The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a prohibition order against Dabur India Ltd, directing the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturer to immediately stop selling a range of food products carrying allegedly misleading '100%' claims, including honey, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, cow ghee, coconut water and coconut milk.
The regulator said the products were being marketed on the company's website using claims such as '100% Natural', '100% Pure', '100% Purity Guaranteed', '100% Organic' and '100% Tender Coconut Water', which violate the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018.
According to the FSSAI, the claims are "ambiguous, unverifiable and likely to mislead consumers."
The prohibition order covers the identified products as well as any other food products sold by the company carrying similar '100%' claims.
Multiple Regulatory Violations Flagged
Apart from the advertising claims, FSSAI also found that Dabur Himalayan Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and Dabur Organic Honey displayed the Jaivik Bharat logo without a valid FSSAI organic endorsement, allegedly violating the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017.
The regulator further observed that Dabur Hommade Coconut Milk was marketed with the claim '100% Purity', which it said is not a permissible claim for compound food products under the Advertising and Claims Regulations.
FSSAI clarified that the action relates to product labelling and advertising claims and does not concern the quality, safety or contamination of the products.
Earlier Warning Ignored
The food regulator said it had earlier issued a notice directing Dabur India to discontinue the misleading '100%' claims.
However, according to the prohibition order, the company failed to take satisfactory corrective action despite the earlier direction.
Consequently, FSSAI has ordered Dabur to:
• Immediately prohibit the sale of all identified food products carrying misleading '100%' claims.
• Stop the sale of any other food products bearing similar claims.
• Submit an action-taken report (ATR) within 15 days.
The latest action follows an industry-wide advisory issued by the FSSAI in May 2025 directing all food business operators to remove '100%' claims from product packaging, labels and promotional material.
The regulator had stated that the expression '100%' has no defined meaning under India's food laws and could create a false impression among consumers regarding the nature, purity or quality of food products.
FSSAI has consistently maintained that advertising and labelling claims must be scientifically substantiated, truthful and verifiable.
Dabur Responds
Responding to the regulator's action, Dabur India said it has received the prohibition order and is reviewing the website content identified by the FSSAI to address the concerns raised.
The company has not announced whether it will challenge the order.
The regulatory action weighed on investor sentiment, with Dabur India shares falling more than 2% during Tuesday morning trade on the BSE to an intraday low of ₹414.60.
The stock has remained under pressure over the past year, declining more than 20%, while it has lost nearly 30% over the past five years. It has traded between a 52-week high of ₹576.80 and a low of ₹401.05.
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