The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has revised its order and allowed the use of regional names on printed labels of curd packets amidst political controversy in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The 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 example, ‘Curd (Dahi)’ in Hindi, or ‘Curd (mosaru) in Kannada, ‘Curd (thayir)’ in Tamil, ‘Curd (perugu)’ in Telugu, ‘Curd (zaamutdaud) can be used, said the food regulator.
The order has been revised following various representations received recently on the omission of the term ‘curd’ from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products, and only the word dahi was mentioned.
According to FSSAI, as many representations were received recently on the omission of the term “curd” from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products, it has been decided that FBOs may use the term “curd” along with any other designation (the preferred regional common name) in brackets on the label.
In its March 10 directive issued to milk cooperatives and private dairy farms located in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the FSSAI asked them to use the term dahi, with prevalent regional names in brackets. They were told to use regional nomenclature used in different states for ‘dahi’ while labelling the product, like dahi (curd), Dahi (mosaru), Dahi (zaamutdaud), Dahi (thayir), Dahi (perugu).
The order 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. The controversy erupted after 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 and said that it would only stick to the Tamil word ‘thayir’.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin decried the move as an attempt to “impose Hindi.” Dairy Development Minister SM Nasar said the government had received a letter asking it to implement the directive before August.
Meanwhile, former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy 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, the JDS second-in-command called it ‘Hindi imposition’ on Kannadigas. “Knowing that Kannadigas are opposed to Hindi imposition, it is wrong for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to order KMF to print Hindi Dahi on the packet of Nandini probiotic curd,” he said. He said Nandini is the “property of the Kannadigas, the identity of the Kannadigas, and the lifeline of the Kannadigas”. “Despite knowing this, the ego of Hindi imposition has been displayed,” he added. He alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his Mandya visit, had said in a meeting that Nandini would be merged with Gujarat’s Amul.