Customs authority, following which the concerned official may issue a ‘not in scope’ certificate to facilitate the import.