Dabur India has secured a freeze order against the food safety regulator’s directive barring the sale of its food products carrying "100%" claims.
The Delhi High Court stayed the action, noting it is "prima facie of the opinion that the prohibitory order ought not to have been passed without giving an opportunity of hearing," according to reports by The Hindu and ETHealthworld.
The matter is scheduled to come up again at a hearing on 24 August.
In a stock exchange filing on Friday (7 August), Dabur confirmed the court had granted a stay and said further updates would be shared in “due course of time”.
The dispute stems from a 3 August directive issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The regulator said labels used on Dabur products including honey, ghee and coconut water violated advertising and organic-food rules.
The FSSAI objected to claims such as “100% Natural”, “100% Pure”, and “100% Organic”.
It said such statements were “ambiguous, unverifiable and likely to mislead consumers”.
The watchdog ordered Dabur to “immediately prohibit the sale” of the identified products. It also told the company to file an “action-taken report” within 15 days.
On 4 August, Dabur said it had already started removing the 100% claims on the labels and advertisements referred to in the FSSAI communication.
The company also said it would continue to engage “constructively” with the FSSAI.
However, it maintained the “declaration on our product labels comply with the prevailing legal and regulatory framework and are consistent with long-standing industry practices”.
It added: “We reiterate that Dabur stands by the purity and highest standards of quality of its products and does not make any misleading claims.”
The company explained the notice concerns only the “interpretation” of the product description and does not question the “quality, safety, purity or standards” of its products.
The effect on the company’s operations and finances is “limited” to only the food products flagged by the regulator, the 4 August filing read.
