After uproar, FSSAI allows labelling curd in regional languages
New Delhi, March 30
The apex food regulator on Thursday revised a directive whereby it had previously asked state milk cooperative societies to label curd products under the description “dahi”. The regulator has now allowed the use of the word “curd” along with the regional common name for it.
The revised order by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) revision came after the “dahi for curd” labelling order was caught in a language war with the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu and opposition Janata Dal-Secular in Karnataka alleging “Hindi imposition”.
‘Impose hindi’ allegation
- The Food Business Operators are now allowed to use the term ‘curd’ along with any other regional name in brackets on the label
- The anti-dahi Twitter storm began soon after Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin attacked the Centre for attempting to ‘impose Hindi’
- Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation said it would continue to label and market curd as ‘thayir’
Senior DMK leaders today tweeted with the hashtag “DahiNahiPoda” (No to Dahi, go on).
The anti-Dahi Twitter storm began soon after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin attacked the Centre for attempting to “impose Hindi” and TN Dairy Development Minister SM Nasar said there was no place for Hindi in the state.
Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation, which sells dairy products in brand name Aavin, meanwhile, said it would continue to label and market curd as “thayir”, the regional name for curd in Tamil Nadu.
In Karnataka, the JD-S launched an anti-dahi offensive with party leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy asking if the FSSAI directive was Centre’s attempt to “hijack the state cooperative Nandini”.
As the “nahi to dahi” campaign picked up down South, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai urged the FSSAI to withdraw the notification saying it was at variance with the Centre’s policy of promoting regional languages.
In its revised directive issued today, the FSSAI said, “As many representations were received recently on omission of the term ‘curd’ from the Standards of Fermented Milk Products, it has been decided that food business organisations may use the term ‘curd’ along with any other designation (prevalent regional common name) in brackets on the label.”
Accordingly, the FSSAI allowed the use of the following terms on labels for curd — ‘curd (dahi)’ in Hindi, ‘curd (mosaru)’ in Kannada, ‘curd (thayir)’ in Tamil and ‘curd (perugu)’ in Telugu.
