From roadside pitha and puri stalls to restaurants, bakeries, sweet shops and food manufacturing facilities, businesses operating in designated food sectors across Bangladesh will be required to register with the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) under new regulations.

Applications for registration and licences will open on November 1. Operating without the required registration or licence will be considered a punishable offence in applicable cases.

The BFSA announced the development in a press release on Wednesday.

The provisions are outlined in the Safe Food (Registration and Licensing) Regulations, 2026, published in the government gazette on July 16. The new framework introduces registration for food businesses, business licences, premises licences, licences for food production and imports, and registration of licensed products.

Under the regulations, 16 designated categories of food businesses and establishments must obtain registration. These include restaurants, bakeries, fruit juice shops, pastry shops, catering services, packaged food manufacturers, sweet shops, dairy product producers and importers of specified food products.

The requirements will also cover designated wholesale grocery businesses, food warehouses, cold storage facilities and businesses involved in the production of edible oil and edible salt. Roadside vendors selling pitha, puri and piyaju will not be exempt.

Separate licences will be required for the production, processing, storage, import and marketing of specialised food products, where applicable. These include health-supporting and dietary supplements, foods for special medical purposes, probiotic and prebiotic foods, and nutraceuticals.

Infant formula and specialised food products designed for older adults or people with particular medical conditions will also fall under the regulatory framework.

Additional registration or licensing requirements will apply to genetically modified or altered foods, organic foods, irradiated foods, fortified foods and novel foods, in accordance with the relevant provisions. Products marketed with claims of health benefits or reduced disease risks must also comply with the Safe Food (Advertisement and Claims) Regulations, 2025.

According to the BFSA, applicants must pay the applicable fees and meet the prescribed conditions. Registrations and licences will remain valid for three years and must be renewed upon expiry.

First-time registration will be free for businesses in the 16 designated categories. However, fees for premises licences for specialised food product manufacturers will depend on the size of the establishment.

The fee for premises measuring 100 square metres or less has been set at Tk 10,000, while a new licence for premises exceeding 10,000 square metres will cost Tk 60,000.

Under the new system, food product packages must display the relevant BFSA registration number. This will allow consumers to check the registration status of the establishment responsible for the product. Consumers will also be able to refer to the number when submitting complaints.

Initially, applications for registration and licences will be accepted at the relevant district offices of the food safety authority. The BFSA plans to introduce a fully online application system in phases.

The authority warned that operating a food business without the required registration or licence, where mandatory, constitutes a punishable offence under the relevant provisions of the Safe Food Act, 2013. Businesses and establishments concerned have been urged to prepare to obtain the necessary approvals within the stipulated timeframe.

The BFSA expects the new framework to improve transparency and accountability in the food sector, bring greater discipline to production and marketing, and strengthen public health protection by ensuring food safety.