The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has made registration and licensing mandatory for specified categories of food businesses and products from November 1 to protect public health and ensure food safety.
In a notification issued on Wednesday, the authority urged all relevant food business operators and establishments to apply for the required registrations and licences under the Food Safety (Registration and Licensing) Regulations, 2026, gazetted on July 16.
According to the notification, the regulations, introduced under the Food Safety Act, 2013, require business licences, premises licences and licences for manufactured or imported products across four designated categories of food businesses. Registration is also mandatory for 16 specified categories of food businesses and establishments.
The new rules cover a wide range of operators, from roadside vendors and small restaurants to importers and large food processing companies.
Under the regulations, registration alone is sufficient for 16 standard categories of food businesses, while businesses dealing in certain specialised food products must obtain licences in addition to meeting applicable registration requirements.
Restaurants, bakeries, juice bars, pastry shops and catering services must register with the BFSA. The requirement also applies to manufacturers of packaged food, sweet shops, dairy product producers and importers, except those dealing in raw and fresh food items.
Roadside vendors selling traditional snacks such as pitha, puri and peyaju must also register under the new rules.
Registration is also required for businesses involved in the production, processing, storage, import, export and marketing of various food products. These include wholesale grocery businesses, importers of raw and fresh food, warehouses and cold storage facilities, and manufacturers of edible oil and salt.
Specialised food categories covered by the regulations include nutrient-enriched foods, health supplements, dietary foods, foods for special medical purposes, probiotic and prebiotic products, organic and irradiated foods, genetically modified and novel foods, functional foods, multi-stage processed foods and food additives.
Businesses dealing in certain specialised products must also obtain licences. These include infant formula and foods designed for older people or individuals with specific medical conditions, as well as health supplements, dietary foods, foods for special medical purposes, probiotic and prebiotic products, and nutraceuticals.
The rules also cover businesses dealing in genetically modified, organic, irradiated, novel, functional and nutrient-enriched foods, as well as products carrying health claims or claims about reducing disease risks under the Safe Food (Advertisement and Claims) Regulations, 2025. The relevant businesses must obtain the licences and registrations required under the applicable provisions.
The BFSA said applications must be submitted with the fees specified in Schedule 10 of the Food Safety (Registration and Licensing) Regulations, 2026, and in compliance with the conditions set out in the regulations.
Operating a food business without the required registration or licence, where legally mandated, constitutes a punishable offence under the Food Safety Act, 2013, the notification said.
Registrations and licences will remain valid for three years and must be renewed upon expiry.
The BFSA said the initiative aims to improve transparency and accountability in the food sector, bring greater order to food production and marketing, and strengthen food safety measures to protect public health.