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New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered a nationwide special enforcement drive against adulteration in milk, paneer and khoya, amid rising complaints of food fraud involving dairy products.
The food regulator has directed all states and Union Territories to conduct intensive inspections and take strict action against adulteration and mislabelling to safeguard public health, officials said.
According to FSSAI, recent inspections have demonstrated multiple instances of milk and milk products being adulterated or manufactured in unlicensed and illegal units, posing serious health risks to consumers. Selling adulterated or fake dairy products as genuine items is a punishable offence under food safety laws.
As part of the drive, state food safety departments, along with FSSAI's regional offices, will carry out checks at units involved in the manufacture, storage and sale of milk, paneer and khoya. Both licensed and unlicensed operators will be inspected. Food safety officers will collect samples for laboratory testing and verify compliance with licensing norms.
Officials said that if any sample is found to be non-compliant, the entire supply chain will be investigated to identify the source of adulteration and illegal manufacturing units. Enforcement measures will include seizure of adulterated products, cancellation of licences, closure of illegal units and destruction of unsafe food items.
FSSAI has also instructed states and Union Territories to upload inspection and enforcement data on the FoSCoS portal in real time to enable central monitoring. The regulator has emphasised better coordination between states and strengthening of local intelligence inputs.
The authority said the objective of the special drive is to curb food fraud and ensure the availability of safe and quality dairy products across the country.
