New Delhi, Mar 29 (KNN) Improving ease of doing business for direct selling companies, the food watch-dog FSSAI has done away with the need for agents and distributors of direct selling companies to mandatorily have storage facility or premises for registering with the Authority.

Further, the companies involved in direct selling can also get bulk registration on behalf of their direct sellers on its own instead of each direct sellers getting individual registrations.

“It has been observed that these direct sellers do not have premises/storage facility and therefore find it difficult to obtain registration as direct sellers from Registering Authority. The Direct Selling Agents are attached to Direct Selling Entities (DSE) which are responsible for safe storage and transportation of food products,” the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) said in an order March 27, 2018.

The order added that, “Considering the direct sellers are mobile and do not have premises, it has been decided that registration of such mobile direct sellers could be done by respective Registering Authority on production and verification of their identity certification/authorisation issued by Direct Selling Entities along with personal identity proof...”

The earlier notification of FSSAI said, “All food business operators will need to take relevant FSSAI licenses, to be updated on a quarterly basis, along with details and identities of the sales force. Companies will need to take undertakings of their agents and be liable to sampling and checks by the authorities.”

Some of the direct selling companies operating in India are – Amway, Herbalife etc. (KNN Bureau)