The Delhi High Court has issued a stay on an order from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that prohibited Dabur from marketing food products with labels such as ‘100% Pure’, ‘100% Natural’, ‘100% Purity Guaranteed’, and ‘100% Organic’. The ruling was delivered by Justice Amit Mahajan, emphasizing that such a decision should not have been made without initially hearing Dabur’s side of the argument.
“The order is stayed till the next date of hearing,” the Court declared, scheduling the next session for August 24. This directive came after Dabur contested the FSSAI’s August 3, 2026 decision. Representing Dabur, Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi argued that the company had been selling these products for many years and questioned the authority of the official who issued the ban, asserting that it was done improperly.
Sethi also pointed out that the order was enacted without adhering to the principles of natural justice, notably the absence of a show-cause notice. On behalf of the FSSAI, Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Ashish Dixit defended the prohibition, stating that an improvement notice had been issued to Dabur prior to the ban.
Dixit highlighted that Dabur had previously contested an order preventing the use of ‘100% claims’ for its fruit juices, but no stay had been granted in that instance. The Court, after reviewing the case, found a prima facie case favoring Dabur, leading to the temporary suspension of the FSSAI’s order.
The FSSAI’s action was based on the assertion that claims like ‘100%’ were unclear, unverifiable, and potentially misleading to consumers. The order impacted various products, including honey, cow ghee, apple cider vinegar, virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, coconut water, and coconut milk.
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Dabur contended that the order was made without a show-cause or improvement notice or an opportunity for a hearing. The company referenced the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, arguing that the FSSAI should seek clarifications and consider responses from food business operators before taking such measures.
Dabur maintained that the FSSAI’s order was non-explanatory and failed to justify how the ‘100%’ claims were misleading. The company argued that when these claims are factually accurate, such as ‘100% pure’ for single-ingredient products like honey, they should not violate regulations.
Furthermore, Dabur warned that complying with the FSSAI’s order could lead to the withdrawal, destruction, or repackaging of products worth over ₹150 crore, labeling the measure as disproportionate and arbitrary. The company also accused the FSSAI of causing reputational damage through social media dissemination of the order, which it claimed created a misleading impression of substandard products.
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The petition, filed by advocate R Jawahar Lal of J Law Offices, emphasized that similar ‘100%’ claims are common across numerous food products by various major companies, yet Dabur has been unfairly targeted.
