New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to Nestle India and Zydus Wellness over alleged misleading claims in certain food products, asking both companies to provide scientific evidence supporting their advertisements.
In a social media post, the regulator said notices were issued to Nestle India over claims and non-compliant promotions involving ‘Lactogen Pro 1 Powder’ and ‘Nan Excella Pro Stage 1’. Zydus Wellness Product Ltd also received a notice concerning its food product Complan.
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In its notice regarding Lactogen Pro 1 Powder, the FSSAI said the company claimed in its labelling and advertising material that the product “contains whey protein, which is a part of milk protein that is easy to digest”. The regulator has asked Nestle to provide scientific substantiation for the claim that whey protein is easy to digest.
Regarding Nan Excella Pro Stage 1, the FSSAI said the claim “5 HMOs (human milk oligosaccharides) helps support normal immune system” was considered to imply that the product was suitable for supporting the immune system.
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“The claim was considered non-compliant with provisions prohibiting claims relating to the prevention, alleviation, treatment or cure of any disease, disorder or particular physiological condition, unless specifically permitted under applicable regulations,” the regulator said.
In the case of Complan, the FSSAI said the product label features images of two children and includes claims such as “2X Faster Growth”, “Supports Concentration and Memory” and “Pro Immunity+ 34 Vital Nutrients”.
The regulator said these claims were found to violate the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018. The advertisement claim “Growth Comes in 4 Flavours” was also found to violate the regulations.
The FSSAI has directed Zydus Wellness to provide scientific justification for the claims. Both companies have been asked to show cause within the stipulated period as to why action should not be taken against them, the regulator said.
