Remove claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from label and ads, FSSAI directs food businesses

FSSAI bans '100% fruit juice' claim on reconstituted fruit juices due to misleading marketing practices by FBOs.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a directive mandating all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to remove any claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from the labels and advertisements of reconstituted fruit juices with immediate effect. All the FBOs have also been instructed to exhaust all existing pre-printed packaging materials before September 1.

FSSAI noted that several FBOs have been inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming them to be 100% fruit juice. Upon thorough examination, FSSAI has concluded that according to the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, there is no provision for making a ‘100%’ claim. Such claims are misleading, particularly under conditions where the major ingredient of the fruit juice is water and the primary ingredient, for which the claim is made, is present only in limited concentrations, or when the fruit juice is reconstituted using water and fruit concentrates or pulp.