‘Product labels comply with prevailing legal and regulatory framework’: Dabur responds FSSAI

In response to the recent prohibition order issued by FSSAI, Dabur on Tuesday said that its products labels comply with the prevailing legal and regulatory framework. Dabur India in a filing with the BSE and the NSE, said it stood by the quality and purity of its products.

“Dabur India Limited believes that the declaration on our product labels complies with the prevailing legal and regulatory framework and is consistent with long-standing industry practices. Dabur stands by the purity and quality of its products and has never made any misleading claims,” the company said in its filing.

It stressed that the company continued to maintain the highest standards of quality, food safety and regulatory compliance in the manufacture and sale of its products.The FMCG player sought a legal advice on the future course of action, informing that the impact on the company’s business operations, financial position, and performance is limited to objective food products only.

The country’s food regulator had directed the FMCG major to immediately cease the sale of products bearing the claims of being 100% natural, 100% pure, and 100% purity guaranteed, and other taglines assuring 100% genuinity. The company was directed to immediately shelf off the products from the market and submit an action taken report within 15 days.

The action followed FSSAI’s observation that these claims were ambiguous, unverified and likely to mislead customer. It had further noted that Dabur Himalayan Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and Dabur Organic Honey displayed the Jaivik Bharat logo without a valid organic endorsement, allegedly violating the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulation Act 2017.

Bringing into focus the Dabur homemade coconut milk, which is also marketed with the claim of being 100% pure, the food regulator said It was not permitted for compound food products to be labelled as 100% pure.