NEW DELHI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Sunday issued notices to 14 food business operators (FBOs) for allegedly using misleading brand names, trade names and product claims in violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Enterprises sent include Emami Healthy & Tasty, Health Aid, Troovy, The Healthy Factory, Healthy Master, Healthy Choice, Plan B, Neuherbs, Organic Wisdom, Shine Organic, Two Brothers Organic Farms, World of Organic, Storia and Iota Water.
Notices have been issued for the use of terms such as “organic” and “healthy” in product names and claims. Products include bread, poha, vitamins, pizza bases, chips, oil, ghee and drinking water.
In its notification, FSSAI said, “FBOs are directed to strictly adhere to established labeling and display regulations to prevent cheating of consumers.”
Among the notable names listed is Emami Healthy & Tasty, the cooking oils arm of the Kolkata-based Emami Group.
FSSAI said its trade name “is likely to mislead consumers and appears to be in violation of applicable FSSAI regulations”.
Plan B, which markets its products as “plant-based vegan”, also caught the attention of the food regulator for allegedly creating the impression that its products are vegan without obtaining prior approval for vegan food approval on its FSSAI licence. The food regulator highlighted Plan B’s Cheddar Block, a cashew-based paste.
In Neuherbs, FSSAI said its trade name ‘True Vitamin’ is “misleading and does not comply with applicable regulations”. He further said that the term “True Vitamin” is neither defined nor recognized under the regulations and may mislead consumers.
Healthy Factory’s “Zero Maida Whole Wheat Bread”, which contains fresh chakki atta and wheat gluten, has been flagged for cheating consumers and violating applicable FSSAI regulations.
Its Zero Maida Pizza Base product also faced similar scrutiny. FSSAI noted that the claim appears to violate applicable regulations.
