Loading…
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued more than 150 notices to food companies over misleading advertisements, unsubstantiated claims and labelling non-compliance.
Mondelez India, which makes Bournvita, withdrew the flagged health and nutrient-comparison claims and pulled the related advertisements from e-commerce platforms.
The regulatory question is narrow: not whether a product is unsafe, but whether a specific health or nutrient claim is substantiated and whether its presentation misleads.
Enforcement has moved past physical packaging - 12 notices went to e-commerce companies and more than 30 to food-service establishments.
Claims on packaged food are governed by the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018; a misleading food advertisement attracts up to Rs 10 lakh under Section 53 of the FSS Act, 2006.
The parent statute that created FSSAI and consolidated India's food laws. Section 24 restricts advertisement and prohibits unfair trade practices, including false claims about the standard, quality or usefulness of a food.
Any person who publishes an advertisement likely to mislead as to the nature, substance or quality of a food, or who gives a false guarantee, is liable to a penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh.
Published on 19 November 2018, with full compliance required from 1 July 2019. It governs nutrition claims, non-addition claims for sugars and salts, health claims, conditional claims and a list of outright prohibited claims.
Statutory regulator for food standards, licensing, labelling and advertising claims, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
GS Paper 2 > Governance: Statutory bodies, regulation and consumer welfare; GS Paper 2 > Issues relating to health
General Awareness > National affairs and regulatory bodies
General Awareness > Current events
Which one of the following statements is correct?
Answer: Rights are claims of the citizens against the State.
A statement suggesting that a food has particular nutritional properties, such as being a source of protein or low in fat.
A statement linking a food or its constituent to a health outcome, which under the 2018 Regulations must be substantiated.
A claim comparing the nutrient levels of one product with those of another, for example 'more calcium than X'.
Simplified nutrition information displayed on the front of a pack so a consumer can judge sugar, salt and fat content without reading the full nutrition panel.