FSSAI issues notices to Nestlé India, Hindustan Unilever over nutrition claims and labelling
The regulator has questioned Horlicks Mother’s Plus Kesar’s maternal health claims and flagged approval and vegetarian labelling concerns involving Nestlé’s Resource Renal powder.
INDIA – India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) has issued show-cause notices to Nestlé India and Hindustan Unilever over nutrition claims, product approvals and labelling requirements for specialised nutrition products.
The notices, issued on October 19 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, concern Hindustan Unilever’s Horlicks Mother’s Plus Kesar beverage and Nestlé’s Resource Renal powder.
Both companies have been asked to provide technical explanations within a specified period, including scientific evidence supporting their claims and details of the statutory approvals required for distribution.
The notice involving Horlicks Mother’s Plus Kesar focuses on claims relating to maternal nutrition. Surveillance officials questioned wording suggesting that the product supports healthy fetal birth weight.
FSSAI said the claims could be misleading under the Food Safety and Standards Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018, because they implied a direct physiological outcome without established clinical causation.
The regulator also examined descriptions used in online listings and promotional materials, including references to protein for birth weight, fatty acids for fetal cognitive development and the absence of added sugar. The findings covered advertising, e-commerce listings and product packaging, rather than laboratory composition alone.
The action against Nestlé concerns Resource Renal, a specialised nutritional formulation intended for dietary management associated with chronic kidney disease.
According to the inspection findings, the product lacked pre-market approvals required under the 2022 rules governing Foods for Special Medical Purposes.
Officials also reported that its packaging did not display the mandatory green or brown vegetarian identification marks stipulated by the Food Safety and Standards Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020.
FSSAI warned that unsatisfactory responses could result in further legal action under India’s food-safety framework. Potential measures outlined in the notices include restrictions on marketing, product recalls and revocation of commercial licences.
The proceedings cover both the substantiation of health-related claims for maternal nutrition products and the regulatory approval and labelling requirements for clinical nutrition products.
The notices come amid increased scrutiny of food and nutrition products sold through supermarkets, quick-commerce platforms and other digital channels.
Authorities are examining claims in online product titles, search terms and promotional materials alongside conventional packaging and product information.
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