Nestlé India’s Low-Fat Dairy Whitener Sample Declared Unsafe by FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has declared a sample of Nestlé India’s low-fat dairy whitener collected from The Lalit hotel in New Delhi as “unsafe” and “substandard.” Laboratory analysis reportedly found the sample non-compliant, following which authorities directed the hotel to stop selling the product.

Nestlé India, however, disputed the finding and said the product is safe and complies with applicable regulations. The company said FSSAI’s assessment compared the product’s total phosphorus content with the limit applicable to added phosphorus, without accounting for phosphorus naturally present in milk-based ingredients. Nestlé said it has shared supporting data with the authorities and is engaging with them on the matter.

FSSAI has not publicly released the complete laboratory report and had not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment on Nestlé’s explanation. The Lalit hotel also did not respond to requests for comment.

The development follows a separate FSSAI action in September, when the regulator said a Nestlé baby-food sample was substandard and that it was pursuing legal action. Nestlé had maintained that its products complied with all applicable regulations.