Business Desk – Dabur India, the country’s leading FMCG company, has suffered a major setback. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered a ban on the sale of several of the company’s food products, calling their claims of “100% Pure,” “100% Natural,” and “100% Organic” misleading.
This action includes Dabur honey, cow ghee and many other food products. FSSAI has directed the company to immediately stop the sale of these identified products and inform within 15 days what action has been taken in compliance with the order.
What was found in the FSSAI investigation?
During the FSSAI investigation, several claims on the company’s website and products were found to be misleading by the regulator. These included claims such as ‘100% Natural’, ‘100% Pure’, ‘100% Purity Guaranteed’, ‘100% Organic’, and ‘100% Tender Coconut Water’.
The regulator says such claims are not supported by sufficient and verified scientific evidence and may therefore mislead consumers.
Which rules were violated?
According to FSSAI, these claims by the company violate the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018. Under these regulations, any claim made on a food product must be clear, truthful, and based on scientific evidence.
The regulator states that terms like “100%” are not defined in the regulations. Therefore, making such claims without sufficient evidence is considered against the regulations.
Questions also arose on these products
During the investigation, the FSSAI also found some other irregularities. Dabur Himalayan Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and Dabur Organic Honey were found to be using the “Organic India” logo without valid FSSAI organic certification.
Additionally, Dabur Homemade Coconut Milk was being sold with the claim of “100% Purity.” According to FSSAI, this is a compound food, and such a claim is not permitted on such products.
Notice was given earlier also
FSSAI stated that the company had previously been issued a notice directing it to remove such misleading “100%” claims. However, the company failed to take the required action. Following this, the regulator took a tough stand and issued an order halting the sale of the products in question. The company has also been asked to submit a compliance report within 15 days.
What do the rules say about writing ‘100%’?
According to FSSAI, claims like ‘100% Natural’, ‘100% Pure’, ‘100% Purity Guaranteed’ and ‘100% Organic’ can be used only if there is sufficient scientific evidence to support them.
If a company makes such claims without proof, FSSAI can issue a notice against it, order a change in the label, stop the sale of the product and also take other regulatory action.
Action has been taken against misleading advertisements in the past as well
Patanjali Case (2024): In 2024, the Supreme Court issued strong comments about misleading health advertisements by Patanjali. Following the court’s direction, the company and its officials were forced to publicly apologize and withdraw several advertisements.
‘Health Drink’ controversy (2024): This year, the FSSAI clarified that there is no legal category called ‘Health Drink.’ Following this, many e-commerce platforms removed the ‘Health Drink’ category from their websites and began displaying products under their actual category.
What does this mean for consumers?
FSSAI states that claims made on any food product influence a consumer’s purchasing decision. Therefore, companies should only make such claims if they are scientifically substantiated. The purpose of this action is to protect consumers from misleading claims and provide accurate information about food products.