FSSAI Issues Notices To Major Manufacturers Over Labelling, Advertising Violations

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to major manufacturers over misleading product descriptions and labelling violations involving ready-to-drink dairy beverages, raising concerns over inconsistencies between product packaging and advertising claims on e-commerce platforms.

The food safety regulator found discrepancies in the classification and description of several coffee-flavoured milk beverages, with product labels carrying inconsistent information about their contents and category.

In a social media statement, FSSAI said, "Recent inspections and audits have led to strict enforcement actions against several major brand manufacturers and local FBOs for misleading claims, non-compliance with labelling regulations, and severe food safety violations."

According to the regulator's accompanying enforcement notice, the products carried inconsistent descriptions, with the front of the packaging declaring "Flavoured Milk", while the back described them as "Proprietary Food – 1.12 Dairy Based Drink."

The regulator also found that the products were advertised as "Coffee Flavoured Milk" on e-commerce platforms despite their different back-of-pack classification.

Further, online product descriptions carried claims such as "crafted with the goodness of flavoured double toned milk", which FSSAI found inconsistent with the declared composition or category of the beverages.

FSSAI observed that the products fall under the standardised category of "Flavored Milk" prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. Their declaration as "Proprietary Food" was therefore found to be incorrect.

The regulator said the inconsistencies in labelling, product descriptions and advertisements violated applicable provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, and the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.

The concerned food business operators have been directed to explain why action should not be initiated against them under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

FSSAI also indicated that further action, including stopping non-compliant advertisements and requiring corrective advertisements, could be initiated under the applicable regulations.

The action highlights increasing regulatory scrutiny of how packaged food and beverage products are classified and marketed, particularly when information on packaging differs from descriptions used for online sales.

Such discrepancies can affect consumers' ability to understand the nature and composition of products they purchase.

FSSAI, a statutory authority under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is responsible for setting food safety standards and regulating the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food products in India.