FSSAI declares Nestle dairy whitener sample unsafe, company disputes finding

NEW DELHI: Nestle India’s low-fat dairy whitener has come under scrutiny after a sample collected from The Lalit hotel in New Delhi was declared “unsafe” and “substandard” by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The sample was collected from the premises of Bharat Hotels, which operates The Lalit hotel in Connaught Place. FSSAI said laboratory analysis found the sample non-compliant with requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The regulator has directed the hotel to immediately stop selling the identified Nestle product. FSSAI also issued a notice to Bharat Hotels and shared the laboratory analysis report with the food business operator for further action.

Bharat Hotels has been given an opportunity to challenge the Food Analyst’s findings through an appeal within the prescribed period under the FSS Act.

However, Nestle India has disputed the finding and maintained that the product is safe to consume and complies with applicable regulations.

The company said the FSSAI assessment compared the product’s total phosphorus content with the permitted limit for added phosphorus without accounting for phosphorus that occurs naturally in milk-based ingredients.

Nestle said it is engaging with the authorities and has shared data on the same product as well as similar milk-based products to demonstrate the presence of naturally occurring phosphorus.

The latest action comes weeks after FSSAI initiated legal action against Nestle over a separate baby food sample that it had declared substandard in September. Nestle had maintained at the time that its products were fully compliant with applicable regulations.

The latest dispute therefore puts the focus once again on the interpretation of food safety standards governing Nestle’s milk-based products, with the company contesting the regulator’s assessment while authorities have directed the hotel to halt sales of the identified product.