The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has instructed food business operators (FBOs) to immediately cease using “100% fruit juice” claims in advertisements and on product labels.
This directive come in the wake of the complaints received by the regulator about several FBOs inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices as “100% fruit juice.”
‘‘There is no provision for making a ‘100%’ claim. 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,” the advisory stated.
FBOs have been instructed to comply with the standards for fruit juices as specified under sub-regulation 2.3.6 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.
The advisory further mandates that the word ‘reconstituted’ must be clearly mentioned against the name of any juice made from concentrate. Additionally, if added nutritive sweeteners exceed 15 gms per kg, the product must be labeled as ‘Sweetened juice.’
FBOs are required to adhere to these new regulations on all pre-printed packaging materials by September 1, 2024.
