PANAJI
The Goa Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has tightened regulations on the sale and use of milk analogue products, giving hotels, restaurants, sweet shops, caterers and food businesses just four days to comply with new disclosure norms.
FDA Director Shweta Desai announced the deadline during a stakeholders' meeting held on Tuesday to brief traders, distributors, caterers and restaurant owners on the new rules.
The move follows complaints that imitation dairy products were being sold to consumers as genuine milk-based items.
Investigations had earlier revealed instances where cheese analogue was used in place of paneer in restaurant dishes. Traditional sweets such as peda, milk cake, barfi, rabdi and basundi were also reportedly being prepared using analogue substitutes instead of khoya, mawa or other authentic dairy ingredients.
Officials said selling such products under the guise of genuine dairy items amounts to misleading consumers and poses potential health concerns.
Under the new regulations, all food establishments must clearly state whether a product is made from milk or from a milk analogue. The disclosure must be prominently displayed on menu cards, display trays and sales counters.
Businesses using milk analogue ingredients will also be required to install a visible signboard stating that the product has been prepared primarily using milk analogue.
The FDA has further barred the sale of analogue-based products under the names of traditional dairy sweets. Products made using milk substitutes cannot be marketed as peda, barfi, milk cake, rabdi, basundi or other conventional milk-based delicacies.
Invoices, bills and cash memos must also clearly specify whether the item sold is a dairy product or a milk analogue product.
The regulations additionally mandate cold storage of dairy products. Establishments must train chefs and food handlers to identify analogue products and verify supplier documentation before procurement.
Officials noted that milk analogues are typically made using hydrogenated vegetable fat instead of natural milk fat and are often transported without refrigeration. They also do not provide the same nutritional value as genuine dairy products, particularly paneer, which many vegetarians rely on as a key source of protein.
FDA Director Desai warned representatives of traders and hoteliers that strict action will follow against establishments failing to comply after the four-day deadline.
