Retail Safety, Hygiene and Legal Compliance
Licences a retailer must hold
- Shops and Establishments registration - state law; covers hours, leave, welfare and registers.
- GST registration - mandatory once turnover crosses the threshold, and compulsory for inter-state supply and e-commerce sellers.
- FSSAI - registration for small food turnover, state licence for larger, central licence for the largest; the 14-digit number must appear on the premises and on packs.
- Legal Metrology - weighing and measuring instruments must be verified and stamped; pre-packaged goods need the prescribed declarations.
- Fire NOC, trade licence, BIS marks for covered products, plus the Consumer Protection Act 2019 duties against misleading claims.
Hygiene and safety practice
Chilled food at about 0–5 °C, frozen at −18 °C or below; raw and cooked separated; pest control on schedule; staff with clean uniforms, trimmed nails and hand-wash stations. Fire exits unblocked, extinguishers serviced and staff trained (pull, aim, squeeze, sweep); no smoking; first-aid box; CCTV and secure cash movement.
Worked example
An inspection finds four problems: a price tag of ₹60 stuck over an MRP of ₹55; an expired FSSAI licence; a fire exit blocked by cartons; and a weighing scale with no verification stamp. Reasoning and action: selling above MRP breaches Legal Metrology - remove and re-price; expired FSSAI means food sale must stop until renewed; a blocked exit is an immediate fire hazard - clear it and log it; an unstamped scale cannot be used for trade until verified.
Traps that cost marks
- Saying GST registration applies from day one to every shop.
- Confusing FSSAI registration with a licence; they depend on turnover.
- Believing a retailer may charge extra above MRP for card payments - not allowed.
- Treating a blocked exit as a housekeeping issue rather than a legal one.