Are companies serving ‘lies’ in the name of juice, cheese and noodles? FSSAI served notice to these big brands including Kinder Joy and Saffola

If you also buy canned juice, cheese, noodles or cooking oil from the market thinking that they are 100% beneficial for your health, then this news will open your eyes. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has once again taken a tough stance and issued show cause notices to many well-known food companies and Food Business Operators (FBOs) of the country.
According to the regulatory body FSSAI, this strict action has been taken against these companies for openly violating the strict rules of misleading claims, wrong branding and labeling. Through this notice, the authority has sought immediate response from all the concerned companies and has ordered to submit a detailed report to make corrective changes in their packaging and advertisements. This time, everything from children’s favorite snacks to adults’ cooking oil, juice, cheese, tofu, noodles, health supplements and daily used dairy products have come on the radar of FSSAI. Let us know which brand had made ‘misleading’ claims on its packaging, on which the government has taken action.
From juice to cheese: FSSAI caught theft of these 12 big products
Pluckk Mango Fruit Juice: This company had claimed “No Added Sugar” (no separate sugar added) in big letters on the packet of its juice. But when FSSAI searched the ingredients list written behind it, it was found to contain 51% mango pulp and 49% sugarcane juice. The authority says that sugarcane juice itself is a major source of sugar, hence writing “No Added Sugar” misleads the common consumers.
Natural Paneer: A cheese brand sold in the market had named its product “Natural Paneer”. As per FSSAI rules, the word ‘Natural’ is Can be used only under very specific and prescribed conditions. Since this cheese is completely processed, using the word ‘Natural’ in its name is illegal and amounts to cheating the customers.
Gaur Healthy Food – Silken Tofu This tofu packet made serious claims like “100% veg”, “rich in vitamins” and even “anti-cancer properties”. FSSAI expressed strong objection to this and said that the company does not have any solid scientific basis to prove its claims of protection from diseases like cancer. Such claims are completely prohibited under the rules.
MasterChow Foods – Ramen Noodles The attractive packaging of these noodles claimed to be “100% Natural”, “Freshly Made” and “High Quality Organic Flour”. But when the truth was seen, there was a clear mention of normal white flour (maida/refined flour) in the list of ingredients. FSSAI has considered this to be completely misleading.
Ferrero India – Kinder Joy: This product, very popular among children, has a big claim of being “Rich in Milk Solids”. The authority says that the actual nutritional composition of this product does not adequately prove this claim.
Incipro Gold Powder Vanilla: Many big promises were made on the box of this nutritional supplement powder like “100% hydrolyzed whey protein”, improving the digestive system and having essential ‘neuronutrients’ for the brain. FSSAI’s investigation found that most of these claims did not meet the criteria of government rules. Didn’t live up to even the slightest level.
Korean Ginseng: The label of this health product claimed that it “supports energy and performance” of the body. FSSAI rejected this claim as misleading and also found that the quantity of ingredients mentioned on its labels was much higher than the legal limit.
AS-IT-IS ATOM PWR Whey XL This whey protein, a favorite of gym-going youth, had numerous claims like “Pure-Healthy”, “100% Authentic”, “Easy Digest”, “Rapid Recovery” and “Lean Muscle Gains”. The regulatory body said that such claims cannot be printed on packets without any solid and proven scientific research.
Saffola Total Heart Pro Cooking Oil: This cooking oil from the famous company Marico had attractive claims like “Heart Pro” (safe for heart), “Good fats balance” and “Less oil absorption” (low oil absorption). FSSAI says that the company has failed to present any adequate scientific evidence or clinical trial reports to support these claims.
Mountain Bawarchi Buransh Squash: Made from the famous Buransh flowers of Uttarakhand, this squash was claimed to provide magical benefits in serious diseases like diabetes, cholesterol and asthma. Reprimanding the authority, it said that before claiming to cure any serious disease, it is mandatory to take special prior permission from the government, which this company did not have.
Alkaline Nutrient Water: It was being claimed on the bottle of this special water that drinking it strengthens bones, reduces weight rapidly, detoxification of the body. It happens and the skin becomes shiny. FSSAI bluntly said that the law of the country does not allow making such miraculous claims regarding ordinary water or alkaline water.
Raw Pressery Alphonso Mango Fruit Drink: The label of this popular fruit drink states that it “Contains Naturally Occurring Sugars”. Whereas FSSAI’s investigation revealed that fructose was added to the drink to sweeten it. Also, the company did not clearly mention its complete product list on the bottle.
FSSAI’s mega action on complaints of dirt received on social media
Regulatory body FSSAI is not only keeping an eye on advertisements and claims, but it is also very strict regarding the health and hygiene of consumers. Recently, based on a live complaint received on social media, FSSAI has sent a strict notice to the famous food chain ‘Bikanervala’. In this complaint, a video was shared in which an employee of Bikanerwala was seen eating food himself inside the main kitchen and food service area of ​​the outlet, which is a blatant violation of food hygiene rules.
Apart from this, another very serious matter related to the health of railway passengers has come to light. A complaint was lodged regarding presence of dangerous fungus (ulli) in the curd and rabri supplied to the passengers in the train through the catering services of IRCTC. Taking this matter seriously, FSSAI has also issued a show cause notice to the manufacturer of these products, Param Dairy Limited, with immediate effect and warned of strict action.