The authority states that this terminology is ambiguous, misleading within the current regulatory framework and is prone to misinterpretation
Raising concerns over the growing trend in the use of the term ‘100 per cent’ on food product labels and across various promotional platforms, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has advised all the food business operators (FBOs) to discontinue the usage of such terms.
In an advisory, FSSAI stated that this terminology is ambiguous, misleading within the current regulatory framework and is prone to misinterpretation. As per the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, the term ‘100 per cent’ is not defined or referenced in any manner under the FSS Act, 2006 or the rules and regulations made thereafter, it said.
“The sub-regulation 10(7) if the aforementioned regulations strictly prohibits any advertisement or claim that undermines other manufacturers or influences consumer perception in a misleading manner and as per sub-regulation 4(1), it shall be ensured that the claims must be truthful, unambiguous, meaningful, not misleading and help consumers to comprehend the information provided,” FSSAI noted in its advisory.
The usage of the term, in isolation or conjunction with other descriptors, is likely to give a false sense of absolute purity, superiority, potentially leading consumers to believe that competing products in the market are not up to the mark.
