New Delhi, Sept 18: India’s food safety regulator has found a sample of Nestle’s infant follow-up formula to be substandard for its biotin content and has initiated legal proceedings against the Swiss food major, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on Friday.
The regulator said a sample of the infant milk product was found to be non-conforming to prescribed requirements for biotin, also known as vitamin B7. A re-analysis of the sample also found it did not meet the standards specified under Indian regulations.
Nestle India said its products are fully compliant with applicable regulations and that it would continue to cooperate with the authorities. The company did not specifically comment on the finding concerning the biotin content.
The FSSAI did not immediately indicate whether the product would be recalled.
Three Cases Filed Against Nestle
The regulator said it had filed three separate adjudication cases against Nestle. In addition to the substandard sample, two other baby food products — NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 and Lactogen Pro 1 — are facing proceedings over alleged misleading claims on their labels.
Nestle India said it had submitted a detailed response to the authorities, maintaining that the statements on the product labels are factual and supported by scientific literature. The company also said the labels had been approved by an expert committee of the FSSAI.
The action comes as Indian authorities intensify scrutiny of the country’s food industry through product testing and inspections.
Nestle has previously faced regulatory action in India. In 2015, authorities ordered a nationwide ban and recall of Maggi noodles over allegations concerning excessive lead levels and labelling violations. The product subsequently returned to the market following fresh testing.
India remains an important growth market for Nestle, with milk and nutrition products, including infant formula and baby foods, accounting for a significant share of Nestle India’s sales.
The latest regulatory action sent Nestle India’s shares lower by nearly 3 per cent during trading on Friday.
