FSSAI withdraws order to label curd products as ‘dahi’ amid row

Dahi, Curd controversy:  A guidelines and directive from India’s food safety authority to rename curd packets as “Dahi” in Hindi sparked backlash and a row has been erupted in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the imposition of Hindi word in southern state. 

Earlier, FSSAI issued a statement in which it directed Tamil Nadu to change the labels of their curd packets from "Curd" in English and "Thayir" in Tamil to "Dahi" in Hindi. 

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After FSSAI direction of ‘Hindi’ imposition on curd, Tamil Nadu minister MK Stalin hit out at the national food safety authority and declared those responsible would be 'banished' from the southern states.

The chief minister raged at the 'unabashed insistences of Hindi imposition' and, in a tweet posted Wednesday evening, said: "(Hindi imposition has) ... come to the extent of directing us to label even a curd packet in Hindi... relegating Tamil and Kannada in our own states."

After the controversy arose and leaders raised objections on the directive seeking to use local names on the product packages, FSSAI revised provisions for omission of the term "curd" from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products vide notification dated 11 Jan 2023.

As per the statement of FSSAI, “General Standard for Milk and Milk Products' under the 'Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011' clearly lay down guidelines for use of dairy term(s) in the nomenclature of dairy products (milk, milk product or a composite milk product) and related prohibitions for such use in non-dairy products. Accordingly, when term "curd" was written along with "Dahi" in the said regulation, it was restricting its used for non dairy products.”

As many representations received recently on omission of the term "curd, from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products, it has been decided that FBOs may use the term Curd along with any other designation (prevalent regional common name) in brackets on the label."

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"Curd (Dahi)" OR

"Curd (Mosaru)" OR

"Curd (Zaamut daud)" OR

"Curd (Thayir)" OR

"Curd (Perugu)"