The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has slapped a ₹1 lakh penalty on Britannia Industries for misleading advertisements claiming “100 per cent whole wheat bread”. The Authority said it took suo motu cognisance of the matter after observing that the product packaging declared a wheat content of 62 per cent, despite the “100%” claim in the company’s ads.
In an order dated October 22, CCPA said that the “100 per cent Whole Wheat Bread” claim, when read in conjunction with the “0 per cent Maida” claim, “unequivocally conveys to an average consumer that the impugned product is composed entirely of whole wheat flour, thereby creating an unambiguous, categorical and misleading impression as to its actual composition, quality and characteristics.”
“However, the actual whole wheat content of the impugned product is only 62 per cent, which falls below the prescribed threshold even for the use of the nomenclature “Whole Wheat”, let alone the emphatic and absolute representation “100 per cent Whole Wheat”,” the order stated. The Authority noted that “admittedly” the remaining 38 per cent comprises other ingredients, including rice bran.
The CCPA has directed the company to discontinue the “false and misleading advertisement” with immediate effect and has imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. The company has also been asked to submit a compliance report within 15 days. Britannia Industries did not respond to businessline’s queries.
CCPA, which also sought FSSAI’s views on the matter, pointed out that the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, make no provision for using the prefix “100 per cent” before the term “whole wheat”. Also, falsely claiming a product to be “100 per cent whole wheat” is misleading under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, it stated.
This comes at a time when both the CCPA and FSSAI have been seen cracking down on 100 per cent related claims. In June, the CCPA penalised Mrs Bectors Food Specialities and Storia Foods and Beverages Pvt Ltd for misleading ads with “100 per cent” claims.
Noting the crackdown by the two regulators, Ashwin Bhadri, Founder and CEO of Equinox Labs, said, “Brands will have to be extremely careful with their packaging and their nutritional labels because they cannot get away with making claims that cannot be substantiated.”
Published on October 26, 2026
