New Delhi, August 25, 2024: After its ultimatum to food business operators (FBOs) to exhaust all pre-printed packaging materials that claim '100 per cent fruit juices' in their packaged juice products, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has now asked food businesses and e-commerce players, to remove labels indicating 'A1' and 'A2' types of milk and milk products from packaging.
This move by the authority comes after it found many labels and advertisements from food business operators (FBOs) as misleading which don’t comply with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The FSSAI has examined the matter and found that A1 and A2 differentiation is linked to the structure of beta-casein protein in milk.However, the existing regulations by FSSAI don’t recognize this differentiation.
Thus, it instructed FBOs, including E-commerce platforms to remove these claims from products and websites immediately. Furthermore, any pre-printed labels by companies, has to be exhausted within six months with no further extension.
Appreciating the move by FSSAI, Parag Milk Foods Chairman Devendra Shah was quoted saying to Business Standard, “A1 and A2 is the category developed by marketing gimmick...It's essential that we eliminate misleading claims that can misinform consumers.”
It must be noted that the A1 and A2 milk differ due to their beta-casein protein composition, which varies based on the breed of the cow. We have learnt that A1 or A2 milk product category essentially never existed and across the globe this trend is fading away.
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