Fortune Fryola oil fails vitamin tests; monk fruit products face sales ban over licensing and labelling breaches
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has penalised AWL Agri Business for manufacturing and marketing substandard fortified edible oil and prohibited PIE Foods from selling two monk fruit sweetener products over licensing, labelling and advertising violations.
The action against AWL Agri Business relates to Fortune Fryola Refined Sunflower Seed Oil, a sample of which was found to contain Vitamin A and Vitamin D below the prescribed levels. In the case of PIE Foods, FSSAI found that Monk Fruit Extract Sweetener and Monk Fruit Sweetener Drops were being sold without the required licence endorsements and also flagged deficiencies in their labels and claims made on the company’s ecommerce platform.
Fortified Oil Found Substandard
FSSAI said the action against AWL Agri Business followed the testing of a sample collected from Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa in Goa. The primary food laboratory found that the product did not conform to the standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2018.
“The levels of Vitamin A and Vitamin D were below the prescribed limits, thereby declaring the product substandard under Section 3(1)(zx) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” FSSAI said in a post on X.
AWL Agri Business subsequently appealed against the findings, following which the sample was analysed by a referral laboratory. The second test confirmed that the Vitamin D content was significantly below the prescribed range, according to FSSAI.
The Central Licensing Authority then granted sanction for prosecution and an adjudication application was filed. The Adjudicating Officer, Goa, subsequently passed an adjudication order and imposed a penalty on AWL Agri Business for manufacturing and marketing the substandard fortified edible oil under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. FSSAI did not disclose the amount of the penalty.
PIE Foods Faces Prohibition
FSSAI’s action against PIE Foods followed an inspection that identified violations relating to licensing, product approval, labelling and advertising.
The regulator said the Monk Fruit Extract Sweetener and Monk Fruit Sweetener Drops were being marketed without a valid relabeller endorsement in PIE Foods’ FSSAI licence. The company was also found to be operating an ecommerce website without the required ecommerce business endorsement in its licence.
FSSAI further found that the labels of both products did not contain mandatory declarations and carried claims such as ‘100 per cent Monk Fruit Extract’ and ‘Natural Ingredients’. The regulator also flagged a ‘Doctor Recommended’ claim displayed on PIE Foods’ ecommerce platform.
According to FSSAI, these practices violated the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, and the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018.
The regulator also pointed to the regulatory status of monk fruit extract, which it said is treated as a non-specified food ingredient under the applicable provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and requires the necessary regulatory approval.
FSSAI has directed PIE Foods to immediately stop the sale of Monk Fruit Extract Sweetener and Monk Fruit Sweetener Drops. The company can resume sales only after obtaining a valid FSSAI Central Licence with the required endorsements and securing the necessary approval for monk fruit extract, the regulator said.
