Food regulator FSSAI said on October 3 that a sample of Nestlé low-fat dairy whitener collected from Bharat Hotels’ The Lalit in New Delhi had been classified as unsafe and substandard by food analysts. Its official announcement said directions had been issued to prohibit sale of the identified product immediately.
Press Trust of India’s October 3 report in Business Standard and NDTV Profit’s reporting said a notice and laboratory-report copy had been provided to the hotel operator, with an opportunity to appeal within the prescribed period. The disclosed action concerns the sampled product at the hotel; it does not establish a nationwide recall of all Nestlé dairy products. The sampling and testing dates were not specified in the reviewed announcement.
Nestlé India told Reuters on October 3 that the product was safe and complied with applicable rules. It argued that the analysis compared total phosphorus with a limit for added phosphorus without accounting for phosphorus naturally present in milk ingredients. The company said it was engaging with authorities and had supplied supporting data.
Reuters reported that the full laboratory report had not been made public. It also said FSSAI had not immediately responded to the company’s explanation and the hotel had not responded to a request for comment. The competing positions remain attributed claims; the available material does not resolve the technical dispute.