New Delhi1 hour ago
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CCPA i.e. Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed a fine of ₹ 1 lakh each on two companies making misleading claims of ‘100%’ purity on food items. These are Storia Foods and Beverages Private Limited and English Oven Bread manufacturing company Mrs. Bectors Food Specialties Limited.
The authority’s investigation found that these companies used the word 100% in their advertisements and packets in a manner that was completely different from the actual composition of their products.
The authority led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra has directed both the companies to remove these misleading claims from their product packaging, website and all digital platforms.
Storia: Claims 100% coconut water natural, turns out to be 9.6% concentrate
CCPA had taken suo motu cognizance of Storia Foods’ advertisements of ‘100% Tender Coconut Water’ and juices like Pomegranate, Mango, Mixed Fruit and Guava. Apart from the company’s website, these products were being sold on e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, Blinkit, JioMart and Zepto.
When investigators examined the ingredients of its main product, the story turned out to be different:
- The drink was created by combining water and just 9.6% coconut water concentrate, which was reconstituted to appear ‘equivalent’ to 100% coconut water.
- The company had written the word ‘Reconstituted’ in very fine print on the back of the packet, while making the claim ‘100%’ in capital letters on the front.
- Additionally, Class II preservative (INS 202) was added to the product, making the company’s claim of it being ‘100% natural’ completely false.
English Oven Bread: Claimed to be 100% atta bread, turned out to be 87%
Mrs. Bector’s company had given huge advertisements under its ‘English Oven’ brand on newspapers, website, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn. These included claims like “100% atta bread”, “100% whole wheat bread” and “zero maida”. The videos containing these advertisements had received more than 50 lakh views by April 2026.
When strictly interrogated during the hearing, the company itself admitted that its bread contained only 87% whole wheat flour. CCPA said that when the quantity of flour is only 87%, writing 100% on the packet cannot be justified in any way. Apart from this, writing ‘100% Whole Wheat Bread’ and ‘Zero Maida’ together on the packet gives a false impression in the minds of the customers that the product is made entirely of wheat flour only.
CCPA said- advertising should be from the customers’ perspective
At the hearing, Mrs. Bectors’ company argued that by saying “100% atta” they only meant that the bread contained only wheat as a source of grain, not a claim on its entire composition.
The CCPA rejected this argument outright. The authority said that any advertisement should be viewed from the perspective of a normal and sensible consumer. Advertisers cannot justify the misleading effect on customers by giving any technical clarification later. If an advertisement has the potential to mislead the consumer, it does not matter what the advertiser’s intentions were.
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