The story so far: Mondelez India’s decision to withdraw health and nutrient-comparison claims around Bournvita is more than a correction involving one familiar malted drink. It is part of a broader regulatory push by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to make food companies substantiate what they put on labels, advertisements and online product listings.
The regulator said it has issued more than 150 notices to food companies in recent months over misleading advertisements, false claims and labelling non-compliance. The list includes some of the country’s biggest packaged-food and beverage companies, including Nestlé India, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola India, Abbott India, Red Bull India, Danone India, Mondelez India, Ferrero India and Kenvue.
Why Bournvita matters?
Bournvita has occupied a particularly sensitive space because its marketing has historically been closely associated with children’s nutrition. The product came under intense public scrutiny in 2023 over its sugar content and claims about nutritional benefits.
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The latest action does not, by itself, establish that Bournvita is unsafe. The regulatory issue is different — whether particular health or nutrient-comparison claims are adequately supported and whether the way they are presented could give consumers a misleading impression.
That distinction is important.
“Food regulation is not limited to checking whether a product contains permitted ingredients. It also governs how a product’s nutritional qualities and benefits are communicated,” explained a senior Central Government official.
He added that a statement suggesting that a product helps deliver a particular health outcome, for instance, can create expectations beyond what its ingredient composition or available evidence may justify.
Mondelez has now withdrawn the claims flagged by FSSAI and removed related advertisements from e-commerce platforms.
The larger issue: what does ‘100%’ mean?
The Bournvita action sits alongside another FSSAI concern — the use of absolute-sounding words such as “100%”.
In May 2025, FSSAI advised food businesses to stop using “100%” on food labels, packaging and promotional material. Its reasoning was that such language could convey a “false sense of absolute purity or superiority” to consumers.
The significance goes beyond coconut oil or atta. In a crowded packaged-food market, words such as “pure”, “natural”, “healthy”, “immunity-boosting” and “100%” are powerful marketing devices. They can influence purchasing decisions even before a consumer examines the nutrition panel or ingredient list.
Recent corrective actions illustrate the range of claims under scrutiny. Amway India has removed “100%” from its “100% Pure Coconut Oil” packaging and promotional material and dropped the “Energy Drink” descriptor from its caffeinated XS products. Kerala-based Juza Foods has agreed to withdraw claims relating to immunity, stronger bones and comparative calcium benefits from its baby-food products.
Why e-commerce is now part of the crackdown?
One important change is that enforcement is no longer confined to the physical package sitting on a supermarket shelf.
FSSAI has extended its scrutiny to e-commerce platforms and food-service establishments, issuing notices to online marketplaces as well as restaurants and other food businesses. This matters because online product pages can carry claims, images and promotional language that differ from what appears on the physical package.
For consumers, the distinction is increasingly blurred — a purchase decision may be made on the basis of an online banner or product description rather than by reading the label in a shop, FSSAI said.
“Our enforcement reflects how food advertising has changed,” it maintained.
What the regulator is trying to change?
At its core, the campaign is about moving from broad marketing language to claims that can be demonstrated. This is particularly relevant as India confronts rising concerns over obesity and unhealthy diets.
FSSAI has linked its recent food-safety messaging to a broader push for healthier eating and action against obesity. However, the enforcement measures also raise a more difficult question across India.
How effective are these corrections?
A company can remove a claim after receiving a notice, but consumers may already have encountered it for years. Advertisements may disappear from one platform while similar messaging survives elsewhere. Online listings can also change rapidly.
That makes sustained monitoring as important as issuing notices. FSSAI’s challenge now is to ensure that corrective action becomes routine compliance rather than a temporary response to regulatory scrutiny.
For consumers, the immediate lesson is relatively simple — a health claim on a food packet is still a claim, not a guarantee. Words such as “pure”, “healthy”, “immunity” or “energy” need to be assessed against the ingredients, nutrition information and the evidence behind them.
Published – August 26, 2026 08:49 am IST