India’s food safety regulator has issued show-cause notices to Nestle India and Hindustan Unilever over alleged misleading nutrition claims, in a development that puts the Nestle Unilever health claims row at the centre of the country’s packaged-food industry. The notices, first reported by Bloomberg, name specific products from both companies. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) asked the two consumer-goods majors to explain the alleged lapses within a set period, warning that further action may follow under food safety laws if the replies do not satisfy the regulator.
In the notice to Nestle India, the regulator flagged the Resource Renal Vanilla Flavour Powder, a product meant for the dietary management of people with conservatively treated chronic kidney disease. The FSSAI said the powder needed prior approval under the 2022 regulations for health supplements and food for special medical purposes, and that Nestle India had not obtained it. The label also left out the mandatory vegetarian or non-vegetarian mark. The regulator said the lapse made the product non-compliant, one of several Nestle Unilever health claims findings the notices record.
The same notice examined Nescafe products sold on e-commerce platforms. Nescafe Intense Cafe Cappuccino, Nescafe Choco Mocha and Nescafe Chilled Latte carried “Flavoured Milk” on the front of the pack while the back described them as “Proprietary Food – 1.12 Dairy Based Drink”, and online listings called them “Coffee Flavoured Milk” made with flavoured double toned milk. The FSSAI said these drinks fall under the standardised category of Flavoured Milk alone, so the proprietary-food declaration was incorrect. Inconsistent labelling, product descriptions and advertisements of this kind contravene the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 and the (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, the regulator said, a point the Nestle Unilever health claims notices make at length.
What the Nestle Unilever health claims notices say about Horlicks
Hindustan Unilever received two notices over its Horlicks line. The first concerns Horlicks Women’s Plus Chocolate Nutrition Drink in the 400-gram pack. The FSSAI flagged claims including “Nutrition for Strong Bones”, “Clinically Proven to Help Improve Bone Strength in 6 Months” and “Improves Bone Health” as misleading or non-compliant. The Nestle Unilever health claims notices also query the “No Added Sugar” claim on the product, because it contains maltodextrin, and say the promise of “100 per cent RDA of Calcium, Vitamin D and K2” does not comply with food safety requirements. The regulator added that the use of the term “healthy” in the product’s claims contravenes the rules, and that nutritional information was not given in the prescribed form.
The second of the Nestle Unilever health claims notices covers Horlicks Mother’s Plus Kesar 400g. The FSSAI flagged “Healthy Birth Weight” on the label and “For baby’s healthy birth weight” in advertisements as potentially misleading, and said both contravene the Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018. The regulator also objected to promotional descriptions of the product on e-commerce platforms and asked the company for an explanation.
Why the Nestle Unilever health claims matter for shoppers
The notices are part of a wider enforcement drive. In the same round of action, the regulator suspended the licence of Sukhdarshan Pharma over serious food safety, hygiene and sanitation violations, and cancelled the licence of Bala Ji Food Products over serious food safety lapses and continued non-compliance. Beyond the Nestle Unilever health claims case, the message to the industry is that the words on packs, shelves and screens will be read against the rulebook.
Hindustan Unilever said its products complied with the applicable requirements and that it would submit scientific and regulatory evidence to the authorities. Nestle India had not immediately responded to requests for comment, according to reports. Both companies must answer within the stipulated period.
The Nestle Unilever health claims case now moves to the reply stage. The FSSAI has asked both companies to explain the alleged lapses within the set period, and has said further action may be initiated under food safety laws if the replies fall short.