India Halts Nestlé Sales of Low-Fat Dairy Whitener
FSSAI issued the prohibition under India’s Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 after official samples were collected during a surveillance inspection at The Lalit hotel in New Delhi’s Connaught Place. The samples came from sealed consignments supplied by Bharat Hotels. Authorities instructed the business to stop serving the product and remove remaining inventory from commercial channels.
Laboratory analysis found that the tested batch did not meet statutory requirements for purity and composition. Officials sent formal non-compliance notices, while the affected hotel operator retained the right to challenge the findings under the applicable procedure.
The dispute concerns the product’s recorded phosphorus content. Nestlé’s technical specialists say the testing method measured total mineral phosphorus without separating naturally occurring milk minerals from phosphorus introduced through stabilising compounds. The company argues that this approach does not accurately assess compliance with limits for added substances.
Low-fat dairy whiteners commonly contain buffering salts, including sodium and potassium phosphates. These ingredients help protect milk proteins from coagulating during spray drying and when the powder is reconstituted at high temperatures, such as in hot-drink vending systems. Milk from cows and buffaloes also contains phosphorus naturally, much of it associated with casein structures.
Nestlé India said the formulation remains safe for human consumption and meets national regulatory requirements when assessed on an as-consumed basis. The company is preparing, together with the hospitality operator, formal appeals under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
The action follows earlier regulatory proceedings involving Nestlé India’s specialised nutrition business. Those proceedings concerned promotional claims and micronutrient parameters in premium infant-formula products, including questions about biotin levels and statements relating to digestive proteins. Dairy-processing groups have called for testing procedures that distinguish naturally present milk nutrients from intentionally added ingredients.
