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Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had underlined that it maintains “zero tolerance for food safety violations and compromises on public health under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006” while announcing legal proceedings against Surya Foods & Agro, the company that manufactures Cheese Cracker, Butter Bite and Marie Lite biscuits under the Priyagold brand.

Nepal’s Food Technology and Quality Control Department (FTDCQ) imposed restrictions on the import, sale, and distribution of Priya Gold biscuits and issued a notice on Monday, terming the product “sub-standard”.

The FTQCD banned the import and sale of Priyagold biscuits on the basis of the notice published by FSSAI, which has also suspended the licence of Surya Food and Agro.

The decision to ban the product was taken after an emergency meeting conducted online at the initiative of director-general of the department, Sanjeev Kumar Karna. The decision took into consideration human health security and protection of the consumer’s welfare, the notice stated.

The department has urged all bodies concerned, traders and consumers to not import the biscuit hereafter and halt its sales and distribution, news agency PTI reported.

Authorised importers and food traders have been directed to immediately recall products from the market.

The FSSAI, the Indian food regulator, found that cattle feed bran was used to manufacture Priyagold biscuits. This raw material wasn’t found to be approved for human consumption, according to reports.

There were other serious food safety and hygiene deficiencies that were uncovered during an inspection at Surya Food and Agro.

Priyagold is an umbrella brand that retails biscuits. Navin Kumar Agarwal & Shekhar Agarwal established Surya Food & Agro Ltd. in 1994, and began selling biscuits under the brand name Priyagold.