FSSAI Flags Horlicks Claims, Proposes Sugar Ban in Infant Food

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Nestle India over claims and compliance issues on some of their products, and separately proposed a ban on added sucrose and fructose in foods for babies up to six months old, All India Radio and Business Today reported.

The Notices

FSSAI said HUL had made potentially misleading claims on Horlicks Women’s Plus Chocolate Nutrition Drink and Horlicks Mother’s Plus Kesar, including claims about bone strength, healthy birth weight and the use of “No Added Sugar”, reports said. For Nestle India, the regulator flagged a renal nutrition product, Resource Renal Vanilla Flavour Powder, over the lack of prior approval and a missing veg or non-veg label, according to reports. HUL said the two products meet all applicable requirements and that it will provide supporting evidence. Nestle said it had submitted a detailed response and that labels on its NAN Excella Pro and Lactogen Pro infant formulas had been approved by an FSSAI expert committee. Reports that FSSAI also suspended two licences could not be verified against an official order.

The Proposed Sugar Ban

The draft Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Amendment Regulations, 2026, published in the Official Gazette on October 16, would prohibit adding sucrose and fructose to foods for infants up to six months of age. Current rules allow these sugars in limited amounts as carbohydrate sources. The public has 60 days to send objections and suggestions, IBTimes reported.

Sugar in Infant Food and Claims Aimed at Mothers

Health experts have long warned that added sugar in early infancy can shape lifelong taste preferences and raise the risk of obesity. The proposal would tighten rules on products many working parents rely on, while the notices show the regulator taking a harder line on health claims aimed at mothers. Read IPB’s earlier reports on FSSAI action against rice bran oil claims and Britannia’s biscuit labels.

Based on reporting by All India Radio, All India Radio (draft rules), Business Today, IBTimes and India.com.

Image: Wikimedia Commons (file photo).