A1 Vs A2 Milk: Food Safety Regulator FSSAI Cracks Down on ‘Misleading’ Labels

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered Food Business Operators (FBOs) and e-commerce platforms to remove claims regarding 'A1' and 'A2' types of milk and milk products from product packaging. The food safety regulator has given businesses a six-month window to comply with this directive.

Why Stop A1, A2 Labeling?
In its order, the FSSAI stated that the differentiation between A1 and A2 milk stems from the structural variance in beta-casein proteins. However, it noted that the current regulations in India do not recognize this differentiation.

Order to Brands, E-Commerce Companies
Now that the FSSAI has clarified that Indian regulations do not recognize the A1 and A2 differentiation for milk and milk products, the regulator has instructed both food business operators (FBOs) and e-commerce platforms to remove such claims from their products and packaging.The regulator has given FBOs and e-commerce platforms six months to exhaust pre-printed packaging for these products. The regulator has stated that there will be no extension to this deadline.

A1 Versus A2 Milk:
The DifferenceAs the Indian food safety regulator noted, the A1 versus A2 differentiation in milk and milk products is based on the structural variance in beta-casein proteins in cow milk. A2 milk mostly lacks the form of beta-casein proteins called A1 and instead predominantly contains the A2 form.

A1 Versus A2: The Debate
New Zealand-based The a2 Milk Company Limited, one of the biggest A2 milk brands across the globe, claims that milk containing A1 proteins is harmful. However, this claim was rejected by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2009.

In its review, the EFSA found there was insufficient evidence to prove that bioactive peptides in standard milk have a negative effect on health.

Brands Selling A2 Milk in India
In India, Amul is the biggest brand selling A2 milk. While Amul offers a cow milk variant with A2 labeling, it also sells buffalo A2 milk. Apart from Amul, there are several new direct-to-consumer (D2C) dairy brands selling A2 milk. Some of the key names in this list include Country Delight, Humpy Farms, Captain Farm, and Provilac.

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