Datanomics: Substandard products dominate FSSAI safety violations

Court grants interim relief to Dabur while food regulator's data points to persistent non-compliance across the industry

The Delhi High Court (HC) on Friday stayed a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) order that prohibited Dabur from selling products with claims of “100 per cent Purity”, “100 per cent Natural”, and “100 per cent Purity Guaranteed”. The number of FSSAI non-compliance cases peaked across companies in financial year 2022-23 (FY23) before fluctuating in the next couple of years. Substandard samples have been the largest category, accounting for over half of violations.  

The unsafe category rose from 15 per cent to 23 per cent over six years, while labelling defects declined from 30 per cent to 11 per cent. Importantly, the share of cases where the FSSAI secured convictions increased from 55 per cent in FY20 to 80 per cent in FY25, reflecting stronger enforcement.