Food regulator FSSAI has issued notices to Nestle India and Hindustan Unilever over allegedly misleading claims and labelling inconsistencies on several food and nutrition products.
New Delhi, October 17 — The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to Nestle India and Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) over misleading claims and regulatory non-compliances related to some of their food products.
In HUL’s case, the regulator flagged claims made on Horlicks Women’s Plus Chocolate Nutrition Drink 400g.
FSSAI said claims such as “Nutrition for Strong Bones”, “Clinically Proven to Help Improve Bone Strength in 6 Months” and “Improves Bone Health” were found to be misleading or not compliant with applicable regulations.
The regulator also objected to the claim “Healthy Muscles”, saying it violated provisions governing the use of the word “healthy” in food claims.
The claim “No Added Sugar” was also considered misleading because the product contains maltodextrin.
FSSAI further said the claim of “100% RDA of Calcium, Vitamin D & K2” did not comply with applicable food safety requirements.
HUL has been asked to submit a response within the stipulated period, while relevant licensing authorities and e-commerce platforms have also been asked to take necessary action.
In another HUL case, FSSAI issued a notice over Horlicks Mother’s Plus Kesar 400g BIB.
The claims “Healthy Birth Weight” on the label and “For baby’s healthy birth weight” in advertising were found to be potentially misleading and in violation of the Food Safety and Standards Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018.
The regulator has asked HUL to show cause and warned that further action may follow if its response is not satisfactory.
FSSAI also issued notices to Nestle India, Schreiber Dynamix Dairies Pvt Ltd and Lotus Dairy Products Pvt Ltd over Nescafe Ready-to-Drink products.
The regulator found inconsistencies between packaging and online descriptions. The front of some packs described the products as “Flavoured Milk”, while the back identified them as “Proprietary Food – Dairy Based Drink”. E-commerce listings also described them as “Coffee Flavoured Milk”.
Separately, FSSAI issued a notice to Nestle India over Nestle Resource Renal Vanilla Flavour Powder, saying the product required prior regulatory approval because it is intended for dietary management of people with chronic kidney disease.
FSSAI said the required approval had not been obtained, making the product non-compliant with applicable regulations.
