Combine prepared solids with binder quickly and uniformly. Incorporate the specified protein and micronutrient premix at the validated temperature and mixing stage.

Validated

Parameters: Control solid-to-binder ratio and mixing time to avoid uncoated portions.

5. Forming and cutting

Sheet or mould while workable; cut to portions.

Validated

Parameters: Consistent thickness and piece weight.

6. Cooling and packing

Cool in a clean, dry area; weigh, seal and batch-code moisture-barrier food-grade packs.

Validated

Parameters: No condensation; check seal continuity, pack weight and moisture/water activity against the product release specification.

4. Financials and Unit economics

Production model

Use NFIC

Economics reference

UE-059

Pack size

30 g pack

Selling price

₹9.00

per pack

Variable cost to make one pack

₹6.84

Money left per pack

₹2.16

Before shared/fixed costs

Minimum production to cover costs

9 batches/month

Whole batches required

At 14 batches/month

₹18,767 profit/month

Money required to start

₹5.01 lakh

1. What will I produce and sell?

Raw material used in one batch (kg)

24.00

Finished product from one batch (kg)

48.48

Packs produced from one batch

1,616 packs

Selling price per pack

₹9.00

Planned production

14 batches/month

Packs available for sale/month

22,624 packs

Assumption: All saleable production is sold at the indicated selling price.

2. How much does one batch cost?

Variable costs — these increase when you produce more

Main raw material

₹2,880.00

Other ingredients

₹3,407.50

Packaging material

₹1,666.00

Production/helper labour

₹1,500.00

Transport / logistics

₹400.00

Other production costs

₹1,200.00

Total variable cost per batch

₹11,053.50

Sales from one batch

₹14,544.00

1,616 packs × ₹9.00

Variable cost of one batch

₹11,053.50

Money left from one batch

₹3,490.50

Available to pay shared/fixed business costs and thereafter become profit.

Money left per pack

₹2.16

Before shared/fixed costs.

3. NFIC Facility Cost

The fixed/shared cost of using NFIC

NFIC facility charge

₹30,100/month

This includes:

use of NFIC machinery / shared facility
electricity, fuel and water
machine-operator cost

You do not need to separately add electricity or machine-operator cost.

4. Will I make a profit?

Monthly Income Statement

Sales income

₹2,03,616

Main raw material

₹40,320

Other ingredients

₹47,705

Packaging

₹23,324

Production/helper labour

₹21,000

Transport / logistics

₹5,600

Other variable costs

₹16,800

Total variable costs

₹1,54,749

Money left after variable costs

₹48,867

NFIC fixed/shared facility cost

₹30,100

Estimated monthly profit

₹18,767

At 14 batches per month, estimated profit is ₹18,767 per month.

5. How many batches do I need to sell?

Below break-even

8 batches

Sales: ₹1,16,352

Loss: ₹2,176

BREAK-EVEN

9 batches

Sales: ₹1,30,896

Profit: ₹1,314

Above break-even

10 batches

Sales: ₹1,45,440

Profit: ₹4,805

You should produce and sell at least 9 batches per month to cover your costs.

Every additional batch sold after this adds approximately ₹3,490 before any other unforeseen expenses.

6. What happens if I produce more?

7 batches/month

₹5,666 loss

8 batches/month

₹2,176 loss

9 batches/month

₹1,314 profit ← Break-even crossed

10 batches/month

₹4,805 profit

11 batches/month

₹8,296 profit

14 batches/month

₹18,767 profit

17 batches/month

₹29,238 profit

More batches sold → the fixed/shared NFIC cost gets spread over more production → monthly profit improves.

7. How much money do I need before starting?

Startup & Working Capital Requirement

Money needed for day-to-day business

₹2,49,062

Other startup requirements

₹2,52,000

Total startup money required

₹5,01,062

Why is ₹2.49 lakh needed for day-to-day business?

Raw material, ingredients, packaging and other expenses have to be paid before all the money from customers comes back.

Working-capital cycle: approximately 39 days

Estimated total money required to start and operate the business ₹5.01 lakh

5. Branding, packaging & labelling

Packaging & labelling guidance

Pack size	Single bar: 20 g / 30 g; multipack: 100 g / 200 g total.
Label copy status	Ready

Packaging, labelling & compliance guidanceRead one box at a time.

Recommended packaging

Individually heat-sealed, grease-resistant moisture/oxygen-barrier wrappers; optional paperboard multipack. Test sticking, rancidity and seal integrity in AP summer/monsoon conditions.

Economical / sustainable option

trial a recyclable PE- or PP-based mono-material pack only if its barrier and seals pass the same shelf-life test; confirm local collection. Plain paper alone is unsuitable.

Retail label essentials

Before printing, check the applicable rules/exemptions for: true food name; ingredients in descending order; additives; prescribed nutrition panel; veg/non-veg symbol; allergen statement; manufacturer/packer/brand-owner details and applicable FSSAI logo/licence number; net quantity; MRP inclusive of taxes and consumer-care details; batch/lot; manufacture/packing date and expiry/use-by as applicable; storage and preparation instructions.
Check Legal Metrology declarations, type size and unit-sale-price applicability for the final pack.
Mandatory information must be in English or Hindi; add clear Telugu for rural AP buyers.

Product name, origin & marketing claims

Put a simple descriptive food name beside the brand, with the actual variant and net quantity prominent.
Use honest local-origin/FPO statements backed by records.
Technology titles in column C are not approved marketing claims.
Do not imply CFTRI or FSSAI endorses the brand.
A QR recipe/traceability link is optional and cannot replace mandatory on-pack information.

Ingredients, allergens & cross-contact

Review every ingredient and processing aid/carrier, including compound seasonings and shared machinery.
Use the prescribed separate allergen statement when applicable; exemptions exist, including where the product itself is the allergen.
“May contain” follows a genuine cross-contact assessment and is not a substitute for segregation.
Milk is an allergen even in a vegetarian food; egg changes veg/non-veg status.
Do not assume millet/buckwheat foods are gluten-free.
Declare groundnut/peanut and any sesame/nuts actually used; sesame should be clearly identified even where a separate statutory allergen statement is not triggered.
FSSAI Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020; Version VIII, 09-Sep-2025. Primary regulatory baseline for retail/non-retail labels, allergens and ingredient-specific declarations.

Nutrition & claims

Nutrition values and claims must match the final recipe, legal calculation/testing basis and serving instructions.
Check permitted exemptions rather than printing invented values.

Shelf life, storage & after-opening

Best-before alone is not a universal substitute for expiry/use-by.
Establish shelf life on the real product/package using safety, sensory and relevant moisture/rancidity/culture tests under intended distribution conditions.
No expiry duration is supplied in this workbook.
Print a validated after-opening period where needed, not “consume soon” as the only control.
Confirm that the food category, nutrient forms, levels and labelling qualify under the applicable fortification rules; verify retention through shelf life.

FSSAI licence, certifications & marks

Obtain the applicable FSSAI registration/licence and product-category permissions before food manufacture/sale; it is not a product-quality endorsement.
Ordinary food rows do not establish a separate mandatory certification merely because they use millet or local produce.
ISO 22000/HACCP certification, retail barcodes and trademark registration are not universal food-label prerequisites, though a buyer may require them.
Never display BIS/AGMARK/organic/vegan/+F/other marks without qualifying and obtaining the relevant authorisation where required.
Special-category rows explicitly need further review.
Fortification / +F claim note: do not automatically apply the +F logo or “fortified” claim.

Regulatory references

FSSAI Packaging Regulations, 2018; Version V, 02-Apr-2025. Food-contact compliance and Schedule IV indicative package families. Specific pack sizes and sustainability trade-offs in D/E are recommendations, not prescribed by this source.

Other important guidance

Identify the fruit/cereal/nut bar or chikki and its actual ingredients.
Multipacks need compliant outer declarations and individual declarations where units are sold separately.
Give net mass, not only number of pieces.
FSSAI regulations index and labelling-amendment register. N identifies specialised regimes to consult, not evidence that any named SKU is approved. A flags the 2026 update; unresolved requirements are expressly not presented as certification conclusions.