Indian food regulator orders halt to sale of Nestlé dairy whitener sample

A sample of Nestlé India’s low-fat dairy whitener collected from The Lalit hotel in New Delhi has been declared “unsafe” and “substandard”, India’s food safety regulator said on Saturday. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India said the sample was taken from the premises of Bharat Hotels Ltd at the hotel in Connaught Place. The finding was based on a report from a food analyst’s laboratory.

According to the regulator, the result indicates non-compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. FSSAI said a copy of the laboratory analysis report had been provided to the food business operator for reference and necessary action. The authority also issued a notice to Bharat Hotels Ltd over the product.

It said the operator had been given an opportunity to appeal against the food analyst’s report under the relevant section of the law and within the prescribed period. At the same time, FSSAI directed the food business operator to immediately stop the sale of the identified product. The regulator did not provide details in the source material about the specific laboratory parameters that led to the classifications.

The announcement concerned the sample collected at the hotel and did not state whether the finding applied to other batches or outlets. It also did not give information about the quantity involved or whether anyone had reported illness. The source material does not include a response from Nestlé India or Bharat Hotels Ltd to the laboratory finding or the notice.

Any appeal by the operator, and its outcome, were also not reported. FSSAI’s statement identified the product as a low-fat dairy whitener manufactured by Nestlé India. The regulator’s order means the identified unsafe product is not to be sold while the matter proceeds under the food-safety process.