The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has sent notices to Lotte India Corporation Private Limited, Kubera Foods, and Ferns N Petals Private Limited (FNP) for alleged misleading claims and labeling violations on various food products. FSSAI has directed the companies to provide explanations within seven days to justify why no action should be taken against them. Lotte India Corporation was found using non-compliant pre-printed labels with its old company name and making misleading claims about the ‘100 per cent vegetarian’ status of certain Choco Pie variants.
The regulator noted that Lotte’s PEPERO Crunchy Biscuit Sticks Carton, PEPERO Original Biscuit Sticks, and Lolly Bliss lollipops did not meet prescribed nutritional information standards. FSSAI also pointed out that Lotte’s FRUITZ Eclairs products could mislead consumers as they do not contain fruits, and the required disclaimer was missing from the packaging. Kubera Foods received a notice for allegedly misleading claims on its ‘Soft and Fresh Cream Bun Pineapple’ product, which included contradictory statements about being ‘100 per cent Natural’ and free from preservatives, colors, and flavors despite containing them.
Ferns N Petals was also served a notice for its ‘Roasted Almond Chocolate’ product, marketed as ‘Premium Chocolate’ despite containing hydrogenated vegetable fat. The product failed to provide mandatory declarations for chocolates with vegetable fat and lacked essential nutritional information such as Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) values. The regulator highlighted the absence of almond percentage in the ingredient list despite featuring almonds prominently on the packaging. FSSAI has instructed all three companies to respond within a week, warning of potential actions under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
