India top food safety regulator the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued official show cause notices to FMCG giants Nestlé India and Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). The strict action follows serious concerns over allegedly misleading health claims unapproved product marketing and labelling violations on several popular health drinks and nutritional products sold across the country.
According to officials HULs popular products like Horlicks Mother Plus and Horlicks Women Plus made questionable claims regarding healthy birth weight bone health and no added sugar that failed to comply with strict food safety laws. Meanwhile Nestlé India faced regulatory heat over its Resource Renal powder meant for chronic kidney disease patients which was marketed online without mandatory prior regulatory approval. Authorities also flagged missing veg/non veg symbols and inconsistent labelling across other beverage items.
The authority has directed both multinational companies to explain their product statements within a specified deadline. Failure to provide satisfactory scientific proof could lead to severe penalties or legal proceedings under Indian food safety regulations. Responding to the development HUL stated that its products fully comply with local laws and promised to share proper scientific evidence while Nestles response is awaited. The sudden crackdown has sparked wide discussions among Indian consumers about health drink standards and fair marketing practices.
