The 'A1 ghee' conundrum: Why the rollback on A2 products?

The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), the country’s leading food safety regulator, on Monday, 26 August, rescinded its previous order that prohibited the marketing and sale of milk and dairy products labelled as A1 or A2 due to concerns about misleading claims.

The FSSAI announced that this directive has been withdrawn to allow for 'further consultations with stakeholders'. 

The FSSAI's updated directive, issued on 26 August 2024, stated: 'This is to inform that the advisory dated August 21, 2024, regarding the marketing of milk and milk products such as ghee, butter, and curd under A1 and A2 labels stands withdrawn for additional consultation and stakeholder engagement.'

Previously, the FSSAI had indicated that the A1 and A2 classification pertains to differences in beta-casein protein structure found in milk, and noted that current milk standards outlined in the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, do not recognise these distinctions. The regulator had deemed the A1 and A2 labels as potentially misleading.

The FSSAI had granted brands and sellers a period of 6 months to comply, by which time all A2 labelling was to be phased out.

The move had originally been welcomed by some in the industry but also many doctors and health experts who have been (virtually) screaming themselves hoarse about the arrant misinformation entailed in labelling a pure-fat, no-protein product like ghee for A2, which is 'purely' a protein marker.

The president of the Indian Dairy Association (read: Amul, which obviously does stand to gain) was one of those who had cheered for the ban. While one may eye the profit motive, it can't be denied that dairy technology and biochemistry would likely be something they are conversant with.

Regular consumers with no stake in the industry were also some of those who had welcomed the proscription, though.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the withdrawal of the directive follows from concerns expressed by milk producers and industry stakeholders. They feared that the abrupt ban on A1 and A2 labelling could negatively impact indigenous milk producers and disrupt the market. 

As a result of the withdrawal, food businesses can now continue to market and sell their milk and dairy products with A1 and A2 claims.

The decision to revisit the advisory suggests a reconsideration of the impact on the industry — and certainly, there is something to be said for balancing the interests of smaller producers against the power of larger coops and (state-backed or corporate) enterprises.

However, it remains to be seen whether the upshot will be a scientific evaluation as well as an economic one, with benefit to the customer enshrined beyond the benefit of the industry.

FSSAI's track record on that front has not been convincing for many consumers.