If a Chennai eatery serves you stale meat, a dead insect or food that makes the family ill, the fastest official route is a WhatsApp message to the Tamil Nadu food safety department on 94440 42322. That number, along with the state’s complaint email addresses, is listed on the grievance page of FSSAI’s South Region office, and it is the same line the department has publicised for years. Photos of the food, the bill and the shop’s address make it far easier for an officer to act.
Before you order from a new biryani place, you can also check whether it holds a valid FSSAI licence, and some outlets display a hygiene rating at the counter. Here is how each works.
Check the FSSAI number before you eat
Every food business in India, from a hotel chain to a pushcart, must hold either an FSSAI licence or a basic registration. The number is 14 digits long. Since an FSSAI order of 2021, businesses have had to print this number on cash receipts, bills and invoices; the order was first set for 1 October 2021 and enforcement was later pushed to 1 January 2022 (FSSAI order).
The same order points consumers to FSSAI’s online systems and the Food Safety Connect app, where the 14-digit number can be used to look up the business behind it. In practice:
- Find the number on your bill, the menu card, the packet or the delivery app’s restaurant page.
- Open FSSAI’s licensing portal, FoSCoS, at foscos.fssai.gov.in, or the Food Safety Connect app, and search the number.
- Check that the name and address match the outlet you ordered from and that the licence has not lapsed.
A missing number, a mismatched name or an expired licence is itself worth reporting. Small sellers are not exempt. In December 2025 the state department told Chennai’s idiyappam vendors, many of whom sell from bicycles and two-wheelers, to get a food safety licence, which DT Next reported can be obtained online free of cost and must be renewed every year (DT Next).
What a hygiene rating tells you
FSSAI’s Hygiene Rating Scheme, part of the Eat Right India programme, grades restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, dhabas, bakeries, sweet shops and meat retail shops after an audit by an FSSAI-recognised agency (FSSAI guidance document). The result is shown as smileys on a five-point scale:
| Rating | Label | Share of checklist met |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Excellent | 81 to 100% |
| 4 | Very Good | 61 to 80% |
| 3 | Good | 41 to 60% |
| 2 | Needs Improvement | 21 to 40% |
| 1 | Urgent Improvement | 20% or less |
Only outlets rated 3 or above are expected to display the certificate, so a missing one does not mean a failed audit. A rating is valid for two years and may not reflect today’s kitchen, though FSSAI allows a fresh audit if complaints come in.
How to complain in Chennai
The Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department handles enforcement in the city through its designated officer and food safety officers. The contacts listed for the state on the FSSAI South Region page are:
- WhatsApp: 94440 42322
- Email: foodsafetyTN.FoSCoS@gmail.com and unnavupukar@gmail.com
- Phone: 044-29510400, 29510500, 24300300 and 46284446
When you write in, include the outlet’s name and full address, the date and time, what you bought, photos or a short video, and a copy of the bill. Keep a sample of the food sealed if you can.
The national route runs alongside. FSSAI runs a 24×7 toll-free helpline, 1800 112 100 (FSSAI helpdesk), and accepts complaints through Food Safety Connect on the web and as an app. Once registered, you get a concern number by SMS to track progress, and the complaint is visible to state food safety officers as well as FSSAI (FSSAI grievance redressal).
If someone falls seriously ill after a meal, see a doctor first and say what was eaten; the hospital record also helps any later action.
What the department has been acting on
Recent orders give a sense of what inspectors look for. In July 2026 the department banned the manufacture, storage and sale of artificially coloured papad across Tamil Nadu, including at markets, fairs and tourist spots, citing risks from synthetic colours, particularly for children (DT Next). Enforcement is not light either. In 2023 the then Health Minister told a public event that officials had collected 18,000 food samples, booked cases against 8,000 hotels and levied fines of ₹10.76 crore in the previous year (DT Next).
Quick answers
Where do I find a restaurant’s FSSAI number?
On the bill, which must carry the 14-digit number, and often on the menu, the packaging or the delivery app’s listing.
Is a 5-smiley rating a guarantee?
No. It reflects one audit and is valid for two years. Use it as one signal, not proof.
What is the Tamil Nadu food safety WhatsApp number?
94440 42322, as listed on FSSAI’s South Region grievance page. Send photos, the bill and the outlet’s address.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Grievance contacts, South Region (FSSAI)
- Grievance redressal (FSSAI Food Regulatory Portal)
- Helpdesk (FSSAI Food Regulatory Portal)
- Order on mentioning licence/registration number on bills, 2021 (FSSAI)
- Guidance Document: Hygiene Rating (FSSAI)
- Tamil Nadu cracks down on coloured papads (DT Next)
- Food Safety department directs idiyappam vendors to obtain licence (DT Next)
- Food Safety officials collected Rs 10 cr from TN eatery outlets in a year (DT Next)
