New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday directed all States and Union Territories to launch a special enforcement drive against the adulteration and misbranding of milk and milk products, including paneer and khoya, sources told ANI.
The move follows multiple reports of unsafe and illegally manufactured dairy products posing serious public health risks.
Under the drive, food safety authorities will carry out intensive inspections of licensed and unlicensed dairy units, draw enforcement samples, verify Food Business Operator registrations, and trace the sources of adulteration. Strict action, including licence cancellation, seizures, recalls, and the closure of illegal units, has been mandated, the sources said.
State regulators have also been instructed to sensitise and direct hotels, restaurants, catering establishments, quick service restaurants, pubs, and associations representing the food service and hospitality sector to ensure that no adulterated paneer is procured, used, stored, prepared, served, or sold on their premises. They will be liable for punitive action in case of any violation.
The FSSAI has further instructed States to ensure real-time reporting on the Food Safety Compliance System, submit fortnightly enforcement reports, and strengthen inter-State coordination to curb the spread of adulterated milk products.
The directive, issued under Section 16(5) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, aims to safeguard consumers and uphold food safety standards.
Recently, citing the festive season in September and October, which typically sees a spike in the consumption of milk products, the FSSAI had announced a special surveillance and enforcement drive to curb adulteration and ensure food safety.
The authority had instructed enforcement agencies to focus on hotspots and sensitive locations. Food Safety on Wheels, a mobile food-testing laboratory, was also deployed at major marketplaces.
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