Dabur moves Delhi HC against FSSAI ban on ‘100%’ product claims

MUMBAI: When it comes to “100%”, the battle is no longer on supermarket shelves but in the courtroom. Dabur is taking on the food regulator over where marketing ends and consumer protection begins.

FMCG major Dabur India has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) directive prohibiting food companies from using claims such as “100% Pure”, “100% Natural”, “100% Purity Guaranteed” and “100% Organic” on product packaging and labels.

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

The legal challenge follows FSSAI’s recent decision to bar food businesses from using absolute “100%” claims, arguing that such declarations are ambiguous, difficult to substantiate and potentially misleading as they may create an exaggerated perception of a product’s purity, quality or composition.

The regulator’s directive covers several categories where purity-based messaging has long been a key marketing tool, including honey, cow ghee, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, coconut water and coconut milk.

Dabur’s petition comes amid intensifying regulatory scrutiny of advertising and labelling practices across the food and FMCG sectors. Over the past year, authorities have increased action against packaging and promotional claims that could mislead consumers about a product’s ingredients, health benefits or quality.

While the industry argues that terms such as “100% pure” and “100% natural” are widely used to communicate sourcing standards and product positioning, regulators maintain that absolute claims require a high degree of scientific substantiation and may not always be objectively verifiable.

The dispute carries particular significance for Dabur, whose portfolio includes honey and several health-focused products where purity and natural-origin messaging form an integral part of brand communication.

The outcome of the case could have implications well beyond a single company. If the High Court upholds FSSAI’s directive, FMCG brands across categories may have to redesign packaging, advertising campaigns and product communication that rely on absolute purity or naturalness claims. Conversely, a ruling in Dabur’s favour could offer greater clarity on how such claims can be used and substantiated under India’s evolving food safety and labelling framework.