FSSAI revokes dahi label order

The revised directive permits food businesses to use the term "Curd" in brackets alongside any common regional name on the label. The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has revised its earlier order that required the use of the Hindi term ‘Dahi’ on the printed labels of curd packets. The order stirred controversy in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where people opposed the imposition of Hindi. The revised directive permits food businesses to use the term "Curd" in brackets alongside any common regional name on the label.

The FSSAI clarified that the revision came after receiving several representations on the omission of the term ‘Curd’ from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products. The new directive permits the use of regional names for ‘Dahi’ in different states while labelling the product. The earlier order had asked milk cooperatives and private dairies located in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to use the term ‘Dahi’ with prevalent regional names in brackets. However, the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation had turned down the suggestion to use the Hindi term ‘Dahi’ in its printed sachets. The revised order has been welcomed by political parties in the two states.