The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all States and Union Territories to intensify food safety inspections and surveillance during the upcoming Navratri and Diwali festive season, with particular attention to milk and milk products.
In a letter dated September 29, 2026, addressed to the Commissioners of all States and Union Territories and FSSAI's Regional Directors, the regulator highlighted the seasonal increase in demand for sweets, savouries, beverages, edible oils and dairy products, including ghee, khoa and paneer.
The directive aims to prevent adulterated, counterfeit and unsafe food products from reaching consumers during the festive period.
Targeted Inspections and Sampling
FSSAI has instructed food safety enforcement officials to conduct inspections and sampling activities across their respective jurisdictions throughout the festive season.
The regulator has also asked authorities to concentrate inspection drives on identified hotspots and sensitive locations where the risk of food adulteration or non-compliance may be higher.
For the dairy sector, the focus on products such as ghee, khoa and paneer is particularly relevant because these categories experience increased consumption during festivals.
Food Safety on Wheels for On-the-Spot Testing
The regulator has directed States and Union Territories to strategically deploy Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs) wherever available.
These mobile food-testing units are expected to be positioned at prominent marketplaces or deployed based on specific intelligence inputs. Their role includes facilitating on-the-spot food testing, strengthening surveillance, creating consumer awareness and supporting confidence in food safety.
Mandatory Real-Time Reporting
FSSAI has also instructed authorities to ensure that inspection findings, sampling details and their outcomes are mandatorily recorded on its online platforms, FoSCoS and FoSCoRIS, on a real-time basis.
The digital reporting requirement is intended to strengthen monitoring and improve coordination between food safety authorities during the special enforcement drive.
Implications for Dairy Businesses
The festive-season directive places additional emphasis on quality assurance, product authenticity, hygiene and regulatory compliance across the dairy value chain.
Dairy manufacturers, sweet producers, retailers and food businesses handling milk products should pay particular attention to raw-material sourcing, supplier verification, processing controls, storage conditions, product testing and labelling compliance.
With demand for ghee, khoa, paneer and milk-based sweets increasing during the festive period, the surveillance drive reinforces the importance of consistent food safety practices from production to retail.
Source: Dairynews7x7 02 Oct, 2026 Read full article here
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