Food traders must register with BFSA from Nov 1

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has made registration and licensing mandatory for specified categories of food businesses and products from November 1, aiming to strengthen food safety and bring greater discipline to the sector.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the authority said the government gazetted the Safe Food (Registration and Licence) Regulations, 2026 on July 16 and asked all concerned food traders and establishments to apply for the required registration or licences from November 1, 2026.

Under the Safe Food Act, 2013 and the new regulations, four categories of food businesses will require licences, while 16 specified categories of food businesses and establishments will need registration.

The requirements cover a wide range of businesses, from roadside mobile and temporary food stalls to restaurants, importers and large food-processing companies.

Restaurants, bakeries, fruit juice shops, pastry shops and catering service providers must register with the authority.

The requirement also applies to packaged-food manufacturers, sweetmeat shops, dairy-product producers and importers of food other than raw and fresh items.

Vendors selling homemade foods such as pitha, puri and piaju by the roadside will also fall under the regulations.

Other businesses covered by the registration requirement include wholesale grocery shops, importers of raw and fresh food, food warehouses, cold-storage facilities, and producers of edible oil and salt.

The regulations also cover specialised food products, including fortified foods, health supplements, special dietary and medical foods, probiotic and prebiotic products, organic foods, irradiated foods, genetically modified foods, novel foods, functional foods, multi-stage processed foods and food additives.

Certain businesses dealing with specialised food products will be subject to mandatory licensing rather than registration alone.

These include activities involving hsealth supplements, special dietary and medical foods, probiotic and prebiotic foods, and nutraceuticals and similar products.

Licensing requirements will also apply to specified activities involving genetically modified or edited foods, organic foods, irradiated foods, novel foods, functional foods and fortified foods.

Products carrying health claims or claims about reducing disease risks will also have to comply with the Safe Food (Advertisement and Claims) Regulations, 2025.

The BFSA warned that operating a food business without the required registration or licence, where applicable, is a punishable offence under the Safe Food Act, 2013.

It urged traders and establishments to complete the necessary preparations before the deadline.

Both registration and licences will be valid for three years and must be renewed upon expiry.

First-time registration will be free for the 16 conventional categories of food businesses.

For specialised food manufacturers, premises licence fees will depend on the size of the establishment.

The fee will start at Tk 10,000 for premises measuring up to 100 square metres and rise to Tk 60,000 for new licences for establishments larger than 10,000 square metres.

Under the regulations, every food product package must display the BFSA registration number.

The authority said this would enable consumers to identify registered producers and lodge complaints by referring to the number.

Initially, applications may be submitted to the BFSA or its respective district offices.

The authority has also begun preparations to introduce a fully online application system gradually.

The BFSA expects the new system to improve transparency and accountability in food business registration and licensing, bring greater order to food production and marketing, and strengthen public health protection.