The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a directive to food business operators, including online retailers, to remove claims of ‘A1’ and ‘A2’ types of milk and milk products from packaging, calling such labelling misleading.
It has come to the notice of FSSAI that several Food Business Operators are selling/marketing Milk & Milk products such as Ghee, Butter, Curd etc in the name of A1 & A2 under FSSAI License Number and/or Registration Certificate Number.
The authority reviewed the matter and concluded that that A1 and A2 differentiation is linked to the structure of beta-casein protein in milk.
However, use of any A2 claims on milk fat products is misleading as the FSS Act, 2006 and Regulations do not acknowledge this categorization.
Food business operators (FBOs) have been ordered to remove such claims from their products.
E-commerce platforms were also told to remove these claims from products and websites immediately.
FBOs have a six-month period to use up existing pre-printed labels, with no possibility of an extension.
The distinction between A1 and A2 milk is based on the beta-casein protein content, which varies according to the breed of cow.
Online reports state that the FSSAI addressed popular labeling captions such as “A2” and “organic” in 2020.
It was reported in 2020 that without any supporting data from science, marketers are promoting the advantages of A1 over A2 on social media and on product labels.
These marketing practices are actually a case of mislabeling and food frauds and should be avoided.
Download Directive click here
Date : 24 & 25 August 2024 (2 Days)
Time : 10 AM to 05 PM
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