FSSAI has served show-cause notices to three brands for front-of-pack claims that contradict their own ingredient lists, covering fruit candy with no fruit, chocolate without cocoa butter, and a 'natural' bun with preservatives.
FSSAI issued show-cause notices to Lotte India Corporation Pvt Ltd, Ferns N Petals Pvt Ltd, and Kubera Foods in early July 2026, alleging that front-of-pack claims on several packaged food products directly contradicted the ingredient and nutritional disclosures printed elsewhere on the same pack.
The notices, reported by The Times of India on 9 July 2026, require each company to explain within seven days why regulatory action should not be initiated against them under the Food Safety and Standards Act. The action covers a range of product categories: flavoured candy, chocolate confectionery, cream buns, biscuit sticks, and lollipops.
What changed
For years, Indian food regulators have flagged the gap between what a product shouts on its front panel and what it quietly lists in the fine print on the back. These notices are among the most specific FSSAI has issued publicly, naming individual product lines and spelling out the alleged discrepancy in each case.
Kubera Foods came under scrutiny for its "Soft and Fresh Cream Bun Pineapple", which carried the claims "100% Natural" and "No Preservatives, Colours & Flavours" on the front. The ingredient list on the same pack, however, declared preservatives, synthetic colour, and added flavouring substances. FSSAI also objected to the use of the words "Pure", "Fresh", and "Natural" on the product.
Ferns N Petals, better known as a gifting retailer, markets a "Roasted Almond Chocolate" described as "Premium Chocolate". FSSAI's notice alleges the product contains hydrogenated vegetable fat rather than cocoa butter, which under FSSAI's standards for chocolate is a material distinction. The notice also flags missing mandatory declarations and no disclosure of almond content, despite almonds appearing in the product name.
Lotte India Corporation faced notices across multiple product lines. FSSAI alleged that some Choco Pie variants carried "100% Vegetarian" claims that were not adequately supported, that Pepero biscuit sticks were missing nutritional information, and that Fruitz Eclairs, a fruit-flavoured candy, contained no fruit. The regulator also flagged the use of old pre-printed labels and vitamin-level violations in some lollipop products.
The pattern across all three companies is the same: the front of the pack makes a positive claim (natural, premium, vegetarian, fruit-flavoured) that the back of the pack does not support.
AIIMS Delhi dietitian Monita Gehlot, quoted in the Economic Times Healthworld report, said the information on the front of a pack should match the detailed information on the back, and that consumers should read the ingredient list, nutrition information, allergen declarations, and other mandatory disclosures before buying.
FSSAI has not yet released the full text of the notices or a schedule of penalties, so the financial or operational consequences for the three companies remain unknown at this stage.
What buyers and cooks should do
These cases are a practical reminder that front-of-pack text is marketing copy, not a regulatory summary. The ingredient list and nutrition information panel are the legally mandated disclosures.
When a product says "100% Natural", turn it over and scan the ingredient list for INS-coded additives. Preservatives such as calcium propionate (INS 282) or potassium sorbate (INS 202), synthetic colours like tartrazine (INS 102), and added flavouring substances are all incompatible with a credible "no additives" claim.
For chocolate specifically, the ingredient list should show cocoa mass, cocoa butter, or both near the top. If "hydrogenated vegetable fat" or "vanaspati" appears before or instead of cocoa butter, the product is a compound chocolate or chocolate-flavoured confection, not chocolate by the standard FSSAI definition. The word "premium" has no regulatory meaning in this context.
For products marketed to vegetarians or Jain consumers, the green dot (vegetarian mark) is a mandatory symbol under FSSAI rules, and its presence should be verified on the pack rather than inferred from a text claim like "100% Vegetarian". If a product is genuinely Jain-compliant, it should also carry no root vegetables in the ingredient list, which is worth checking independently since FSSAI does not have a separate Jain certification mark.
Fruit-flavoured products are a category where label reading matters most. "Fruit flavour" or "fruit-flavoured" legally means the product tastes like fruit, typically through added flavouring substances. It does not mean the product contains fruit. Only a declaration like "contains X% mango pulp" or a fruit ingredient listed near the top of the ingredient list confirms actual fruit content.
For parents buying snacks for children, the Lotte India notices are worth noting specifically. Choco Pie, Pepero, and Fruitz Eclairs are all products marketed heavily to younger consumers. Missing nutritional information on Pepero sticks means parents cannot assess sugar, fat, or sodium content from the pack.
Until FSSAI publishes the outcome of these show-cause proceedings, all three brands retain the right to respond and contest the allegations. The seven-day response window had not closed at the time of publication.