India court grants Dabur interim relief against food regulator's order over '100%' claims
On August 3, the FSSAI said products sold on Dabur’s website claimed some of its products were “100% Natural”, “100% Pure” and “100% Organic”, which were ambiguous, unverifiable and likely to mislead consumers
The Delhi High Court on Friday granted interim relief to Dabur India, halting a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) order that prohibited the company from selling products with claims of being "100 per cent" pure, natural, or organic. Justice Amit Mahajan ruled that Dabur had been marketing these products for decades and had a prima facie case.
The court expressed concern that the regulator's prohibition order appeared to be issued without providing Dabur an opportunity to be heard. Dabur's counsel argued that the FSSAI's action violated principles of natural justice and that the regulator lacked statutory authority to prohibit the sale of food products. The company's use of "100 per cent" claims was seen as misleading by the court.
The FSSAI had earlier directed Dabur to withdraw products with misleading "100% claims" and report actions taken within 15 days. The court stayed the order until the next hearing on August 24. Dabur's food products included honey, cow ghee, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, and coconut water.
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