New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) – The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has revised its order and permitted the use of regional names on printed labels of curd packets. The move comes amid political controversy in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the use of the term ‘Dahi‘ instead of ‘curd’ in the Standards of Fermented Milk Products.
According to the revised order, Food Business Operators (FBOs) are now allowed to use the term ‘curd’ along with any other prevalent regional common name in brackets on the label. For instance, ‘Curd (Dahi)’ in Hindi, ‘Curd (mosaru)’ in Kannada, ‘Curd (thayir)’ in Tamil, and ‘Curd (perugu)’ in Telugu, can be used.
The FSSAI issued the directive on March 10 to milk cooperatives and private dairies located in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to use the term ‘Dahi’ with prevalent regional names in brackets. The directive was issued to Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (KMF), Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagara District Cooperative Milk Producers Societies Union Ltd, Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation, and Hatsun Agro Products Ltd.
However, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation, which sells dairy products under the brand name Aavin, declined to use the Hindi term ‘Dahi’ in its printed sachets as directed by FSSAI. The Federation insisted that it would only stick to the Tamil word ‘thayir.’ The controversy erupted after this move, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin condemning the decision as an attempt to “impose Hindi.”
Meanwhile, former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy also took exception to the inclusion of the term ‘dahi’ on the curd packets of Nandini, a popular brand of KMF. In a series of tweets, he called it ‘Hindi imposition’ on Kannadigas.
BJP state unit chief K Annamalai also criticized the notification, stating that it was not in tandem with the Centre’s policy of promoting regional languages.
The FSSAI revised its order after receiving various representations on the omission of the term ‘curd’ from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products. The authority decided that FBOs may use the term ‘curd’ along with any other designation (prevalent regional common name) in brackets on the label.
The FSSAI’s revised order permits the use of regional names on printed labels of curd packets, thus resolving the controversy over the use of ‘Dahi‘ instead of ‘curd’ in the Standards of Fermented Milk Products. The use of regional names in brackets is expected to help in maintaining the cultural identity of different states while ensuring compliance with food safety standards.
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