The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued show-cause notices to Lotte India, Kubera Foods, and Ferns N Petals for allegedly making misleading claims and violating labelling norms on various food products.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has given the companies a strict seven-day deadline to explain these discrepancies, warning of severe action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, if they fail to comply. This swift intervention forms part of a broader, intensified crackdown on deceptive packaging to ensure transparency and safeguard consumer interests.
Unpacking The Deceptive Claims
The notices highlighted stark contradictions between front-of-pack marketing and actual product ingredients.
Kubera Foods‘ ‘Soft and Fresh Cream Bun Pineapple’ boldly claimed to be ‘100% Natural’ and free of preservatives, despite the ingredient list revealing synthetic colours and preservatives. Ferns N Petals marketed its ‘Roasted Almond Chocolate’ as a premium product, yet it contained hydrogenated vegetable fat and lacked mandatory nutritional disclosures.
Meanwhile, Lotte India faced scrutiny for misleading ‘100% vegetarian’ labels on certain Choco Pies, ‘Fruitz Eclairs’ that contained zero fruit, and missing nutritional data on other snacks. Highlighting the gravity of the issue, AIIMS Delhi dietitian Monita Gehlot stressed, “The information presented on the front of the pack should align with the detailed information provided on the back. Consumers should read the ingredient list… before making food choices.”
A Growing Regulatory Crackdown
This decisive action is not an isolated incident but rather the latest move in a wider campaign by Indian food regulators to closely monitor packaged goods.
Over the past few months, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has actively pulled up multiple companies for casually throwing around terms like “healthy”, “fresh”, “pure”, and “organic” without scientific backing. In a bid to empower the public, the authority recently launched a direct mechanism allowing citizens to report deceptive claims themselves. These specific notices, prompted by both suo motu cognisance and consumer complaints, signal a robust shift towards holding food business operators strictly accountable for the promises they print on their packaging.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that transparency is the absolute cornerstone of consumer trust and public health.
Misleading food labels are not merely regulatory slip-ups; they represent a breach of the faith that people place in household brands when feeding their families. While the FSSAI’s proactive vigilance is highly commendable, meaningful change demands that corporations prioritise ethics, empathy, and honesty over mere profit margins. A harmonious society requires businesses that genuinely care about the physical well-being of their consumers, fostering a culture of mutual respect. What measures do you think authorities should implement to ensure brands remain completely truthful on their packaging?
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Food labels influence millions of purchasing decisions every day, making accuracy more than just a marketing issue. As regulators tighten scrutiny, the spotlight is shifting toward whether packaging informs consumers—or persuades them beyond the facts.
— The Logical Indian (@LogicalIndians) July 10, 2026
[FSSAI, Lotte India,… pic.twitter.com/SpsayKHgyJ
