The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has extended the deadline for food businesses to exhaust pre-printed packaging materials that claim “100% fruit juices” until December 31, 2024. This extension comes after consultations with industry stakeholders and follows an earlier directive aimed at curbing misleading marketing practices.
Initially, the FSSAI had set a deadline of August 31, 2024, for food business operators (FBOs) to cease using such packaging and remove claims of “100% fruit juices” from advertisements and product labels. The regulator’s concern was that several FBOs were inaccurately marketing reconstituted fruit juices as “100% fruit juice,” despite these products often containing significant amounts of water or being made from concentrates.
In its advisory, FSSAI stated that products manufactured before the new December 31 deadline can continue to be sold until the end of their shelf life. This decision provides food companies with additional time to transition to compliant packaging.
The FSSAI’s directive aligns with the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, which do not permit the “100%” claim for products that do not meet specific criteria. The regulator emphasized that claims of “100% fruit juice” are misleading when the primary ingredient is present only in limited concentrations or when the juice is reconstituted with water and concentrates.
The FSSAI has reiterated the importance of compliance with the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011, which requires accurate labelling of reconstituted juices. Products containing added sweeteners exceeding 15 gm/kg must also be labelled as “sweetened juice.”
This extension provides food companies with a grace period to align their packaging and marketing practices with regulatory standards, ensuring greater transparency for consumers.