On Friday, food regulator FSSAI announced 32 new cases in which food business operators (FBOs) were found to have marketed their products using deceptive advertisements and claims. FSSAI has forwarded the matter to the involved licencing authorities, who have issued notifications to these FBOs to retract false or scientifically substantiated statements.

According to the sources, these FBOs include manufacturers and/or marketers of nutraceutical goods, refined oils, pulses, flours, millet products, ghee, and so on. The Indian food regulator stated that 32 new cases were reported by the Advertisement Monitoring Committee of FSSAI. These cases were found to be prima facie in contravention of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertisements and Claims) Regulations, 2018.

The regulator also noted that in the last six months, the total number of cases with misleading advertisements and claims has gone up to 170. They also added that action against such delinquent FBOs will also be taken and will be continued in the future.

Deceptive claims or advertisements are prohibited and are punishable offences under Section 53 of the FSS Act, 2006. The food products examined under the regulation comprise a wide range of products, such as health supplements, organic products, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products, staples, etc. The regulation also monitors several types of claims, including health claims, product claims, and so on.

In the event of an unsatisfactory response, the FBO is required to withdraw such claims or modify them per the provisions of the said regulations. In case they fail to comply with the regulations, FBO can be fined up to Rs 10 lakh under Section 53 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. Additionally, they can be given other stringent punishments such as licence suspension or cancellation, etc.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/fssai-finds-32-new-cases-of-misleading-ads-claims-by-food-biz-operators/99909456?utm_source=Mailer&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=ethealth_news_2023-05-02&dt=2023-05-02 )