Food Quality and Safety Division
BFDA provides following registration and licensing services:
1. Food Business Registration and Licensing
A person who intends to operate a food business shall obtain a food safety license from BFDA to operate the food business. A food business that complies with BAFRA GHP/GMP Criteria for Licensing of food business will be issued food safety license. The operator shall apply to BFDA for licensing of food business by filling in the application form. The issuance of the Food Safety License is done in accordance to BFDA’s Food Safety Licensing Process; a simplified flow is described below:
Food Business at project stage at the time of application
Food Business with an established structure at the time of application
2.Suspension/ cancellation of Food Safety License
BFDA shall suspend/ cancel the license when the Food Business contravenes the terms and conditions of Food Safety license and provision of Licensing process
BFDA issues food handlers license after a health interview, training on food safety, and signing an undertaking that the food handler and all those under their supervision avoid themselves from handling food under certain conditions of illness as listed below;
- Hepatitis A (Jaundice)
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Sore throat with fever
- Visibly infected skin lesions (boils, cuts etc.)
- Discharge for ear, eye, and nose
BFDA conducts the Food Handlers’ Training, free of charge, for all people who supervise and/or handle food or food contact surfaces. The training is conducted for the food handlers working in food processing units, meat shops and street food vendors. The trainings are uniformly provided throughout 20 Dzongkhags based on standard training manuals as below, which are also available for download:
The Biosafety requirements are implemented as per the Biosafety Act of Bhutan 2015, and Biosafety Rules and Regulations 2018. The objectives of this Act is to protect, conserve and safeguard the biodiversity of Bhutan and also to promote the nation’s food and nutrition security and safeguard the animals and human health from unintended effect of Genetically Modified Organism