The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has intensified its crackdown on misleading food and beverage claims, with its latest round of notices targeting Lotte India Corporation, Kubera Foods, and Ferns N Petals over alleged labelling and advertising violations.
The action comes days after the regulator issued notices to six beverage brands, including Red Bull, Sting and Monster, over “energy drink” claims, and followed it up with action against 14 other food brands for alleged misleading claims and labelling concerns, signalling heightened scrutiny of product packaging and consumer-facing claims.
Also read: FSSAI Issues Notices To 14 More Food Brands Over Misleading Claims & Labelling Concerns
According to FSSAI, the companies have been directed to submit their explanations within seven days as to why action should not be initiated against them under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules and regulations framed thereunder.
In Lotte India’s case, the regulator flagged the use of non-compliant pre-printed labels bearing the company’s old name without prior approval. It also found several labelling issues across products, including allegedly misleading “100% Vegetarian” claims on Lotte Choco Pie variants, nutritional information deficiencies on Pepero biscuit sticks, non-compliance with vitamin-level claims on Lolly Bliss lollipops, and misleading branding and disclaimer-related violations on Fruitz Eclairs.
Kubera Foods received a notice over the labelling of its Soft and Fresh Cream Bun Pineapple. FSSAI alleged that front-of-pack claims such as “100% Natural” and “No Preservatives, Colours & Flavours” were misleading, as the product label declared preservatives, synthetic food colour and added flavouring substances. The regulator also stated that the use of terms such as “Pure”, “Fresh” and “Natural” violated the provisions governing such claims under the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising & Claims) Regulations.
Ferns N Petals was issued a notice over the labelling of its Roasted Almond Chocolate. FSSAI observed that the product carried the claim “Premium Chocolate” despite containing hydrogenated vegetable fat, while failing to provide the mandatory declaration required for chocolates containing vegetable fat. It also cited deficiencies in the nutritional information panel, including the absence of recommended dietary allowance (%RDA) values, and noted that the label did not disclose the percentage of almonds despite prominently featuring almonds on the packaging.
The regulator said the notices were issued following the observation of labelling and advertising-related non-compliances and has sought responses from all three companies before initiating any further action.
Also read: FSSAI Cracks Down On ‘Energy Drink’ Claims, Issues Notices To Red Bull, Sting & 4 Others
The latest notices reinforce FSSAI’s increasingly stringent approach towards food branding, packaging and advertising. In recent weeks, the regulator has widened its enforcement efforts across categories, from energy drinks to packaged foods, challenging claims related to health benefits, product descriptions, ingredient disclosures and front-of-pack messaging.
