Dabur's Statement About 100% Fruit Juice Challenged as Misleading: Food Authority Petitions High Court
Delhi Court Tackles Dabur's '100%' Fruit Juice Claim
In a legal twist, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has taken FMCG giant Dabur to task for their "100 percent" claim on their Real brand fruit juices, considering it a violation of food safety regulations and misleading for consumers.
The accusations, outlined in a writ petition filed by Smita Singh, Assistant Director with the FSSAI on April 22, challenge Dabur on the basis that their juices contain water and fruit concentrates, making the "100 percent" label questionable. Moreover, the term "100 percent" is not recognized as a descriptor for food products.
"It's beautifully submitted that any Food Business Operator (FBO) who attempts to label, advertise, or market fruit juice products using the expression '100 percent' does so in the absence of any regulatory authorization and in flagrant violation of the regulatory framework prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules and regulations made thereunder," the petition states.
The food regulator, in response to the rising controversy, issued a notification in June 2024, directing FBOs to eliminate claims like "100 percent fruit juices" from the labels and advertisements of fruit juices.
Initially, Dabur contested the FSSAI's directive, arguing that it lacked legal foundation and stemmed from a misunderstanding of existing regulations, as per reports.
The FSSAI's case against Dabur is further strengthened by the scientific panel on Labelling and Claims/Advertisements (SP-08), which, during its 47th and 49th meetings, examined three products under Real's range of fruit beverages - Mixed Fruit Juice, Apple Juice, and Grape Juice.
The panel noted that the "100 percent" claim is misleading since the ingredient list clearly indicates the addition of water, and the mixed fruit juice concentrate accounts for only 6.8 percent, along with the addition of natural flavoring substances. Furthermore, "the term 100 percent is not defined in the FSS Act 2006, Rules and regulations."
The court case is ongoing, with the next date of hearing scheduled for July 7.
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Enrichment Snippets:
- The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and its related regulations prohibit misleading claims about food products.
- Schedule V of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 specifically does not recognize the "100%" claim for fruit juices made from concentrates with added water.
- The Food Products Standards and Food Additives Regulations, 2011 reinforces the aforementioned prohibition through Regulation 2.3.6.
- The FSSAI's directive in June 2024 ordered all food businesses to eliminate "100%" claims from reconstituted juices by September 2024.
- The term "100%" is not defined in the FSS Act 2006, Rules and regulations.
- The primary manufacturing process of Dabur's Real brand fruit juices involves diluting fruit concentrates with water, which misleads consumers about the product's composition.
- The food regulator in Delhi, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has issued a directive to Food Business Operators (FBOs) to eliminate the claim of "100% fruit juices" from their labels and advertisements, citing it as a violation of food safety regulations and misleading for consumers.
- The ongoing court case against Dabur, the FMCG giant, focuses on the company's "100 percent" claim on their Real brand fruit juices, with the FSSAI arguing that such claims are made without regulatory authorization and in violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules and regulations made thereunder.
- The misleading "100 percent" claim on Dabur's Real brand fruit juices has been questioned by the FSSAI, as the products contain water and fruit concentrates, and the term "100 percent" is not recognized as a descriptor for food products, as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and its related regulations.
