Cattle Feed in Biscuits, Detergent in Milk: What FSSAI Found, and 4 Checks You Can Do at Home
In one week, India's food regulator moved to prosecute a biscuit maker over cattle-feed bran, a dairy over detergent in milk, and a raisin seller over pesticides. Ahmedabad sealed a 'ketchup' unit that used no tomatoes. The case that started it all began with one shopper's complaint.
Short answer: On 17 October 2026, FSSAI moved to prosecute three companies: Priyagold’s maker over cattle-feed bran in biscuits, Dodla Dairy over detergent in milk, and Ueir Organic Foods over pesticides in raisins. Ahmedabad sealed a unit making “ketchup” from potatoes. These are regulatory findings, not court verdicts. You can catch some of this yourself: check the 14-digit FSSAI number, run a simple milk lather test, read the ingredient order, and complain on 1800-11-2100. The biscuit case began with one complaint.
The misconception
Most of us assume a packaged, branded product has been checked by someone. A logo feels like an inspection. It isn’t. In India, most food-safety action starts after a sample fails or a person complains. The label is a promise, and nobody is reading it for you.
What FSSAI says it found
- Biscuits. At the plant of Surya Food & Agro, which makes Priyagold, inspectors found bran in sacks marked for cattle feed and “not for human consumption”, used as the “fibre” in biscuits. They also flagged lapses in hygiene, pest control and storage. The licence is suspended.
- Milk. A Dodla Dairy full cream milk sample first failed on fat. The company appealed. The second lab found detergent or caustic soda, with fat still below the legal minimum.
- Raisins. A sample of Ueir Organic Foods’ yellow raisins carried four pesticides above permitted limits.
Three more firms got notices. Their details aren’t public yet. No company has responded publicly so far, and none of this has been tested in court.
The ketchup that never met a tomato
The same week, Ahmedabad’s municipal food officers sealed a unit where, they say, potatoes became paste, then powder, then “ketchup” with water, red colour and flavouring. Reports put the stock at anywhere from about 2,000 kg to over 10,000 kg. Either way, a lot of fries were lied to.
Why this keeps happening
The arithmetic is simple. Cattle-feed bran costs far less than food-grade bran. Detergent makes thin milk look thick and frothy. And India has crores of food businesses but nowhere near enough inspectors or labs to check them. So the system mostly reacts. Its alarm bell is the customer.
That’s the twist here. The Priyagold inspection was triggered by one consumer complaint. One person wrote in, officers turned up, and the sacks were sitting there.
What to actually do
- Check the 14-digit FSSAI number. It must be on the pack, and since October 2021 on restaurant bills too. Enter it in the Food Safety Connect app or on FoSCoS to see whether the licence is real and active.
- Screen your milk. Mix some milk with an equal amount of water in a bottle and shake hard. A thick lather that lingers is a warning sign for detergent. Pure milk froths lightly and settles. (FSSAI’s DART book lists more tests like this.)
- Read the ingredient order. Ingredients are listed from largest to smallest. If tomato isn’t near the top of your ketchup, ask why.
- Complain, and keep the evidence. Use the Food Safety Connect app with a photo and the bill, or call 1800-11-2100. Keep the pack.
What home tests can’t do
A kitchen test screens. It doesn’t prove. Pesticide residue and low fat won’t show up in a shaken bottle. For those, the only route is a complaint, an official sample and a lab. Which brings us back to the complaint.
Take action
Sources
- Outlook, 17 October 2026 — FSSAI sanctioned prosecution under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 against Surya Food & Agro (Priyagold biscuits: bran meant for cattle feed used as a fibre source, sacks marked not for human consumption, hygiene and storage lapses, licence suspended; inspection triggered by a consumer complaint), Dodla Dairy (full cream milk: fat below the prescribed minimum; referral lab detected detergent/caustic soda) and Ueir Organic Foods (yellow raisins: azoxystrobin, fluopyram, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam residues above limits); notices to Narpadham Foods, Sun Ridges Health Carers and Sha Kantilal Jayantilal
- Daily Excelsior and Oneindia, 17 October 2026 — same FSSAI action on the three companies
- IANS via Gallinews, October 2026 — Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation sealed a unit making a ketchup-like product with no tomatoes at any stage; about 2,000 kg of stock prohibited
- Aaj Tak, 17 October 2026 — about 10,630 kg of goods seized from the Ahmedabad unit (quantities differ between reports)
- The CSR Journal, October 2026 — potatoes processed into paste, then powder, mixed with water, artificial colour and flavour; AMC Food Safety Officer Mahendra Patel quoted
- FSSAI order, 1 October 2021 — food businesses must print their 14-digit FSSAI licence or registration number on bills and invoices
- FSSAI helpdesk — 24x7 toll-free consumer helpline 1800112100; complaints also via the Food Safety Connect app
- FSSAI DART (Detect Adulteration with Rapid Test) book — household screening tests including detergent in milk
What did FSSAI find in Priyagold biscuits?
According to FSSAI, inspectors found bran meant for cattle feed, in sacks marked not for human consumption, being used as a fibre source at the plant of Surya Food & Agro, which makes Priyagold. The licence was suspended and prosecution sanctioned. This is a regulatory finding, not a court verdict.
Was detergent really found in Dodla milk?
FSSAI says a referral lab, after the company appealed a first test that found low fat, detected detergent or caustic soda in a full cream milk sample. Prosecution has been sanctioned.
How can I test milk for detergent at home?
Mix a little milk with an equal amount of water in a bottle and shake hard. A thick lather that stays can mean detergent; pure milk gives a thin froth that settles quickly. It is a screening test, not proof.
How do I check if a food company's FSSAI licence is real?
Take the 14-digit FSSAI number from the pack or bill and look it up in the Food Safety Connect app or the FoSCoS portal.
Where do I complain about adulterated food in India?
Use the Food Safety Connect app with a photo and the bill, call the toll-free helpline 1800-11-2100, or approach your district Food Safety Officer. Keep the pack and the bill.
Fake E-Challan SMS: How Scammers Know Your Vehicle Number, and How to Check in 30 Seconds
The fine is invented. The vehicle number in it is not. Here's where that number comes from, and the one check that settles it.
Are Cancer Medicines Getting Cheaper in India? Yes, From 9 November — If You Check
The government has capped what middlemen can add to 137 cancer drugs. Prices should fall 20 to 70% from 9 November. Almost nobody paying for chemotherapy has heard about it.
The WhatsApp 'Reply NO' Scam: No OTP, No Link — Here's What Actually Takes the Money
Hyderabad Police warn of WhatsApp messages that say money has left your account and ask you to reply NO. There's no OTP and no link. The panic does the work. Here's the one rule that beats it, the settings that help, and the 3-day RBI window if money does go.