The Latest Crackdown on 'Purity'
In a significant move in early August 2026, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) took one of its strongest actions against misleading labels by ordering a major company, Dabur India, to stop selling several products carrying absolute
claims. The directive targeted popular kitchen items like honey, ghee, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil that were marketed with phrases such as '100% Pure' or '100% Natural'. The regulator argued that these labels violated food safety regulations and could mislead consumers into believing the products had a special status or endorsement they did not. This order marked a new front in the FSSAI's battle for label transparency, moving beyond just juices to other household staples where 'purity' is a powerful selling point. The company was directed to recall the products and submit a compliance report, signalling a zero-tolerance approach from the regulator.
It Started With the Juice
This recent action did not come out of nowhere. It builds on a major FSSAI initiative from 2024 that targeted the beverage aisle. The regulator had ordered all food businesses to remove the '100% fruit juice' claim from the labels of reconstituted fruit juices. The reason was simple: most packaged juices sold in cartons are not simply juice pressed from a fruit. They are 'reconstituted', meaning they are made by adding water back into fruit concentrate or pulp. The FSSAI concluded that calling a product '100% fruit juice' when its main ingredient is water was fundamentally misleading to the public. This directive was the first major step in challenging the industry's use of '100%' as a marketing tool, setting the stage for broader scrutiny.
So, What Does '100%' Mean?
According to the FSSAI, the term '100%' on a label is often more of a marketing buzzword than a factual guarantee. The regulator's objection is rooted in the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, which state that labels cannot be misleading. In the case of reconstituted juice, the claim is misleading because water, not fruit, is the primary component by volume. For products like honey or ghee, an unqualified '100% pure' claim can imply a level of quality or an absence of any other substance that might be difficult to substantiate or could create a false sense of superiority over other products without such a claim. Essentially, the FSSAI is pushing for a reality check, forcing brands to move away from absolute claims that can't be definitively proven or that give a deceptive impression of the product's nature and composition.
The New Rules of the Shopping Aisle
For consumers, these regulatory actions translate into more honest packaging on supermarket shelves. Following the FSSAI's directive on juices, companies are now required to explicitly state 'reconstituted' in the ingredient list next to the juice name. Furthermore, if a juice contains added sweeteners above a threshold of 15 grams per kilogram, it must be labelled as a 'sweetened juice'. Similarly, in response to the latest order, Dabur has stated it has begun transitioning its packaging to remove the '100%' claims from the affected products like honey and oils. This means shoppers will slowly start seeing more accurate, less sensational labels that give a clearer picture of what they are actually buying, forcing them to read beyond the headline claim on the front of the box.
A Broader Push for Transparency
The focus on '100%' claims is part of a larger, systemic effort by the FSSAI to clean up food labelling in India. For years, the regulator has been taking action against brands for misleading health claims, unapproved 'vegan' labels, and other violations. This is coupled with wider reforms aimed at improving consumer knowledge, such as the ongoing discussions and court mandates around mandatory front-of-pack labelling, which would display key information like high salt, sugar, and fat content in a simple, easy-to-understand format. The goal is to shift the power dynamic, arming consumers with clear, factual information and holding manufacturers accountable for every word they print on their packages.
