Food business licensing framework: All you should know

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has introduced a new registration and licensing framework for food businesses to ensure health protection, food safety, and operational discipline across the sector.

Under the new regulations, specified categories of food traders and establishments must apply for registration or licenses starting November 1. While initial registration for 16 conventional food business categories will be provided free of cost, license fees for specialized food production facilities have been fixed based on premises size and operational criteria.

The BFSA disclosed the decision in a press release issued on Wednesday, noting that the "Safe Food (Registration and Licensing) Regulations, 2026" was published as an official gazette on July 16 under the Safe Food Act, 2013.

According to the new rules, all food operations—ranging from roadside temporary food stalls to restaurants, bakeries, catering units, food manufacturers, importers, and large processors—must obtain registration or licenses.

Initial free registration applies to 16 categories of food businesses listed in the schedule, including restaurants, bakeries, catering services, packaged food manufacturers, sweet shops, roadside food stalls, wholesale grocery businesses, cold storages, and edible oil and salt producers.

For specialized food processing units, license fees vary according to physical footprint. Establishments measuring 100 square meters or less will be charged a licensing fee of Tk 10,000, while facilities exceeding 10,000 square meters will pay Tk 60,000. Fees for mid-sized premises between 100 and 10,000 square meters will follow the specific schedules detailed in the regulations.

Licensing has also been made mandatory for specialized and health-related food items, including health supplements, medical diets, probiotics, prebiotics, nutraceuticals, infant formulas, genetically modified foods, organic foods, and fortified products.

Under the regulations, registrations and licenses will remain valid for three years, after which renewal will be required upon paying the prescribed fees under Schedule-10.

In addition, all packaged food products must display the BFSA registration number on their packaging, allowing consumers to verify registration status and lodge complaints using the number if necessary.

Applications can initially be submitted through respective BFSA district offices, with plans to transition fully to an online application system in phases.

Operating a food business without the required registration or license constitutes a punishable offense under the Safe Food Act, 2013, the authority warned.

-SA