New Delhi: India's food safety regulator has initiated three separate adjudication cases against Nestlé India over alleged non compliance involving three infant nutrition products. Two cases concern promotional claims, while the third concerns a laboratory finding related to the biotin content of a follow up formula.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI, said the action involves NAN Excella Pro Stage 1, Lactogen Pro 1 and a follow up formula manufactured by Nestlé India.
In the case involving NAN Excella Pro Stage 1, FSSAI examined promotional material available on e commerce platforms and flagged claims referring to “5 HMOs” and “Whey Protein”. HMOs, or human milk oligosaccharides, are naturally occurring components of human milk that are also used in some infant nutrition products.
FSSAI said the promotional material did not comply with Regulation 4(2) of the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020. The regulator also cited Section 3 of the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution Act, 1992, which places restrictions on the advertising and promotion of covered infant products.
A separate case concerns Lactogen Pro 1. FSSAI flagged promotional material describing the whey protein in the product as “easy to digest”. The regulator said the claim was not in compliance with the applicable rules governing promotional claims for infant nutrition products.
The third case involves a follow up formula manufactured by Nestlé India. FSSAI said a sample of the product was found to be substandard with respect to its biotin content during laboratory testing.
The sample was subsequently referred for re analysis. FSSAI said the referral laboratory also found that the sample did not conform to the prescribed biotin requirement under the regulations governing infant nutrition products.
The three matters have been taken up as separate adjudication cases against Nestlé India. The proceedings concern alleged regulatory violations and the laboratory finding and do not amount to a reported ban or nationwide recall of the products.
FSSAI has not publicly identified the commercial name or batch details of the follow up formula involved in the biotin finding. The available reports also do not provide the exact amount of biotin detected in the sample.
Nestlé India had not immediately responded to requests for comment at the time of the latest reports.
The action comes as Indian authorities have increased scrutiny of food safety, product labelling and promotional claims across the food industry. FSSAI has recently taken enforcement action over claims made by food companies and other forms of regulatory non compliance.
Nestlé India has faced major regulatory scrutiny in India before. In 2015, Indian authorities ordered a nationwide recall of Maggi noodles after tests raised concerns about lead levels and labelling. The product later returned to the Indian market following further testing and legal proceedings.
The latest action is separate from the Maggi case and concerns infant nutrition products. It also involves different types of regulatory issues, with two cases focused on promotional claims and one based on laboratory testing of nutritional composition.
The FSSAI proceedings highlight the specific regulatory requirements that apply to infant nutrition products in India. These rules cover both the nutritional composition of such products and the way they can be advertised and promoted.