Last reviewed: 12 August 2026. Every FSSAI registration and licence carries an annexure most operators never read: Schedule 4 of the Licensing and Registration Regulations — the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) that inspectors walk in with as a checklist. Since April 2026 it matters twice over: the risk-based inspection framework uses your hygiene and audit record to decide how often you get inspected at all. This guide maps which part of Schedule 4 applies to you, the conditions that generate documents (the ones inspectors actually ask for), and how audits now buy you breathing room.
Which part of Schedule 4 applies to you
| Part | Applies to | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Part I | Basic Registration FBOs (up to ₹1.5 crore turnover) | General hygiene and sanitary practices — proportionate but real |
| Part II | State/Central licensees — manufacturing, processing, packing, storage, distribution | The full GMP/GHP framework: premises, layout, water, equipment, personnel, records |
| Part III | Milk and milk products units | Sector-specific additions |
| Part IV | Slaughter houses and meat processing | Sector-specific additions |
| Part V | Catering and food service (restaurants, canteens, caterers, cloud kitchens) | Service-side hygiene: receiving, storage, cooking, holding, serving |
Note what Part I means in 2026: the businesses that moved from licence to registration under the ₹1.5-crore threshold did not move out of hygiene law — they moved from Part II to Part I. Inspectors can and do visit registration-band units.
The conditions that generate documents
- Product testing — at least once every six months for manufacturers, at an accredited/notified lab, covering the relevant chemical and microbiological parameters. Keep the reports; they are the first ask in an inspection and a direct input into your risk score.
- Water: potable-quality water for processing, with periodic test reports on file.
- People: annual medical fitness certificates for food handlers; FoSTaC-certified supervisors at one per 25 handlers; hygiene wear and practices on the floor.
- Premises and pests: layout that separates raw from cooked, pest-control contracts and service records, cleaning/sanitation SOPs with logs.
- Display: the licence/registration certificate and the Food Safety Display Boards (FSDBs) for your category, visible at the premises.
- Traceability: batch/lot records and supplier invoices that let you trace back and, if ever needed, recall forward.
Third-party audits — from burden to strategy
Under the Food Safety Auditing Regulations, 2018, FSSAI recognises private auditing agencies, and audits are mandated for licensed manufacturers in high-risk categories (milk, meat, fish, egg products, foods for infant nutrition and similar), while remaining a strong voluntary signal for everyone else. The 2026 risk-based framework completed the loop: a satisfactory third-party audit demonstrably reduces routine inspection frequency, because audit outcomes are an explicit input into who gets inspected. For a multi-unit business, an annual audit cycle is now the most economical way to keep inspectors focused elsewhere — and the audit report doubles as buyer-audit and tender documentation. The voluntary Hygiene Rating Scheme does the same job customer-side for food service.
A 30-minute self-inspection, before someone else does it
- Licence/registration and FSDBs on the wall, current annual fee paid?
- Last two six-monthly product test reports and the latest water report on file?
- Medical fitness certificates — all handlers, within twelve months?
- FoSTaC certificates — enough supervisors for today's headcount, none expired?
- Pest-control service records and sanitation logs current?
- FoSCoS reflecting today's products, layout and responsible persons?
Anything failing that list is precisely what an improvement notice would cite — the subject of our guide to FSSAI notices, penalties and appeals.
Frequently asked questions
What is Schedule 4 of the FSSAI regulations?
The schedule of Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Hygiene Practices attached to every FSSAI registration and licence under the Licensing and Registration Regulations. Part I applies to registration-band FBOs, Part II to licensed manufacturing and processing, and Parts III–V add sector-specific conditions for milk, meat and catering.
Does Schedule 4 apply to a small business with only Basic Registration?
Yes — Part I applies below the ₹1.5-crore registration threshold. The conditions are lighter than the licence-grade Part II, but hygiene, safe water, pest control and basic records are still enforceable, and registration-band premises are still inspected.
How often must a food manufacturer test products?
At least once every six months at an accredited or notified laboratory, covering the relevant chemical and microbiological parameters for the product — more often where risk assessment or history demands. Keep the reports; they are standard inspection asks and feed the risk-based inspection score.
Are third-party FSSAI audits mandatory?
For licensed manufacturers in high-risk categories — such as milk, meat, fish, egg products and foods for infant nutrition — periodic third-party audits under the 2018 Auditing Regulations are mandated. For others they are voluntary but valuable: satisfactory audits reduce routine inspection frequency under the 2026 risk-based framework.
What is a Food Safety Display Board (FSDB)?
The category-specific board FSSAI requires FBOs to display at the premises alongside the licence — food-safety practices for the business type in the local language, with the FSSAI licence number. Inspectors treat a missing FSDB as an easy first finding.
How does a CA firm help with hygiene compliance?
The gaps are usually record-side, which is our terrain: we build the testing and training calendars, set up SOPs and registers that produce evidence as a by-product of daily work, coordinate recognised labs and audit agencies, and assemble the compliance file that inspections, buyer audits and bank appraisals all draw on.
We run a Schedule 4 gap review — documents, testing, training, display — and set up the registers and calendars that keep the file inspection-ready.
FSSAI Registration & Compliance Labour Law Compliance Talk to usThis article is general information as on 12 August 2026, based on Schedule 4 of the Licensing and Registration Regulations (as amended in 2026), licence conditions and the Food Safety Auditing Regulations, 2018. Category-specific conditions vary; confirm the current position for your category or take advice before acting.