FSSAI withdraws advisory on removal of claims of 'A1', A2' types of milk, milk products
New Delhi, Aug 26: Food safety regulator FSSAI on Monday withdrew its recent advisory wherein food businesses were directed to remove claims of 'A1' and 'A2' types of milk and milk products from packaging.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said the advisory has been withdrawn to carry out further consultations with stakeholders. It would imply that food business operators (FBOs) can continue to sell and market their products with claims of 'A1' and "A2' types of milk.
A1 and A2 milk differ in their beta-casein protein composition, which varies based on cow breed.
In a fresh advisory issued on Monday, the regulator said, "the advisory dated August 21, 2024...stands withdrawn for further consultation and engagement with the stakeholders".
The FSSAI, in its advisory dated August 21, had asked FBOs to remove claims of 'A1 and A2 from their products. E-commerce platforms were also told to remove these claims from products and websites immediately.
The regulator had said that the claims of 'A1' and 'A2' types of milk and milk products do not conform with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
After examination, the FSSAI had found that A1 and A2 differentiation is linked to the structure of beta-casein protein in milk. However, current FSSAI regulations do not recognise this differentiation.
In the August 21 advisory, FBOs were also asked to exhaust pre-printed labels within six months, with no further extensions to be granted.
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Notices issued to Himachal conductor, driver for anti-Rahul Gandhi audio clip playing in govt bus
Shimla, Nov 30: After finding itself in soup over a CID enquiry on "missing samosas", the Himachal Pradesh government is again in a tight spot for issuing notices to a state roadways conductor and driver after an audio clip with defamatory remarks against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was allegedly played in their bus.
A man in his complaint to the Chief Minister's Office said defamatory words were used against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and other leaders in an audio clip which was played in the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus plying between Shimla and Sanjauli on November 5.
In a letter to the conductor and driver of the bus on November 25, the HRTC sought explanation from them. The letter went viral on the internet.
Talking to reporters on Friday, HRTC Managing Director Rohan Chand Thakur said a routine complaint was received from a customer after which a fact finding enquiry was initiated. The enquiry was closed as the allegations were found baseless.
However, the wording of the explanation sought could have been better and the officers have been verbally conveyed to improve in the coming times, he added.
The defamatory words were allegedly used in a debate being played in the audio clip.
Reacting sharply to the letter, BJP MLA from Dharamshala, Sudhir Sharma, said the government should appoint marshals to stop audios being played in buses.
"Such decisions of the government are damaging the reputation of the state government as well as the state," he added.
Earlier, the state CID department had ordered an internal enquiry on the samosas which were brought for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during a function and by mistake were served to the his security staff. A senior police official had termed the faux pas as an anti-CID and ant-Government act.
