The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned Dabur India's sale of a number of food products that claims '100 per cent', which is in violation of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising & Claims) Regulations, 2018.
According to the regulator, ‘100% Natural,’ ‘100% Pure,’ ‘100% Purity Guaranteed,’ ‘100% Organic’ and ‘100% Tender Coconut Water’ claims are vague and open to interpretation and are not easily verifiable by consumers.
The prohibition is in effect for a variety of products on the Dabur website, such as honey, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, cow ghee, coconut water and coconut milk.
Additionally, FSSAI noted that Apple Cider Vinegar and Dabur Organic Honey were found to be bearing the Jaivik Bharat logo without any proper organic certification from the government body.
The company had already received instructions from the FSSAI to drop the use of misleading claims by “100 percent,”. However, the regulator said that despite the earlier notice it has yet to see any satisfactory corrective action.
Therefore, Dabur shall immediately cease selling the affected products and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within 15-days.
In response to the notice of the FSSAI, Dabur stated, "We have received FSSAI notice and are reviewing the content in the notice on our website.”
The firm has not yet given any indication if it will change the product descriptions, or contest the regulator's observations.
The action comes as a part of FSSAI's growing interest in advertising and labelling practices in India's food and drink industry. The regulator has recently been making the enforcement information publicly available on social media about food businesses and e-commerce platforms that have breached the norms of advertising.
FSSAI states that using unqualified claims or exaggerated claims can mislead consumers and make it difficult for them to make informed decisions. The regulator has also stepped up its review process for alcoholic drink manufacturers, energy drink producers and other food businesses to make sure they are in compliance with advertising requirements.
The move against Dabur underscores the FSSAI’s ongoing initiative to ensure clear product labelling and enhance consumer protection in the packaged food sector in India.