Fact-check
Is Lotte Choco Pie banned in India?
Last checked 19 September 2026. A few details are still being checked against the original document.
Lotte Choco Pie is not banned in India as of 19 Sep 2026; FSSAI issued Lotte India a show-cause notice on 8 Jul 2026 over the vegetarian claim on Choco Pie and Pepero labelling, and no order restricts sale.
- Classification
- No ban or recall found in official records
- Decided by
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- Reference
- FSSAI show-cause notice, 8 Jul 2026 (reference:, being verified
- Latest action
- 8 July 2026
- Last checked
- 19 September 2026details being verified
Lotte Choco Pie pack and cake. Photo: LOTTE - CHOCO PIE.jpg by Quercus acuta (CC0). Brand names and logos belong to their owners and are used here to identify the product this entry is about. All photo credits.
FSSAI crackdown: Lotte India, Ferns N Petals, Kubera Foods issued notices for misleading claims, labelling violations
We have not yet found this action in a published government document. Treat it as reported, not confirmed. If you have the order, send it to us.
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe explain what has been reported. The report above is the best source we hold.
Key facts
- Status
- On sale; show-cause notice pending
- Issue
- Vegetarian (green dot) claim on Choco Pie; Pepero labelling
- Order restricting sale
- None
Where the claim comes from
The claim appeared on 8 Jul 2026 when FSSAI's show-cause notices to Lotte India, Ferns N Petals and Kubera Foods were reported as part of a 'crackdown'. Choco Pie's marshmallow filling has long prompted 'veg or non-veg' questions online, and the notice was read as confirmation of a ban.
Lotte Choco Pie is not banned. On 8 Jul 2026 FSSAI issued Lotte India a show-cause notice questioning the vegetarian claim on Choco Pie and raising labelling issues on Pepero. A show-cause notice asks a company to explain why action should not be taken; it is not itself an order, and no order restricting sale has been reported since.
The vegetarian question is the substance of the notice. Under Indian labelling rules a product may carry the green vegetarian symbol only if it contains no ingredient of animal origin, and Choco Pie's marshmallow layer has prompted consumer questions about gelatine for years. Whether Lotte's Indian formulation uses a plant-based gelling agent, and what Lotte told FSSAI, are not in the sources held here.
No recall, prohibition or licence action against Lotte India is on record for 2024 to 2026.
What this means for you
The green dot is the question
FSSAI asked Lotte to justify the vegetarian symbol. Until an order issues, nothing changes for buyers.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.