Effective immediately, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited Dabur India Limited from selling food products carrying "100 per cent" claims, stating that such labels are "ambiguous, unverifiable" and "likely to mislead consumers." The prohibition order covers honey, cow ghee, edible oils, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, coconut water, coconut milk and other food items, according to Business Today.
What changed: Prohibition order under the Advertising & Claims Regulations
The FSSAI issued the order citing a violation of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising & Claims) Regulations, 2018. The regulator said the claims are "ambiguous, unverifiable and likely to mislead consumers," and are therefore not permitted under the rules. The action followed a review of products sold on Dabur's website, where the regulator said it found misleading "100 per cent" claims such as "100 per cent Natural", "100 per cent Pure", "100 per cent Purity Guaranteed", "100 per cent Organic" and "100 per cent Tender Coconut Water".
The FSSAI said in a social media post on Monday that it discovered the issues and issued a prohibition order to Dabur India Ltd.
Food products being sold on the company's website were found carrying misleading '100 per cent' claims such as '100 per cent Natural', '100 per cent Pure', '100 per cent Purity Guaranteed', '100 per cent Organic' and '100 per cent Tender Coconut Water'.
The regulator also flagged specific label problems:
- Dabur Himalayan Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and Dabur Organic Honey displayed the Jaivik Bharat logo without a valid FSSAI organic endorsement.
- Dabur Hommade Coconut Milk was marketed with the claim "100 per cent Purity", which the FSSAI said is not permitted for compound food products under the advertising and claims regulations.
Who is affected
The order applies to Dabur India Limited and all food products it sells with "100 per cent" claims. The product list includes honey, cow ghee, edible oils, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, coconut water, coconut milk and other food items. The FSSAI directed Dabur to prohibit the sale of "the food products identified in the notice and all other food products carrying misleading '100%' claims."
| Product | Claim or label issue | Regulatory finding |
|---|---|---|
| Dabur Himalayan Organic Apple Cider Vinegar | Carried "100 per cent" claims and Jaivik Bharat logo | Organic endorsement not valid |
| Dabur Organic Honey | Carried "100 per cent Organic" and Jaivik Bharat logo | Organic endorsement not valid |
| Dabur Hommade Coconut Milk | Marketed with "100 per cent Purity" | Claim not permitted for compound food products |
Compliance obligations and deadlines
Dabur must take the following steps under the order:
- Immediately stop the sale of the food products identified in the notice and any other product carrying misleading "100%" claims.
- Submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) to the FSSAI within 15 days.
The FSSAI said it had earlier issued a notice directing Dabur to discontinue the misleading claims, but "no satisfactory corrective action was taken by Dabur." The company responded that it is reviewing the notice: "We have received the FSSAI notice and are in the process of checking the content mentioned in the notice on our website," Dabur India said in a statement.
Broader enforcement context
The action is part of the regulator's broader crackdown on misleading food labelling and advertising, according to Business Today. Over the past few months, the FSSAI has increasingly used social media to publicise enforcement action against food business operators and e-commerce platforms selling such products. Companies subject to Indian food-safety rules should review their product labels and website claims against the Advertising & Claims Regulations, 2018, and verify that any organic logos such as Jaivik Bharat are backed by a valid FSSAI organic endorsement.
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