Registration and licences made mandatory for food businesses from November 1, footpath stalls included

A major change is coming to the country's food business. Aiming to protect public health, ensure food safety and bring discipline to the food trade, the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority has made registration and licensing mandatory for designated categories of food businesses and food products. The requirement takes effect from November 1.

The Food Safety Authority announced the information in a notification on Wednesday (October 21). Registration and licences will be valid for three years, after which they must be renewed.

The authority said that running a food business without registration or a licence, despite the requirement, will be a punishable offence under the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Act, 2013. In other words, unlicensed food businesses will face legal risk once the new rules take effect.

The new regulation, titled the 'Food Safety (Registration and Licence) Regulations, 2026', was published in the official gazette on July 16. Against that backdrop, the authority has called on all food businesses and establishments concerned to apply for the necessary registration and licences from November 1, 2026.

Under the Food Safety Act, 2013 and the new regulations, four designated categories of food business must obtain a business licence, a premises licence, licences for manufactured and imported products, and registration of licensed products. At the same time, registration is required for 16 designated categories of food businesses and food establishments.

The scope of the rule is very wide. From itinerant or temporary food stalls by the roadside and small restaurants to importers and large food processors — every person and establishment involved in the food business must now register with the Food Safety Authority. Footpath stalls selling pitha, jhalmuri and piyaju are not outside its reach either.

The schedule of the regulations divides food businesses mainly into two groups. For the 16 conventional types of food business establishments, registration alone will be sufficient. Those who deal in special or superfood products, however, will need a licence.

Restaurants, bakeries, fruit juice shops, pastry shops and catering service providers must register with the Food Safety Authority. Producers of packaged food, sweet shops, dairy product makers and importers (except for raw and fresh food) must also register.

Beyond these, registration has been made mandatory for wholesale grocery food businesses, imports of raw and fresh food, food warehouses and cold storage, and production of edible oil and edible salt. Registration is also compulsory for designated businesses involved in the production, processing, storage, import, export and marketing of special food, nutrient-rich food, health-supporting and supplementary food, special diets, medical diets, probiotic and prebiotic food, organic food, irradiated food, genetically modified food, novel food, functional food, multi-stage processed food and food additives.

On the other hand, establishments dealing in specialised food products — such as infant formula milk and special foods made for elderly people or those with specific diseases — will be brought under mandatory licensing for four designated categories of persons or establishments. These include the production, processing, storage, import and marketing of health-supporting and supplementary food, special and medical diets, probiotic and prebiotic food, and nutraceuticals and similar foods.

In addition, for genetically altered or modified food, organic food, irradiated food, genetically modified food, novel food, functional food, nutrient-rich food, and food carrying health-supporting claims or disease-risk-reduction claims under the Food Safety (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2025, the necessary licences and registration must be obtained in line with the relevant provisions.

On the application process, the authority said applications must be submitted by paying the fee set in Schedule-10 of the Food Safety (Registration and Licence) Regulations, 2026, subject to fulfilling the conditions described in the regulations.

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority believes this initiative will establish transparency and accountability in food business registration and licensing, make the production and marketing of food products more orderly, and make food-safety efforts more effective in protecting public health. With November 1 approaching, the main task before food businesses now is to complete their registration or licence applications in time, according to their respective categories.