Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, commonly known as FSSAI, serves as the central regulatory authority for food safety across India. This organization is pivotal in ensuring compliance with food safety standards, with a particular emphasis on maintaining the integrity and safety of dairy products.

Important Events

FSSAI has been at the forefront of implementing critical regulations to enhance the integrity of dairy products. One of the notable initiatives by FSSAI involves the regulation that cheese-like products must be explicitly labeled as cheese analogues to prevent their misrepresentation as authentic paneer. This decision was made following the discovery that 83% of paneer samples failed safety tests, leading to the seizure and destruction of 550 kg of adulterated paneer by the Noida Food Safety Department.

In another significant move, FSSAI imposed fines on Heritage Foods Limited due to issues with product quality. The organization's authority was challenged when the Delhi High Court limited its jurisdiction to human-centric regulations, prohibiting it from regulating animal feed. Notices were also sent to companies like Param Dairy Limited and Bikanervala to address hygiene and compliance concerns.

FSSAI has also prohibited Dabur India from using '100 percent' purity claims on its products, including cow ghee and honey, citing breaches in the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising & Claims) Regulations, 2018.

Company Plans

FSSAI remains committed to enforcing strict regulations to ensure consumer safety and sustain the integrity of food products. The organization is actively updating its guidelines to tackle emerging food safety challenges and has launched a nationwide campaign against dairy fraud. This includes the introduction of 'Food Safety on Wheels'—mobile testing laboratories deployed across Indian markets for rapid testing and promoting the use of testing kits.

State food safety commissioners are mandated to undertake strict legal actions against violators. Independent milk producers and vendors are required to obtain a registration or food business license to enhance traceability within India's milk supply chain. Following an adulteration incident, mandatory licensing was enforced in the East Godavari district for dairy stakeholders.

FSSAI is also addressing digital misinformation about milk quality by initiating legal actions against social media influencers spreading false information. The organization is moving towards a 'Risk-Based Inspection' system to streamline inspections for compliant processors and tighten regulations on independent vendors. A significant operation intercepted unbranded and unrefrigerated tankers carrying suspected adulterated milk, with samples collected for laboratory analysis.

The authority continues its nationwide surveillance of milk quality, conducted in collaboration with State Food Safety Authorities to ensure compliance with safety standards. FSSAI regulates the standards for paneer production in India, mandating that paneer must be made solely from milk, without any added starch, non-dairy fats, or synthetic substances. As part of a broader regulatory push against analogue dairy products, FSSAI has instructed manufacturers and food service establishments to clearly disclose the use of non-dairy substitutes to consumers.

Modified: 2026/08/31