LabelBlind® Solutions has released findings from one of the most comprehensive independent assessments of food labelling claims in the country.
The LabelBlind® Study of Labelling Claims in India’s Packaged Food Industry 2025–26 analysed 5,058 labelling claims across widely consumed food products and revealed that 33.6% of claims were either non-compliant or lacked adequate substantiation, falling short of FSSAI regulations, ASCI guidelines, and key provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Scope of the Study
The study examined 18 major food categories, spanning everyday household staples such as edible oils, ghee, honey, tea and herbal infusions, as well as newer, innovation-driven segments including plant-based beverages, ready-to-eat meals, and packaged snacks. The breadth of categories makes the findings a significant indicator of labelling practices across India’s packaged food ecosystem.
Everyday Staples Show the Highest Non-Compliance
The findings highlight that products commonly found in Indian households are among the most affected. According to the study, 80% of health claims on honey, 65.5% on ghee, 54.3% on tea and herbal infusions, and 52.9% on edible oils failed compliance checks. These results suggest that products perceived as traditional or inherently “healthy” may be particularly vulnerable to exaggerated or insufficiently substantiated claims.
Innovation Outpacing Compliance in New-Age Categories
The analysis also points to compliance challenges in fast-growing, innovation-led categories. Around 29% of claims on plant-based beverages, 28.6% on ready-to-eat meals, and 27.3% on packaged snacks were flagged as non-compliant. This trend indicates that rapid product development and marketing innovation may be moving faster than regulatory and internal compliance processes.
Regulatory and Public Health Implications
Commenting on the findings, Dr Rashida Vapiwala, Founder & CEO, LabelBlind®, noted that food labelling plays a critical role in consumer protection and public health. She emphasised that with consumers increasingly dependent on packaged foods and labels as their primary source of information, clarity, accuracy, and credibility on food labels are no longer optional but essential. The study underscores how gaps in substantiation and compliance can directly affect informed consumer choice.
Alignment with Broader Regulatory Trends
The study’s conclusions align with wider regulatory observations. ASCI’s Half-Yearly Complaints Report (April–September 2025) listed the Food & Beverage sector among the top violators, with a majority of complaints linked to health and nutrition claims. This reinforces concerns that misleading or weakly supported claims remain a systemic issue within the industry.
The Way Forward for the Packaged Food Industry
LabelBlind® has urged food brands to strengthen internal claim governance by exercising greater discipline in the use of health and nutrition claims, especially for staple food products. The company has also highlighted the need to embed labelling compliance earlier in the product development process and adopt digital tools for stronger internal checks, as regulatory scrutiny intensifies and consumer awareness around misleading claims continues to grow.
