Food regulator FSSAI has issued notices to Nestle India and Hindustan Unilever Ltd for misleading claims on the packaging of some of their food products.
In a social media post on Saturday, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India said notices have been issued against these two companies "regarding misleading claims and non-compliances".
In the case of HUL, the notice has been issued for misleading claims on its product 'Horlicks Women's Plus Chocolate Nutrition Drink 400g'.
"Claims such as 'Nutrition for Strong Bones', 'Clinically Proven to Help Improve Bone Strength in 6 Months' and 'Improves Bone Health' were found to be misleading or non-compliant with applicable regulations," FSSAI said.
The claim 'healthy Muscles' was found to be in contravention of the provisions governing the use of the term "healthy" in food claims.
Apart from that, the claim "No Added Sugar" was considered misleading in view of the presence of maltodextrin in the product, the regulator pointed out.
The claim of "100 per cent RDA of Calcium, Vitamin D & K2" was found not to comply with applicable food safety requirements.
FSSAI has directed HUL to submit a response to the notice within the stipulated period.
The concerned licensing authorities and e-commerce platforms have also been requested to take necessary action.
In another case related to HUL, FSSAI has issued a notice for misleading claims on "Horlicks Mother's Plus Kesar 400 g BIB".
"The claims 'Healthy Birth Weight' on the product label and 'For baby's healthy birth weight' in the advertisement were found to be potentially misleading and in contravention of the FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018," the regulator said.
The expressions 'For Pregnancy and Lactation with Protein for Birth Weight and DHA for Brain Development - No Added Sugar' were included as part of the product name on the e-commerce platform, it added.
HUL has been directed to show cause and submit its response within the stipulated period. FSSAI has warned of further action if the response is not satisfactory.
Meanwhile, the regulator has issued notice to Nestle India, Schreiber Dynamix Dairies Private Ltd and Lotus Dairy Products Pvt Ltd for non-compliance with rules regarding its 'Nescafe Ready-to-Drink' products.
Nestle India was found marketing and offering for sale 'Nescafe Intense Cafe' Cappuccino flavour, "Nescafe Choco Mocha" and "Nescafe Chilled Latte" on e-commerce platforms, manufactured by Schreiber Dynamix Dairies and Lotus Dairy Products.
"The products were found to carry inconsistent descriptions on the packaging, with the front of the pack declaring 'Flavoured Milk' while the back of the pack declares 'Proprietary Food - Dairy Based Drink'.
The e-commerce listings also described the products as "Coffee Flavoured Milk".
That resulted in inconsistency between the product label and its advertisements.
Product descriptions on e-commerce platforms were found to contain claims such as "crafted with the goodness of flavoured double toned milk", which were not consistent with the declared composition/category of the product.
The declaration of the product as proprietary food is "incorrect", the regulator said, while seeking explanations from the company.
In another matter involving Nestle India, FSSAI has issued a notice for misleading claims on "Nestle resource renal vanilla flavour powder".
The product is intended for 'Food for Dietary Management of Individuals with Conservatively Treated Chronic Kidney Disease', which is meant for the dietary management of a specific medical condition.
To sell such products, prior approval is required from food authorities.
This is mandated under the applicable provisions of the FSS (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, and Prebiotic and Probiotic Food) Regulations, 2022.
However, FSSAI said that Nestle India has not obtained the requisite prior approval, "rendering the product non-compliant" with the applicable regulatory requirements.