The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to Nestle India and Zydus Wellness over “misleading claims” in certain products and has asked the companies to provide scientific proof to support their advertisements.

In a social media post, the FSSAI said notices were sent to Nestle India for misleading claims and non-compliant promotions involving two food products ‘Lactogen Pro 1 Powder’ and ‘Nan Excella Pro Stage 1’.

The regulator also issued notice to Zydus Wellness Product Ltd citing misleading claims and advertisement on its food product Complan.

In the notice issued for Lactogen Pro 1 powder, the FSSAI said the company has claimed, in its labelling and advertisement material, that the product “contains whey protein, which is a part of milk protein that is easy to digest”.

The food safety regulator has asked Nestle to furnish scientific substantiation for the claim regarding whey protein being easy to digest.

In the product Nan Excella Pro Stage 1, the FSSAI said that the claim “5 HMOs [human milk oligosaccharides] helps support normal immune system” was considered to imply that the product was suitable for supporting the immune system.

“The claim was considered non-compliant with provisions prohibiting claims relating to the prevention, alleviation, treatment or cure of any disease, disorder or particular physiological condition, unless specifically permitted under applicable regulations,” the regulator said.

In the case of Complan, the FSSAI said the product label displays images of two children and claims include “2X Faster Growth”, “Supports Concentration and Memory” and “Pro Immunity+ 34 Vital Nutrients”.

The claims were found to be in violation of the FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018.

The regulator has asked Zydus to provide scientific justification for such claims.

The advertisement claim “Growth Comes in 4 Flavours” was found to violate regulations of the FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018.

The companies have been directed to show cause within the stipulated period as to why action should not be taken against them, the regulator said.