The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited the use of certain words and phrases on food labels to prevent misleading claims and ensure consumer awareness. Here are some of the prohibited terms:
– Absolute Claims:
– “100%” claims, such as “100% natural” or “100% pure”, are banned due to lack of clear definition and potential for misleading consumers.
– Misleading Descriptors:
– Words like “natural”, “fresh”, “original”, “traditional”, “premium”, “finest”, “best”, “authentic”, “genious”, and “real” are restricted unless specific conditions are met.
– Comparative Advertising:
– Claims that undermine other manufacturers’ products or imply a food product is a complete replacement for a normal meal are not permitted.
– Health and Nutrient Claims:
– Claims like “fresh” can only be used if the product hasn’t undergone processing except for washing, peeling, chilling, trimming, or cutting, without altering its basic characteristic.
– Synthetic Food Colors:
– Use of permitted synthetic food colors is prohibited in certain foods.
Additionally, FSSAI regulates labeling and advertising claims, including¹ ²:
– Non-addition claims (e.g., “no-salt”, “no-sugar”)
– Nutritional claims (e.g., “energy”, “fat”, “cholesterol”)
– “Source-of” claims and “high-in” claims
– Low-glycaemic claims
– Health claims
These regulations aim to ensure fairness in claims and advertisements of food products and promote accountability among food companies.