New Delhi, May 30: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a strong advisory to food companies against the use of the term “100 per cent” in food labelling, citing concerns over its potential to mislead consumers.
“Refrain from using the term on food labels, packaging, and promotional content, owing to its ambiguity and potential for misinterpretation within the existing regulatory provisions,” read the advisor to all Food Business Operators (FBOs).
In the advisory issued, the apex food regulator highlighted a noticeable surge in the use of the term “100 across” across food product labels and promotional platforms. “Such terminology is not only undefined under current regulations but also misleading and likely to create a false impression among consumers,” the FSSAI said.
As per the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, the term “100 per cent” is not defined or referenced in any manner under the FSS Act, 2006, or the Rules and Regulations made thereunder.
Furthermore, Sub-regulation 10(7) of the aforementioned regulations strictly prohibits any advertisement or claim that undermines other manufacturers or misleadingly influences consumer perception.
As per Sub-regulation 4(1) it shall be ensured that the Claims must be truthful, unambiguous, meaningful, not misleading and help consumers to comprehend the information provided, FSSAI said.
The use of the term “100 per cent”-whether in isolation or combined with other descriptors is likely to create a false impression of absolute purity or superiority. “This could mislead consumers into believing that other comparable products in the market are inferior or non-compliant with regulatory standards,” the food regulatory body said.
The food regulator, had, in June 2024 issued a notification directing FBOs to remove claims such as “100 per cent fruit juices” from the label and advertisement of fruit juices. Earlier in April, the FSSAI informed the Delhi High Court that the claim made by FMCG giant Dabur that its range of fruit beverages is made “100 per cent” from fruits violates rules and regulations and is also misleading for the consumers.
The writ petition challenged Dabur against the “100 per cent” claim stating that the juices contain water and fruit concentrates. In addition, the term “100 per cent” is also not recognised for food products.
IANS