Maharashtra FDA to Pursue Celebrity Endorsers Over Misleading Food Ads
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe warns that celebrities endorsing false or misleading food and product advertisements will face legal action alongside the retailing company, holding both equally liable under FSSAI norms with no exemptions for high-profile faces.
What happened
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe says celebrities endorsing misleading or false food/product advertisements will now face legal action alongside the
Why this matters
Factor endorser co-liability into marketing agreements and M&A diligence, adding indemnification clauses and claims-substantiation warranties to any deal involving celebrity-endorsed food brands.
What to watch
- First named notice or FIR against a specific celebrity endorser
- ASCI or FSSAI central body issuing aligned national guidance
- Other state FDA commissioners echoing Mundhe's stance
- Talent agency public statements on endorsement due-diligence policy
- Court ruling or settlement establishing liability quantum
- Audit active and pipeline celebrity endorsement deals for FSSAI-sensitive health/functional food claims
- Insert substantiation-warranty and indemnity clauses into endorsement contracts
- Establish pre-launch claims-review checkpoint with legal and regulatory sign-off
- Shift marketing mix toward user-generated and influencer content with lower per-face liability exposure
- Brief in-house counsel on FSSAI joint-liability precedent and prepare response playbook