The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which recently instructed dairy companies to eliminate references to A1 and A2 milk on their labels, announced on Monday that it is retracting this advisory.
This reversal follows criticism from several experts who called for the establishment of a high-level committee to investigate the issue further.
"This is to inform that the advisory dated August 21 stands withdrawn for further consultation and engagement with stakeholders," the food regulator said in a statement on Monday.
Earlier, it had asked companies and even the e-commerce platforms to remove 'A1' and 'A2' claims from the packaging of milk and milk products such as ghee, deeming such labels misleading.
Several experts and industry players had welcomed FSSAI's move, stating that it would protect consumers from unscientific claims.
RS Sodhi, president of the Indian Dairy Association, criticised companies for "fooling" consumers by charging a premium for products marketed as A2. "It is very difficult to test the presence of A1 or A2 protein and there are currently no studies that prove that A2 is better than A1," he said.
However, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research's governing body member and livestock expert, Venugopal Badaravada, has strongly opposed the directive.
In a letter directed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he urged him to ask the FSSAI to retract its directive and set up a high-level committee of experts to further review the matter.
He proposed that the committee should comprise representatives from the ministries of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Health and Family Welfare, as well as experts from ICAR and other relevant fields.
The committee would be tasked with clarifying the marketing and labelling of milk products as A1 and A2, ensuring proper recognition of these proteins.
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