Health Certificate for Export of Food Products
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Health Certificate for Export of Food Products - Process, Fees & Documents
A Health Certificate is a document issued by an Export Inspection Council of India or relevant certifying authority. The product must meet the health & safety standards set by the importing country. A Health Certificate is a mandatory requirement for exporting food products to many countries around the world. Health standards make exports socially responsible which if maintained is evidence of a company’s reliability hence long-term relationships between exporters and customers.
As more and more countries open up to international trade, the demand for high-quality and safe food products is increasing. Exporting food products requires compliance with a set of regulations, including obtaining a Health Certificate. Health certificates also increase trade efficiency to cut the chances of rejection when crossing borders. Let’s dive further, to learn more about health certificates for the export of food products and how you can acquire it seamlessly with the services of Professional Utilities.
Table of Content
- Basis for Issuance of a Health Certificate
- FSSAI Notification for Importers
- List of food products
- Documents required for Health certificate
- Application fee for health certificate for exporters
- Validity of Health Certificate
- Procedure for health certificate for exporters
- Common Requirements for Health Certificates
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Basis for Issuance of a Health Certificate
Health Certificate is issued for consignments that conform to the following:
- Mandatory compliance with importing countries
- National standards & quality control
- Buyers’ requirements
The health certificate is required for the following type of trade business:
- EU-approved marine product processors exporting exclusively to the European Union.
- Seafood processing companies authorized for exports to countries such as Russia, China, Iran, and other non-EU nations.
- EU-approved animal casing exporters authorized for export to the European Union.
- Peanut product exporters to Malaysia and the European Union.
- Exporters with Non-GMO certification (Non-Genetically Modified Organisms).
- Processors/exporters under voluntary food certification schemes.
FSSAI Notification for Importers
The food safety standard authority of India has issued guidelines for importers of various products to get health certificates for their imported food consignment. The step is taken in order to regulate the quality standard of imported food in India. As per the guidelines of FSSAI all the importers of following products now required to produce health certificate form their exporters.
• Milk and Milk Products
• Pork and Pork Products
• Fish and Fish products
List of food products
Below is the list of food products for which exporters are required to produce a valid Health Certificate:
• Eggs
• Dairy
• Meat products
• Hides, skin, wool, and feathers
• Collagen, gelatine & animal casings
• Fish and fishery products
• Pet food and animal products
• Other food products as specified by importing countries
Documents required for Health certificate
The exporter of food products has to provide the following documents for issuance of the Health Certificate for their export consignment.
IEC Code certificate
• Copy of Invoice
• Letter of Credit
• Copy of Purchase Order
• Bank draft of the requisite fee
• Application for issuance of Health Certificate
• Test report of Food Products intended for export issued by EIA labs or EIC-approved labs
• Test report from the EIA-approved unit, as per importing countries’ standards or National Standard
• Contractual Specification as agreed between Importer and Exporter.
Application fee for health certificate for exporters
To obtain a Health Certificate for food export, exporters must pay a fee based on the FOB (Free on Board) value of their shipment. Below is a detailed fee structure:
| FOB value in Rs | Application Fee Details |
|---|---|
| Up to 5 lakh | ₹ 1,500 |
| Above 5 lakh and up to 10 lakh | ₹ 2,500 |
| Above 10 lakh and up to 25 lakh | ₹ 5,500 |
| Above 25 and below 40 lakh | ₹ 7,500 |
| Above 40 lakh | ₹ 8000 |
Note: The aforementioned Fees is exclusive of GST.
Note: An amount of Rs.10 per M.T. will be charged for Agricultural Bulk Commodities for issuance of Health Certificate subject to a minimum of Rs. 2500 per consignment.
Validity of Health Certificate
The health certificate is valid for upto 90 days after the date of issuance
Procedure for health certificate for exporters
Exporters of marine products and meat products are required to obtain a health certificate for their consignment from the Export Inspection Council of India and APEDA in case of meat products.
These are the following steps involved for getting the health certificate for export
1.Details & Documentation:
Applicants are required to provide all the related documents and basic details during the filing of application on the respective portal.
2.Filing of application:
Once all the details and documents are provided the application duly be filed along with all the relevant documents.
3.Submission of fee:
The application fee should be submitted along with the application form.
4.Issuance of License
Once the application is submitted successfully, authorities will verify all the details and documents only after the verification the certificate will be issued.
Common Requirements for Health Certificates
The requirements for health certificates vary by country and food product. However, there are some common requirements that exporters must comply with. These include:
• Identification of the exporter and importer.
• Description and quantity of the food product.
• Evidence of compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Results of laboratory tests for contaminants, pesticides, and other substances.
• Certification of production processes and facilities.
• Details of the inspection and certification process.
Conclusion
The health certificate is essential when exporting food products to ensure they meet health and safety standards. Compliance with regulations, including obtaining a health certificate, is mandatory. Requirements for health certificates vary by country and product, but exporters must meet standard criteria, including identification of the exporter and importer.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Health certificate is required by the exporters of food products as per the requirements of their importing countries.
The cost of getting a health certificate is categorized as per the FOB values of exported food products.
The fee for obtaining the Health certificate
| FOB value in Rs | Application Fee Details |
|---|---|
| Up to 5 lakh | ₹ 1,500 |
| Above 5 lakh and up to 10 lakh | ₹ 2,500 |
| Above 10 lakh and up to 25 lakh | ₹ 5,500 |
| Above 25 and below 40 lakh | ₹ 7,500 |
| Above 40 lakh | ₹ 8000 |
Note: The aforementioned Fees is exclusive of
GST.
No, health certificate and phytosanitary certificate both are different from each other and required by the importer of food products of respective countries.
You can get an AD code from the bank with which you have a current account. You need to send a request to the branch manager in a prescribed format to issue the AD code on the Bank letterhead. Once the AD code is issued, it is registered with the Kolkata Port on the icegate portal.