FSSAI flags Nestle dairy product as 'unsafe' after testing sample at Delhi hotel

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Saturday flagged issues with Nestle's Low Fat Dairy Whitener after testing a sample of the product at a top Delhi hotel.

The sample, collected from Bharat Hotels Ltd. (The Lalit) in New Delhi's Connaught Place, was found to "unsafe" and "substandard", as per the Food Analyst reports under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006.

"Directives have been issued to immediately prohibit the sale of (the) product," the food safety regulator wrote in an X post, adding that a copy of the laboratory report was also provided to the food business operator (FBO), Nestle.

FSSAI said that Nestle will now have the opportunity to appeal against the Food Analyst's report under the FSS Act, 2006, within the prescribed time period.

Notably, this comes just weeks after it cracked down on Nestle over two of its infant nutrition products—NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 and Lactogen Pro 1.

However, this case was about the false/half-true claims that Nestle had allegedly made in their promotional material for these products, rather than issues with the their quality itself.

In the case of NAN Excella Pro Stage 1, the FSSAI on September 18 flagged claims relating to 'five HMOs' and 'whey protein'. For Lactogen Pro 1, it raised concerns over a claim that the product’s 'whey protein' was easy to digest.

At the time, it flagged both products for violating Regulation 4(2) of the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020.

This provision restricts the use of promotional claims and material to increase the saleability of infant foods.

It also alleged that Nestle had been in violation of Section 3 of the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992, which prohibits their advertisement and promotion.

The company responded on the same day, reiterating that both the infant nutrition products were "fully compliant with all the applicable regulations", as per an ANI report.

It added that the two products had also been approved by an expert committee of the FSSAI earlier, after which it submitted a detailed notice to the regulator.

We will continue to work closely and support FSSAI in its efforts towards consumer awareness,” the Nestle statement read.