FSSAI issues 150+ notices over misleading claims, labelling lapses
India’s food regulator has issued more than 150 notices to food and beverage companies, e-commerce platforms and QSR operators for misleading advertising, false claims and labelling violations. The drive included 12 notices to e-commerce firms and cancellation of an Amazon warehouse licence.
What happened
FSSAI issued over 150 notices to food and beverage companies for misleading advertising, false claims and labelling lapses. Its enforcement also covered
Key facts
- More than 150 notices issued
- 12 notices issued to e-commerce companies
- 1 Amazon warehouse licence cancelled
- More than 30 notices issued to QSR operators
Why this matters
Acquirers should intensify regulatory diligence on claims substantiation, labeling governance and marketplace compliance, as unresolved FSSAI issues can create material post-deal liabilities.
What to watch
- Follow-on FSSAI notices, licence suspensions or public naming of major brands and platforms.
- Publication of category-specific guidance on health claims, front-of-pack labelling, nutraceuticals or online food sales.
- Additional warehouse, fulfilment-centre or dark-store licence actions against marketplace operators.
- Higher product delistings, seller suspensions, advertising withdrawals or reformulations on leading platforms.
- Consumer litigation, state food-safety enforcement actions or social-media backlash tied to misleading claims.
- Quarterly increases in regulatory provisions, packaging costs, product-return rates or launch delays disclosed by food and QSR companies.
- Conduct immediate claim-by-claim audits covering packaging, product pages, advertisements, social media, influencer content and QSR menus.
- Freeze or legally revalidate health, immunity, protein, sugar-free, organic, natural, therapeutic and comparative claims before new campaigns launch.
- Build a centralized evidence repository for claims, including laboratory reports, formulation records, approvals and label-version controls.
- E-commerce platforms should identify high-risk sellers and SKUs, require updated FSSAI documentation, and establish rapid delisting and recall workflows.
- Budget for packaging redesigns, relabelling inventory write-offs, third-party testing and regulatory legal support.
- Use compliance strength as a retailer and brand trust differentiator, especially in premium wellness and child-focused categories.