The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has taken stringent action against eight prominent food business operators for employing misleading ‘healthy’ claims and deceptive branding, violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and aiming to safeguard consumer interests.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
Key Points
- FSSAI has issued notices to eight food companies for violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, through misleading ‘healthy’ claims.
- Companies flagged include Emami Healthy & Tasty, Plan B, The Healthy Factory, Neuherbs, and Troovy, among others.
- Violations range from misleading trade names and product claims to marketing vegan products without proper FSSAI approval.
- Specific products like ‘Zero Maida Whole Wheat Bread’ and ‘Healthy Mix Veggie Chips’ were cited for deceptive labelling.
- The FSSAI announced these actions via its official social media channels to protect consumers from false advertising.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Sunday issued notices to eight food business operators for using misleading brand names, trade names and product claims in violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Companies Under Scrutiny
The companies served notices include Emami Healthy & Tasty, Health Aid, Troovy, The Healthy Factory, Healthy Master, Healthy Choice, Plan B and Neuherbs.
The regulator announced the notices through its official social media handles.
Among the prominent names flagged 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 contravention of applicable FSSAI regulations”.
Specific Violations Highlighted
Plan B, which markets its products as “plant based vegan”, has drawn the regulator’s attention for creating the impression that its products are vegan – without obtaining prior approval for vegan food endorsement in its FSSAI licence.
The Healthy Factory’s “Zero Maida Whole Wheat Bread” – which contains chakki fresh atta and wheat gluten – has been flagged for misleading consumers.
Its “zero maida pizza base” product faces similar scrutiny, with FSSAI noting the claim appears to violate applicable regulations.
Neuherbs’ product line “True Vitamin” has been cited for using a trade name that is “neither defined nor recognised” under FSSAI regulations, making it potentially misleading for consumers.
Troovy’s range of snack products, including “Healthy Mix Veggie Chips”, “Healthy Ragi Chips” and “Healthy Moong Dal Chips”, have been flagged for making misleading “healthy” claims despite containing a range of other ingredients.
FSSAI also flagged Healthy Master’s tagline, “Vision to serve healthy”, Healthy Choice’s “Healthy food for Healthy life Poha”, and Health Aid’s brand name as likely to mislead consumers about the nature of the products.
