What is the story about?
India's food regulator has, in recent months, flagged multiple instances of misleading or inadequately substantiated health and nutrition claims on packaged food and beverage products, underlining widening gaps between label messaging and regulatory standards as consumption of packaged foods rises.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued advisories and initiated scrutiny across categories ranging from edible oils and honey to nutraceuticals, beverages, and ready-to-eat foods, warning companies against the use of vague or exaggerated health claims that are not backed by scientific evidence or permitted wording under existing regulations.
Regulatory officials have repeatedly emphasised that claims such as "immunity boosting", "heart healthy" or "natural" cannot be used loosely without meeting prescribed conditions.
Against this backdrop, a new independent study suggests that these regulatory concerns may be far more widespread across India's packaged food market.
A study released by LabelBlind Solutions, which analysed 5,058 labelling claims across 586 packaged food products, found that 33.6% of claims were either non-compliant or lacked adequate substantiation under FSSAI regulations, ASCI advertising guidelines, and relevant provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Of the total claims analysed, 21.3% were non-compliant, while 12.3% required further substantiation or brand-level verification, indicating gaps in internal compliance checks before products reach store shelves.
Staples under sharper scrutiny
The study found that everyday household staples — categories that form the backbone of daily consumption — showed the highest levels of non-compliance, echoing concerns raised by regulators in recent enforcement actions.
According to the analysis, 80% of health claims on honey failed compliance checks, followed by 65.5% for ghee, 54.3% for tea and herbal infusions, and 52.9% for edible oils. These categories have been under the regulatory scanner for the use of implied therapeutic or preventive health benefits without adequate scientific backing.
Regulatory experts say such products often rely on traditional perceptions of healthfulness, which can blur the line between permitted nutrition information and prohibited health claims.
New-age foods not immune
The study also points to compliance risks emerging in newer, fast-growing food categories, where innovation cycles are shorter and label messaging is often used aggressively to attract health-conscious consumers.
Claims on plant-based beverages showed a 29% non-compliance rate, while 28.6% of ready-to-eat meals and 27.3% of packaged snacks were flagged for failing labelling norms. These segments have seen strong growth in urban markets, driven by convenience and premium positioning.
Industry governance under pressure
ASCI's Half-Yearly Complaints Report for April–September 2025 had earlier placed the food and beverage sector among the top five violators, with most complaints linked to health and nutrition claims — reinforcing the need for tighter claim governance.
The LabelBlind study adds data points to this regulatory narrative, suggesting that compliance challenges persist across both traditional and emerging categories.
LabelBlind is a Bengaluru-based digital compliance platform that uses AI-led tools to evaluate food labelling against regulatory frameworks, and its study is among the larger datasets publicly available on claim-level compliance in India's packaged food industry.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Rashida Vapiwala, Founder and CEO of LabelBlind, said food labels have increasingly become the primary interface between brands and consumers, making accuracy critical as regulatory oversight tightens.
Industry experts say the findings underline the need for companies to integrate compliance checks earlier in the product development process, rather than treating labelling as a post-production formality. With FSSAI stepping up surveillance and consumers becoming more alert to misleading claims, errors on labels could increasingly translate into enforcement action and reputational risk.
As packaged food consumption deepens and regulatory expectations evolve, the gap between marketing-led claims and legally defensible labelling is likely to remain firmly in focus for both regulators and the industry.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued advisories and initiated scrutiny across categories ranging from edible oils and honey to nutraceuticals, beverages, and ready-to-eat foods, warning companies against the use of vague or exaggerated health claims that are not backed by scientific evidence or permitted wording under existing regulations.
Regulatory officials have repeatedly emphasised that claims such as "immunity boosting", "heart healthy" or "natural" cannot be used loosely without meeting prescribed conditions.
Against this backdrop, a new independent study suggests that these regulatory concerns may be far more widespread across India's packaged food market.
A study released by LabelBlind Solutions, which analysed 5,058 labelling claims across 586 packaged food products, found that 33.6% of claims were either non-compliant or lacked adequate substantiation under FSSAI regulations, ASCI advertising guidelines, and relevant provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Of the total claims analysed, 21.3% were non-compliant, while 12.3% required further substantiation or brand-level verification, indicating gaps in internal compliance checks before products reach store shelves.
Staples under sharper scrutiny
The study found that everyday household staples — categories that form the backbone of daily consumption — showed the highest levels of non-compliance, echoing concerns raised by regulators in recent enforcement actions.
According to the analysis, 80% of health claims on honey failed compliance checks, followed by 65.5% for ghee, 54.3% for tea and herbal infusions, and 52.9% for edible oils. These categories have been under the regulatory scanner for the use of implied therapeutic or preventive health benefits without adequate scientific backing.
Regulatory experts say such products often rely on traditional perceptions of healthfulness, which can blur the line between permitted nutrition information and prohibited health claims.
New-age foods not immune
The study also points to compliance risks emerging in newer, fast-growing food categories, where innovation cycles are shorter and label messaging is often used aggressively to attract health-conscious consumers.
Claims on plant-based beverages showed a 29% non-compliance rate, while 28.6% of ready-to-eat meals and 27.3% of packaged snacks were flagged for failing labelling norms. These segments have seen strong growth in urban markets, driven by convenience and premium positioning.
Industry governance under pressure
ASCI's Half-Yearly Complaints Report for April–September 2025 had earlier placed the food and beverage sector among the top five violators, with most complaints linked to health and nutrition claims — reinforcing the need for tighter claim governance.
The LabelBlind study adds data points to this regulatory narrative, suggesting that compliance challenges persist across both traditional and emerging categories.
LabelBlind is a Bengaluru-based digital compliance platform that uses AI-led tools to evaluate food labelling against regulatory frameworks, and its study is among the larger datasets publicly available on claim-level compliance in India's packaged food industry.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Rashida Vapiwala, Founder and CEO of LabelBlind, said food labels have increasingly become the primary interface between brands and consumers, making accuracy critical as regulatory oversight tightens.
Industry experts say the findings underline the need for companies to integrate compliance checks earlier in the product development process, rather than treating labelling as a post-production formality. With FSSAI stepping up surveillance and consumers becoming more alert to misleading claims, errors on labels could increasingly translate into enforcement action and reputational risk.
As packaged food consumption deepens and regulatory expectations evolve, the gap between marketing-led claims and legally defensible labelling is likely to remain firmly in focus for both regulators and the industry.
