The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Wednesday said it took regulatory action against five major e-commerce platforms — Amazon, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, Flipkart India and Zepto, over alleged violations of food safety rules, including misleading claims and the sale of restricted products.
In a social media post, the food regulator said it had launched a “major crackdown on e-commerce platforms, including , Swiggy, , India and over regulatory non-compliances”.
According to , the violations included misbranding and potentially misleading representations, along with the sale and listing of prohibited or poisonous food products.
The regulator said penal proceedings had been initiated against Amazon, Flipkart India, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and BigBasket over allegedly misleading claims associated with the food product ‘Happilo Premium Date Bites – Zesty Orange’.
FSSAI said it has also initiated proceedings against Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket over misleading claims and non-compliant information displayed for certain Milky Mist dairy products.
The products identified by the regulator are ‘Milky Mist Fresh Low Fat Cream, Milky Mist Farm Fresh Curd, and Milky Mist Greek Yoghurt’.
The food regulator further found Amazon Seller Services, Swiggy Instamart and BigBasket in violation of relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, concerning the sale, listing and offering for sale of the food product ‘Datura (Dhatura) fruits/seeds’ through e-commerce platforms.
Queries emailed to the three platforms seeking their response did not receive an immediate reply, noted news agency PTI.
FSSAI has intensified its enforcement drive against food business operators (FBOs) and online food platforms over the past six months. The regulator has also been using social media to publicly communicate details of such enforcement actions to consumers.
FSSAI on Friday said it had initiated legal proceedings against Nestle India over alleged regulatory violations involving three infant nutrition products. Nestle India, however, maintained that its products were “fully compliant” with all applicable regulations.
The action concerns NAN Excella Pro Stage 1, Lactogen Pro 1 and a follow-up formula manufactured by the company.
According to FSSAI, its scrutiny of NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 found claims related to “5HMOs” and “Whey Protein”. In the case of Lactogen Pro 1, the regulator raised concerns over a claim describing “Whey Protein” as easy to digest.
The regulator said it examined the three products as well as promotional content available on e-commerce platforms before seeking an explanation from Nestle India over the claims.
FSSAI said the first two products were found to be in violation of Regulation 4(2) of the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020. The provision restricts promotional claims and material intended to enhance the saleability of infant food products.
The regulator also cited a violation of Section 3 of the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992, which prohibits advertising or promoting such products.
Separately, laboratory testing of a sample of a Nestle India follow-up formula found its Biotin content to be below the prescribed standard. FSSAI said the sample was subsequently sent to a referral laboratory for re-analysis, which also found it non-conforming with the Biotin requirement under the 2020 regulations.
Based on its findings, FSSAI said it had filed “three separate adjudication cases against Nestle India in respect of the three products”.
Nestle India rejected the concerns and reiterated on Friday that its infant nutrition products comply with applicable regulations, according to PTI.
“The said products (i.e., NAN EXCELLA PRO & LACTOGEN PRO) and their labels were approved by the expert committee of FSSAI,” a company spokesperson said in a statement issued after the regulator announced the legal action.
The company said it had once again provided authorities with a detailed response concerning the disputed label statements.
“In response to the notice, we have again submitted our detailed response to the authorities regarding statements appearing on the label, which are factual in nature and supported by scientific literature,” the spokesperson said.
Nestle India also reaffirmed that it follows the applicable regulatory requirements and said it would continue engaging with FSSAI.
“We confirm adherence to all regulations, including all norms and label declarations as per applicable laws. We will continue to work closely and support FSSAI in its efforts towards awareness,” the spokesperson added.
