The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a prohibition order against Dabur India Ltd, directing the FMCG company to immediately stop the sale of several food products carrying allegedly misleading ‘100%’ claims.
The action covers products including honey, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, cow ghee, coconut water and coconut milk, which were marketed on Dabur’s website with claims such as ‘100% Natural’, ‘100% Pure’, ‘100% Purity Guaranteed’, ‘100% Organic’ and ‘100% Tender Coconut Water’.
According to FSSAI, these claims violate the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018. The regulator stated that such claims are “ambiguous, unverifiable and likely to mislead consumers.” The prohibition order applies not only to the identified products but also to any other Dabur food products carrying similar ‘100%’ claims.
FSSAI also raised objections over Dabur Himalayan Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and Dabur Organic Honey displaying the Jaivik Bharat logo without a valid FSSAI organic endorsement. The regulator alleged that this violated the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017.
Additionally, FSSAI pointed out that Dabur Hommade Coconut Milk was being marketed with a ‘100% Purity’ claim, which the regulator said is not permitted for compound food products under existing advertising regulations.
FSSAI clarified that the action is related to product labelling and advertising claims and does not raise concerns about the quality, safety or contamination of the products.
The food regulator said it had previously issued a notice to Dabur asking the company to remove misleading ‘100%’ claims. However, according to the prohibition order, Dabur failed to take satisfactory corrective action.
As part of the latest directive, FSSAI has ordered Dabur to:
- Immediately stop the sale of identified products carrying misleading ‘100%’ claims.
- Remove similar claims from other food products.
- Submit an action-taken report (ATR) within 15 days.
The action follows an industry-wide advisory issued by FSSAI in May 2025, asking food companies to remove ‘100%’ claims from packaging, labels and promotional materials. The regulator had stated that the term ‘100%’ has no defined meaning under India’s food laws and may create a misleading impression about a product’s quality, purity or nature.
Dabur India said it has received the prohibition order and is reviewing the website content highlighted by FSSAI. The company has not yet announced whether it will challenge the order.
The regulatory action also impacted investor sentiment, with Dabur India shares falling more than 2% during Tuesday morning trading on the BSE to an intraday low of ₹414.60. The stock has remained under pressure, declining over 20% in the past year and nearly 30% over the last five years. Its 52-week high stands at ₹576.80, while the low is ₹401.05.