The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued show-cause notices to Gemini Edibles & Fats India Ltd along with e-commerce majors BigBasket and Flipkart India for allegedly promoting Freedom Cooking Rice Bran Oil with misleading health and cholesterol-related claims. The promotional content and social media advertisements claimed that the product reduces bad cholesterol, increases good cholesterol, and contains over 10,000 PPM of natural oryzanol. The FSSAI flagged these claims as violations of the Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018, since such specific heart-health benefits are not permitted for edible vegetable oils under current guidelines. Additionally, the regulator noted that Gemini Edibles was operating its own e-commerce website to sell products without a valid central license explicitly covering e-commerce activities, prompting all three entities to explain why legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, should not be initiated against them.
FSSAI Cracks Down on Misleading Health Claims: Notices Issued to Flipkart, BigBasket, and Gemini Edibles Over Cooking Oil Ads
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