The new launch will replace the organisation's online licensing platform Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS), which according to FSSAI, was the sole licensing ecosystem with a pan India coverage with over 70 lakhs licences and registrations issued till date and over 35 lakhs licensees actively transacting on it.

FoSCoS is conceptualised to boost engagements Food Business Operators' (FBO) with the department for any regulatory compliance transaction. The system has been integrated with FoSCoRIS mobile application and will soon be integrated with other FSSAI’s platforms such as INFOLNet, FoSTaC, FICS, FPVIS, and so on.

In addition, sample management, improvement notices, adjudications, audit management systems and modules will be included to the system in a phased manner, said FSSAI. Moreover, GPS location tagging and RFIDs will also be utilised to ensure transparent and accountable extension services such as inspections and sampling.

Furthermore, the system will be integrated with other platforms of the Government of India such as GST, PAN, MCA, and so on, to ensure 360-degree profiling and validation of businesses. “A single regulatory platform will enable a pan-India integrated response system to any food fraud and ensure an advanced risk-based, data-driven regulatory approach,'' said a press note shared with WhatPackaging?.

FoSCoS is set to be launched in phases and as an initial offering, it will provide licensing, registration, inspection and annual return modules. States and union territories (UT) such as TamilNadu, Gujarat, Goa, Delhi, Odisha, Manipur, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Ladakh have been selected for the first launch phase.

“Once FoSCoS is launched in a State or UT, all licenses and registrations pertaining to them will be available in it and the FLRS data shall be disabled for taking any action. However, for these introductory days, users can access their issued licenses and registrations or applications under processing on FLRS for viewing purposes only,” the press note added. 

FSSAI has directed States and UTs for capacity building among the officers and FBO to ensure a smooth transition from FLRS to FoSCoS. Over the past three months, the organisation has conducted several workshops on the key features of the system.