The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all food companies to remove any claim of ‘100% fruit juices’ from their labels and advertisements with immediate effect.
“It has come to the attention of FSSAI that several FBOs have been inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming them to be 100 per cent fruit juices,” the statement said. After carefully reviewing the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, FSSAI has concluded that they do not allow such claims.
“Such claims are misleading, particularly under conditions where the major ingredient of the fruit juice is water and the primary ingredient, for which the claim is made, is present only in limited concentrations, or when the fruit juice is reconstituted using water and fruit concentrates or pulp,” FSSAI said.
FBOs have been ordered to follow the fruit juice standards in section 2.3.6 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011. In their ingredient lists, the word “reconstituted” must necessarily be included next to the name of any juice made from concentrate.
Additionally, FSSAI said that if added that if nutritive sweeteners exceed 15 gm/kg, the product must be labelled as ‘Sweetened juice’.
FBOs have been given a deadline of September 1st, 2024, to use up any existing pre-printed packaging materials that carry the incorrect “100 per cent fruit juice” claim.
