The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has instructed all food business operators (FBOs) to immediately remove any claims of 100% fruit juice from their advertisements and packaging labels.
Deadline for Existing Packaging
FBOs must use up all their existing pre-printed packaging materials by September 1, 2024. This decision comes after FSSAI discovered that several companies were inaccurately marketing reconstituted fruit juices as 100% fruit juice.
Misleading Claims
FSSAI's review found that the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, do not permit such 100% claims. These claims are misleading, especially when the main ingredient is water and the fruit juice is made from concentrates or pulp with added water.
Adherence to Regulations
Food businesses must now comply with section 2.3.6 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011. This regulation requires that products be labelled according to the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.
Labeling Requirements
For juices made from concentrate, the word "reconstituted" must be included next to the name of the juice in the ingredient list. Additionally, if added sweeteners exceed 15 gm/kg, the product must be labelled as "Sweetened juice."
