Science behind FSSAI standards for testing spurious ghee
A dramatic food-fraud case has been unearthed involving the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and a supplier dairy. Between 2019 and 2024, the Bhole Baba Organic Dairy of Uttarakhand — led by promoters Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain — supplied around 68 lakh kg of ghee, valued at approximately ₹250 crore, to TTD despite never procuring any real milk…
Gowardhan Ghee Brand Fined Rs 6.14 Lakh Over Quality Lapse
Parag Milk Foods Ltd. — the maker of well-known dairy brands such as Gowardhan and Go — has been fined a total of ₹ 6.14 lakh by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for alleged quality standard violations. One regional FSSAI office (Udaipur) imposed ₹1.14 lakh under Section 51 of the FSS Act,…
FSSAI Seizes ₹35 Lakh Adulterated Ghee from Rajkot Dairy Unit
Under its Special Ghee Surveillance Drive, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) seized approximately 6,500 kg of adulterated ghee, valued at ₹35 lakhs, from M/s Korova Milk Product Private Limited, a dairy unit in Rajkot, Gujarat . Initial samples—sent to an FSSAI-notified laboratory—tested sub-standard, revealing adulteration with vegetable fat, which directly violated…
FSSAI and its new nutrition ratings
by R N Bhaskar FSSAI (the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India — https://fssai.gov.in/ — is also known as the Food Authority. It comes under the ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers (https://fssai.gov.in/flipbook.php?bookid=460&doc2=0#book2/). It was established in September 2008 for “laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their…
Clear Labelling Mandated for Paneer Substitutes to Protect Consumers
In response to growing consumer concerns, the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has now mandated that any establishment using “analogue paneer”—a non‑dairy paneer substitute—must clearly declare its status on menus, packaging, or display boards. Although legally permitted since 2021, analogue paneer is composed of vegetable oil, starch, emulsifiers, and powdered milk rather than pure…
When Milk Becomes a Mourning by the death of two toddlers
I feel deeply saddened by the death of two innocent children ( 11 months and 2 years)—lives lost not to disease or fate, but to something as ordinary and trusted as milk. It’s hard to imagine the grief their families must be going through, and even harder to accept that such a tragedy could happen…
FSSAI to adopt ICMR nutrition HFSS norms for FOPL
A kirana store | Representational Image | Photo: Praveen Jain/ ThePrint The country’s apex food regulator has decided to adopt the standards of the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) for defining, for the first time, food that is high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS), ThePrint has learnt. Salt, sugar and…
FSSAI Cracks Down on Online Grocery Platforms Over Expiry Date
India’s apex food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has issued a strict warning to major online grocery and food delivery platforms, including Blinkit, Zomato, Swiggy, BigBasket, Zepto, and Amazon, over non-compliance with expiry date regulations. The authority flagged concerns after finding that several products listed on these platforms either lacked…
FSSAI Releases Consultation Paper on Analogue Dairy Compliance
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has released a consultation paper addressing compliance issues related to analogue dairy products. This initiative aims to gather feedback from stakeholders to ensure that such products meet established safety and quality standards. Analogue dairy products, which are substitutes for traditional dairy items, have seen increased market…
FSSAI asks states to increase food safety checks on dairy analogues
Food regulator FSSAI has asked states to step up surveillance on dairy analogues in March keeping in view the ongoing festive season. As per the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, ‘Dairy Analogues’ are products where non-milk constituents replace milk components partially or entirely but resemble milk or milk products…