India's food safety regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has issued notices to Nestle India, Zydus Wellness, Abbott Healthcare and others over promotional claims for products for infants and children that it said breached the rules, Reuters reported on Wednesday, October 21.

Source: Reuters via KELO-FM

For Nestle India, the regulator flagged two products. On Lactogen Pro 1 Powder, it questioned the claim that the product "contains Whey Protein, which is a part of milk protein that is easy to digest", and asked the company to provide scientific substantiation. On Nan Excella Pro Stage 1, it said the claim that "5 HMOs helps support normal immune system" was non-compliant with provisions prohibiting claims relating to the prevention, alleviation, treatment or cure of any disease, disorder or particular physiological condition, unless specifically permitted under the regulations. Nestle has been asked to explain why action should not be initiated against it under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

For Zydus Wellness, the notice concerns its children's drink Complan. The regulator said claims such as "Supports Concentration and Memory" and "2x Faster Growth" were in violation of the regulations, and sought scientific justification for other claims, including the line "grow taller, faster" and "clinically proven 2X growth" reported by Reuters.

The FSSAI also issued notices to social media influencer Ira Fathima and to companies including Abbott Healthcare and Nestle India over an Instagram reel promoting infant milk substitutes, Reuters reported. An Abbott spokesperson said the company was not involved in or aware of the social media content referred to in the notice, and became aware of it only after receiving the regulator's notice.

Nestle India's spokesperson said the FSSAI's recent post reiterates the points raised in its earlier post of September 18 regarding product labels, and that the company has already submitted its detailed response to the regulator on these matters. A Zydus Wellness spokesperson said the company remained committed to product quality, safety and regulatory compliance, and that Complan complied with all applicable regulations, according to reports of the notices.

Source: Livemint

Reuters noted the action came days after the regulator proposed banning the addition of sucrose and fructose to foods for infants up to six months old, as India steps up scrutiny of food safety and pushes for front-of-pack warning labels. The claims in the notices are the regulator's allegations at this stage; the companies' responses are recorded above.