A digital visiting card for caterers, and the FSSAI rules that still apply at the event
A client planning a wedding wants three things from your card: your menus, your price, and proof that you are licensed. FSSAI exempts event caterers from one rule and keeps the rest.
Yes. FSSAI's 2020 display regulations exempt event caterers from the menu-card rules on calories, allergens and logos. They still ask caterers to show allergen information and a veg or non-veg logo where food is served, and your 14-digit licence or registration number belongs on every bill. A profile can carry all of it.
Sources: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
- Event menus, each dish veg or non-vegShow it
- Per-plate price rangesShow it
- FSSAI number, verifiableShow it
- Book a tastingBasic
- Discount for a reviewLeave off
One exemption, four things that stay
Regulation 9 of FSSAI's Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 sets the menu rules for food service establishments, and then says those provisions do not apply to event caterers, or to food service premises that operate for less than 60 days in a calendar year. That is the only relief here. The four rules below stay. The regulation numbers are from the version FSSAI publishes dated 3 April 2025, so check for a later amendment.
The menu-card display rules: calories per serving for Central-licence or 10-plus-outlet operators, and the allergen and veg or non-veg information against each item on a menu card, board or booklet. If you also run a restaurant or canteen, those parts of your business are not exempt.
Allergens and the veg logo where you serve
Prepared food served for immediate consumption by caterers must carry or display allergen information and the veg or non-veg logo at the point of sale or serve.
Your number on the premises
Your registration or licence number is displayed where food is stored, processed, distributed or sold, at a prominent place.
Your number on every bill
The 14-digit number goes on all cash receipts, invoices and bills, whether it is an advance, a quote that becomes a bill, or the final invoice.
A true copy of the licence on show
A true copy of the licence sits at a prominent place in the premises at all times. A profile can add to that. It cannot replace it.
Regulation 8(4) is the one people miss: prepared food served for immediate consumption by caterers must show allergen information and the veg or non-veg logo at the point of sale or serve. The licence conditions, including the copy on show, are in FSSAI's Licensing and Registration Regulations.
What FSSAI's FAQ says about your turnover
Type your yearly turnover and see which document FSSAI's FAQ points to. It is a pointer, not a ruling: the limits are FSSAI's to change, and the FAQ is dated July 2022.
Sources: FSSAI's FAQ on licensing and registration, questions 4 and 11. Check the current eligibility table on FoSCoS before you apply.
Can this go on my profile? Pick a line
Each answer comes from FSSAI's own text or Google's policy, with the rule behind it. The table lists 10 items: 7 marked "Show it", 1 marked "Depends on you" and 2 marked "Leave off".
The rule behind this answer: Regulation 9(1) and 9(3)(a).
| Item | Verdict | Why | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your 14-digit FSSAI licence or registration number | VerdictShow it | WhyIt belongs on your premises and on every bill or cash memo. On the profile it lets a client check you before they book. | RuleRegulation 7(7)(d) |
| A way for clients to verify your licence | VerdictShow it | WhyAnyone can verify a licensed or registered food business in the Food Safety Connect app or through the FBO search on FoSCoS. | RuleFAQ Q38 |
| Veg and non-veg logos on your event menus | VerdictShow it | WhyPrepared food served by caterers must show the veg or non-veg logo where it is served. The same declaration is asked for on pamphlets, leaflets and advertisements. | RuleRegulation 8(4)(c) |
| Allergen information on your event menus | VerdictShow it | WhyAlso asked of caterers at the point of serve. Name the eight groups the regulation lists: gluten cereals, crustacean, milk, egg, fish, nuts, soy and sulphite. | RuleRegulation 8(4)(b) |
| Calories per plate on event menus | VerdictDepends on you | WhyThe menu-card rule for calories does not apply to event caterers. It does apply to a restaurant or canteen you run with a Central licence or 10 or more outlets, so add it there. | RuleRegulation 9(1) and 9(3)(a) |
| Per-plate prices and package options | VerdictShow it | WhyNo FSSAI rule holds back prices. Clients ask for them first, so put ranges on the profile and ask for the guest count in the enquiry form. | Rule- |
| A receipt or invoice for an advance | VerdictShow it | WhyA bill or cash memo you issue must carry your 14-digit number, including one for an advance. | RuleFAQ Q112 |
| A Google review button after the event | VerdictShow it | WhyGoogle lets any business ask for reviews of a genuine experience, by link, QR or message, to every client and not only the happy ones. | RuleGoogle Maps policy |
| A discount on the next event for a review | VerdictLeave off | WhyGoogle names discounts and free goods as incentives it does not allow in exchange for a review. | RuleGoogle Maps policy |
| Taking bookings while your licence is suspended | VerdictLeave off | WhyOnce a licence or registration is suspended or cancelled, food business activity must stop at once. Doing otherwise is unlawful. | RuleFAQ Q5 |
From a tap to a booked date, in five steps
Event catering is booked weeks ahead, so the profile has to carry a client from first question to first payment without you chasing. This is the route, and where the FSSAI rules touch it.
The client asks
They fill in the enquiry form with the date, place, guest count and a menu idea, and can attach a file. It reaches your dashboard with their name, email and phone.
You quote
Reply with a per-plate range and the menu, each dish marked veg or non-veg with its allergens. Send your FSSAI number with it.
They book a tasting
A free or paid slot from your booking calendar. Marking the tasting complete emails the client.
They pay the advance
On Pro, the UPI button opens their own app with your ID filled in. You send a receipt that carries the 14-digit number.
You serve, then ask for a review
At the event, allergens and the veg logo are shown where the food is served. Afterwards, one review link goes to every client.
The parts of the profile that do the chasing for you
Hand your card to a wedding planner at a venue walkthrough, and the profile opens with no app on an iPhone XS or later or any NFC Android phone. Planners who meet many vendors can save your contact in one tap. There is more on cards at events in our events guide.
Enquiry form and lead capture
Guest count, date and a file, like a venue plan or a menu list, arrive together in your dashboard.
Appointment booking
Tasting slots as a list or a calendar. Free or paid, and a paid booking cannot be deleted.
Photo gallery
Photographs from past events, sorted the way you want to show them.
PDF catalogue or brochure
Your full event menu and package list as a file that opens in the browser.
Direct UPI payments
The client's own UPI app opens with your UPI ID in it. The money goes to your bank.
Google review button
One link for every client after the event, with nothing offered in return.
What a caterer pays
The enquiry form, tasting bookings, gallery and menu file are on Basic. UPI and the Google review button are on Pro.
Questions from caterers
Do event caterers have to follow FSSAI's menu rules?
Not the menu-card rule. Regulation 9 exempts event caterers, and food service premises that operate for less than 60 days in a calendar year, from the requirements for calories, allergens and veg or non-veg logos on menu cards, boards and booklets. Regulation 8(4) still asks a caterer to show allergen information and the veg or non-veg logo at the point where the food is served.
Should I put veg and non-veg logos on my event menus anyway?
Yes. It costs nothing, the regulation asks for the logo where caterers serve food, and it also asks that the veg or non-veg declaration be prominently displayed on pamphlets, leaflets and advertisements in any media. That sentence sits inside the rule for packaged food, so ask your licensing officer whether a catering brochure counts. Showing the logo answers the question either way.
Do I need a registration or a licence?
FSSAI's FAQ says a petty food business operator, with an annual turnover up to ₹12 lakh, gets a registration certificate, and that FSSAI grants registration, State licence and Central licence in a three-tier system. Above the registration limit you need a licence. Check the eligibility table on FSSAI's FoSCoS site, because limits can be revised after that FAQ's July 2022 update.
Where must my FSSAI number appear?
On your premises, and on every cash receipt, invoice and bill, as a 14-digit number. FSSAI's FAQ says this applies to all food businesses. A quote or an advance receipt that you issue from your profile is a bill in that sense, so it should carry the number.
Sources: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Can clients check that I am licensed?
Yes. Anyone can verify a licensed or registered food business in FSSAI's Food Safety Connect app or through the FBO search on FoSCoS, and the QR code on the certificate shows the FSSAI record. Putting your number on the profile makes that check easy for a client planning a wedding.
Can I take an advance through the profile?
On Pro, a UPI button opens the client's own UPI app with your UPI ID filled in, and the money goes straight to your bank. Beeps never holds it and takes no fee. Give the client a receipt that carries your FSSAI number.
What if my licence lapses or is suspended?
Stop the food business at once. FSSAI's FAQ says carrying on food business activity on a suspended or cancelled licence is unlawful and attracts penal action. Pause quotes and bookings on the profile until it is restored.
Do clients need an app to open the profile?
No. A tap on the NFC card or a scan of the QR code opens the profile in the phone's browser.
See also: restaurants and their menu rules, event managers and NFC cards for events. Every profession is on the industries page.
This page explains published FSSAI regulations. It is not legal advice, and FSSAI or your licensing officer decides how they apply to you.
Sources
The FSSAI rules are quoted from FSSAI's own published documents, read in full on the date shown. Google's rule is from its Maps content policy.
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 (compendium, version VII, 3 April 2025). Checked .
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Frequently Asked Questions on FSSAI License and Registration (last updated 21 July 2022). Checked .
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011 (compendium, version II, 9 November 2017). Checked .
- Google, Prohibited & restricted content - Maps User Generated Content Policy. Checked .
Give the planner your menus, your price and your licence number in one tap.
The profile takes the enquiry, the tasting and the advance, and carries the number FSSAI asks you to show.