FSSAI issues notices to Bikanervala, Marico, Param Dairy on consumer complaints, law violation

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued notices to over 15 food businesses, including Bikanervala, Marico Ltd, and Param Dairy, for a...

What Happened

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued notices to over 15 food businesses, including Bikanervala, Marico Ltd, and Param Dairy, for alleged violations of food labelling and product claims regulations.
Bikanervala was served a notice citing hygiene concerns at kitchen/service premises, specifically regarding employee conduct during operational hours; the company was directed to submit corrective SOPs.
Param Dairy faced allegations of fungal contamination in yogurt and condensed milk products supplied through IRCTC catering, and was directed to provide sourcing and inventory details.
Marico's Saffola Total Heart Pro Multi-Source Cooking Oil was flagged for using the "Heart Pro" imagery and front-pack claims such as "Good Fats Balance" — FSSAI stated these exceed permitted nutrient-specific claims under Schedule IIA of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations.
Ferrero India's Kinder Joy was flagged for a misleading "Rich in Milk Solids" claim.
Other companies receiving notices included Medizen Labs, MasterChow Foods, Raw Pressery, and others for terms like "Healthy", "Organic", "Vegan", "Zero Maida", and "Vitamin" used without proper certification or scientific substantiation.

Static Topic Bridges

FSSAI: Establishment, Mandate, and Legal Framework

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act). It functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and is the apex food regulatory authority in India. FSSAI consolidates multiple previously fragmented food laws (Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954, Fruit Products Order 1955, Meat Food Products Order 1973, and others) into a single regulatory framework. FSSAI sets science-based standards for food articles, regulates their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import, and enforces compliance through licensing, audits, and enforcement actions.

FSS Act, 2006: The foundational legislation; FSSAI became fully operational in 2011.
FSSAI is headed by a Chairperson (of the rank of Secretary to Government of India) and a CEO.
The authority has 25 members representing central and state government ministries, scientific bodies (ICMR, CSIR, ICAR), and consumer organisations.
Licensing hierarchy: FSSAI issues central licences (for large manufacturers and importers); State Food Safety Authorities issue state licences; panchayats/local bodies issue registrations for small businesses.
Penalties under FSS Act: substandard food (Rs 5 lakh), misbranded food (Rs 3 lakh), misleading advertisement (Rs 10 lakh), unsafe food causing injury (up to Rs 5 lakh); unsafe food causing death (up to Rs 10 lakh and/or imprisonment).

Connection to this news: The notices issued to Bikanervala, Marico, Param Dairy and others are FSSAI exercising its enforcement mandate under the FSS Act, 2006 — specifically targeting misleading claims and labelling violations that are a growing compliance challenge as health-product marketing proliferates.

Food Labelling and Claims Regulations in India

The Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 and the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 set out mandatory requirements for what food businesses can and cannot state on packaging and in advertising. Schedule IIA of the Claims Regulations specifies permitted nutrient-specific claims (e.g., "source of Vitamin C", "low fat") and the conditions under which health claims can be made. Claims that go beyond these permitted statements — such as implying disease risk reduction without scientific substantiation — are prohibited as misleading.

Permitted claims categories: Nutritional claims (e.g., "low sodium"), Comparative claims (e.g., "reduced fat"), and Health claims (e.g., nutrient function claims, disease risk reduction claims).
Disease risk reduction claims require prior FSSAI approval and must be supported by scientific evidence.
"Natural", "Fresh", "Organic", "Vegan" are regulated terms — "Organic" requires certification under the NPOP (National Programme for Organic Production) or PGS-India; "Vegan" certification framework is being established.
The term "Healthy" as a nutrient claim has specific compositional criteria (fat, sugar, sodium thresholds) that must be met.
Front-of-pack labelling (FOPL): FSSAI has been developing mandatory FOPL regulations to make nutritional information more accessible to consumers, with high-fat-salt-sugar (HFSS) warning labels under consideration.

Connection to this news: Marico's Saffola "Heart Pro" and "Good Fats Balance" claims exemplify the regulatory grey area between health-consciousness marketing and regulated health claims — companies routinely push boundaries, and FSSAI notices are the primary enforcement mechanism.

Consumer Protection and Food Safety Governance

Food safety enforcement in India involves a multi-layer governance structure: FSSAI sets standards and coordinates nationally; State Food Safety Commissioners enforce at the state level through a network of Food Safety Officers (FSOs); IRCTC and other institutional buyers have supply-side responsibilities. Consumer complaints are a significant input into FSSAI's enforcement pipeline — the FSS Act creates a direct channel for consumer grievances to trigger regulatory action. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 also applies to misleading food claims (via the Central Consumer Protection Authority, CCPA), creating dual enforcement exposure for violating companies.

State Food Safety Commissioners: designated under the FSS Act in each state; coordinate with FSSAI on enforcement.
Food Safety Officers (FSOs): can inspect, collect samples, and initiate action at the district level.
Adjudicating Officers and Food Safety Appellate Tribunals: quasi-judicial bodies under the FSS Act for adjudicating penalties.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019: Section 2(28) defines "misleading advertisement"; Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) can impose fines up to Rs 10 lakh for first offence, Rs 50 lakh for repeat offences, and prohibit misleading advertisements.
The IRCTC catering supply chain is subject to FSSAI's institutional catering guidelines — contamination in IRCTC-supplied products (Param Dairy's case) implicates both supplier and institutional buyer accountability.

Connection to this news: The Param Dairy case involving IRCTC catering illustrates how institutional procurement creates food safety accountability beyond retail — rail passengers are a captive consumer group with limited choice, elevating the public interest dimension of food safety enforcement.

Misleading Health Claims: A Growing Regulatory Challenge

The Indian packaged food market has seen rapid proliferation of products making health, wellness, and "free-from" claims (gluten-free, zero sugar, high protein, probiotic, etc.) to command premium pricing. Many of these claims lack scientific substantiation or misuse regulated terminology. Globally, food regulators (FDA in the US, EFSA in the EU) have detailed approval processes for health claims; India's framework under FSSAI is more recent and enforcement is catching up with market practice. This creates a compliance gap that FSSAI notices — and ultimately prosecutions — are designed to close.

FSSAI's "Eat Right India" campaign: a consumer awareness initiative encouraging healthy eating and demanding transparency from food businesses.
The Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) under FSSAI manages fortification standards for staple foods (rice, wheat flour, oil, salt, milk) — distinct from voluntary health claims.
International context: Codex Alimentarius Commission (a joint WHO/FAO body) sets international food standards that India uses as reference in FSSAI regulation-making.
Common misleading claims flagged by FSSAI: "Zero Maida" (when product contains refined wheat or gluten), "Immunity Boosting" (without clinical evidence), "Keto-friendly" (undefined standard in India), "Natural Flavours" (broad term masking synthetic additives).

Connection to this news: The batch of notices covering diverse companies and product types in June 2026 signals FSSAI moving toward systematic enforcement of claim regulations rather than ad hoc action — a shift toward stricter compliance culture in India's packaged food sector.

Key Facts & Data

FSSAI established under: Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act)
FSSAI became fully operational: 2011
Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
FSS Act penalty for misleading advertisement: up to Rs 10 lakh
FSS Act penalty for substandard food: up to Rs 5 lakh
FSS Act penalty for unsafe food causing death: up to Rs 10 lakh + imprisonment
Governing regulations for claims: FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018; Schedule IIA for permitted nutrient-specific claims
Labelling framework: FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020
Param Dairy violation: fungal contamination in yogurt and condensed milk supplied via IRCTC
Marico violation: "Heart Pro" and "Good Fats Balance" claims exceed permitted nutrient-specific claims (Schedule IIA)
Ferrero India (Kinder Joy) violation: misleading "Rich in Milk Solids" claim
Consumer Protection Act, 2019: CCPA penalty for misleading ads — up to Rs 10 lakh (first offence), Rs 50 lakh (repeat)
Codex Alimentarius Commission: joint WHO/FAO body; sets international food standards used as reference by FSSAI
"Organic" in India requires NPOP or PGS-India certification; unsubstantiated use is a labelling violation