Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh announced on Monday, 15 June 2026 that Kaladi cheese, a Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged dairy product from Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, is undergoing a major technological intervention at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru, Karnataka, aimed at making it commercially viable for national food chains.

Context

Kaladi is a traditional semi-hard, fried cheese produced by dairy farmers in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. The product holds a GI tag, recognising its unique regional origin and artisanal character. Despite its cultural significance, Kaladi has historically remained confined to local markets due to limited shelf life and the absence of standardised processing methods.

Dr. Singh's post on X (formerly Twitter) outlined the progress made so far: scientists at CFTRI Mysuru have successfully extended Kaladi's refrigerated shelf life, with the next goal being conversion of the product into a commercially scalable format suitable for professional food chains and varied recipes.

Policy Backdrop

CFTRI is a laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India's premier publicly funded research network. The institute has a track record of bridging traditional foods and modern food-processing standards. Notably, during the International Year of Millets in 2023, CFTRI developed millet-based recipes that were subsequently adopted for commercial menus by McDonald's India — a precedent Dr. Singh explicitly cited in his post as a model for Kaladi's journey.

The Kaladi initiative fits within a broader pattern of CSIR institutes applying industrial food technology to GI-tagged regional products, particularly from Jammu and Kashmir and north-eastern states. Post-2019, the Union Territory has seen accelerated efforts to link its artisanal produce with national supply chains and organised retail. The One District One Product (ODOP) framework and various food-processing schemes have provided institutional scaffolding for such interventions.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of a successful scale-up would be Udhampur's dairy farming communities, whose livelihoods depend on traditional cheese production. A longer shelf life and entry into organised retail or quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains would substantially expand their market reach and income potential.

For the broader food industry, the Kaladi project signals that regional GI products can be integrated into mainstream supply chains without sacrificing their identity. If large food chains adopt Kaladi-based recipes — as they did with millet products — it could trigger significant demand and encourage similar technology-transfer efforts for other traditional Indian foods.

What's Next

The immediate next step, as stated by Dr. Singh, is to convert Kaladi into a commercially scalable product that can feature in different recipes served by professional food chains. Observers will watch for pilot-scale manufacturing trials at CFTRI Mysuru, potential memoranda of understanding with QSR or food-processing companies, and whether Kaladi is brought under existing food-processing or ODOP schemes in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Kaladi project, if it follows the millet trajectory, could serve as a replicable template for dozens of other GI-tagged foods from J&K and beyond — demonstrating how publicly funded science can convert cultural heritage into commercial opportunity.