FSSAI issues notices to 8 food companies for misleading 'healthy' claims on packaging, labels

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.

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".

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.