Dabur Challenges FSSAI’s Ban on ‘100% Pure’ Claims in Delhi HC

FMCG major Dabur India has challenged the food safety regulator’s directive asking food businesses not to use claims like ‘100% Pure’, ‘100% Natural’, ‘100% Purity Guaranteed’ and ‘100% Organic’ on product packaging and labels before the Delhi High Court, reported Bar & Bench.

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia. The court agreed to hear the case on an urgent basis and accepted the request.

The legal battle follows a recent directive from the FSSAI asking food businesses to stop using absolute claims of “100%” saying these are ambiguous, difficult to prove and can mislead consumers by giving them an exaggerated perception of the purity, quality or composition of a product.

The regulator’s directive covers a wide range of food categories where purity and natural-origin claims are often used as marketing tools, including honey, cow ghee, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, coconut water and coconut milk.

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Regulatory scrutiny intensifies:

Dabur filed the petition as food, beverage and FMCG companies face greater regulatory scrutiny of their claims.

Regulators have been targeting packaging, labelling and promotional claims that could mislead consumers about ingredients, health benefits or the quality of products over the past year.

FSSAI’s clampdown on “100%” claims is part of a broader push to tighten compliance with food advertising and labelling norms. The phrases help convey product positioning and sourcing standards, industry players say. But the regulator says absolute claims require a high degree of scientific substantiation and are often hard to verify objectively.

The directive has wider implications for brands in categories including honey, edible oils, dairy products, health foods and organic products, many of which have traditionally used “100% pure” and “100% natural” claims in advertising and on-pack communication.

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This is particularly critical for Dabur, which has a significant play in the honey and health products segments. Purity messaging has always been a core part of its brand positioning.

The outcome of the case could have significant implications for the FMCG industry.

If the Delhi High Court upholds FSSAI's directive, food companies may have to revise product packaging, labels and advertising campaigns that use absolute purity or naturalness claims. On the other hand, a ruling in Dabur's favour could provide greater clarity on the use and substantiation of such claims under India's food safety regulations.