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FSSAI notice

FSSAI notices over Horlicks, Complan, NAN and Nescafe claims (17 and 21 Oct 2026)

Last checked 3 November 2026

FSSAI notice Horlicks. Status: Show-cause notices (17 and 21 Oct 2026); no reply reported.
Regulatory notice

FSSAI announced show-cause notices on 17 Oct 2026 to Hindustan Unilever (Horlicks Women's Plus, Horlicks Mother's Plus Kesar) and Nestle India (Nescafe ready-to-drink, Resource Renal), and shared notices on 21 Oct 2026 to Nestle India (NAN Excella Pro Stage 1, NAN and Lactogen Pro 1) and Zydus Wellness (Complan); as of 3 Nov 2026 no reply, order or penalty is reported and no product is banned.

Classification
Regulatory notice or advisory
Decided by
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Reference
FSSAI show-cause notices announced on social media on 17 Oct 2026 and shared on 21 Oct 2026 (notice texts and dates not published); FSS Act 2006; FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018
Evidence
News report only, order not online
Latest action
21 October 2026
Last checked
3 November 2026
See the source Report a mistake

Photo: A box full of burfis, Mithai Indian Sweets London November 2009.jpg by secretlondon123 (CC BY-SA 2.0). All photo credits.

Best source we have: a news reportTier 3: news report

FSSAI issues notices to Nestle, HUL over misleading food product claims

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) · FSSAI show-cause notices announced on social media on 17 Oct 2026 and shared on 21 Oct 2026 (notice texts and dates not published); FSS Act 2006; FSS (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 · 17 October 2026

Our team has checked this record against the published reports, last on 3 November 2026. The government order itself is not published online, or we have not found it yet, so we link the best public report. If you have the order, send it to us and we will link it instead.

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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 Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date.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

Horlicks Women's Plus Chocolate 400 g (HUL)
FSSAI called 'Nutrition for Strong Bones', 'Clinically Proven to Help Improve Bone Strength in 6 Months' and 'Improves Bone Health' misleading or non-compliant; 'No Added Sugar' misleading because the product contains maltodextrin; it also cited '100 per cent RDA of Calcium, Vitamin D & K2' and the use of 'healthy'
Horlicks Mother's Plus Kesar 400 g (HUL)
'Healthy Birth Weight' on the label and 'For baby's healthy birth weight' in an advertisement, under the 2018 claims regulations
Nescafe ready-to-drink (Nestle India, with Schreiber Dynamix Dairies and Lotus Dairy Products)
Front says 'Flavoured Milk', back says 'Proprietary Food: Dairy Based Drink'; FSSAI called the proprietary food declaration 'incorrect'
Resource Renal vanilla powder (Nestle India)
Sold without the prior approval required under the 2022 health supplements, nutraceuticals, FSDU and FSMP regulations
Complan (Zydus Wellness)
'2X Faster Growth', 'Supports Concentration and Memory', 'Pro Immunity+ 34 Vital Nutrients', 'GROW TALLER, FASTER. CLINICALLY PROVEN 2X GROWTH' and 'Growth Comes in 4 Flavors'; Zydus to show cause and give scientific justification
NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 (Nestle India)
'5 HMOs helps support normal immune system': FSSAI said this implies support for a physiological condition, which is not permitted
NAN and Lactogen Pro 1 (Nestle India)
A statement that the whey protein is easy to digest; FSSAI wants scientific substantiation
Stage
Show-cause notices. No reply deadline stated; no responses reported
Is it a ban?
No. The notices concern claims and labels. No product was ordered off sale

In two batches in October 2026 FSSAI sent show-cause notices to three large food companies over claims on malt drinks, infant formula, a medical nutrition product and coffee drinks. A show-cause notice asks a company to explain why action should not be taken. It is not an order, and none of the products named has been taken off sale.

On 17 Oct 2026 FSSAI announced on social media notices to Hindustan Unilever and Nestle India. For Horlicks Women's Plus Chocolate (400 g) it said the bone-health claims were misleading or non-compliant and that 'No Added Sugar' was misleading because the drink contains maltodextrin; it also cited the '100 per cent RDA' claim and the word 'healthy'. For Horlicks Mother's Plus Kesar (400 g) it cited 'Healthy Birth Weight' on the label and in an advertisement. For Nescafe ready-to-drink coffees, made with Schreiber Dynamix Dairies and Lotus Dairy Products, it said the 'Proprietary Food: Dairy Based Drink' declaration was 'incorrect' when the front says 'Flavoured Milk'. Resource Renal vanilla powder was said to be on sale without the prior approval the 2022 regulations require.

On 21 Oct 2026 notices were shared to Zydus Wellness over Complan claims including '2X Faster Growth' and 'GROW TALLER, FASTER. CLINICALLY PROVEN 2X GROWTH', and to Nestle India over the '5 HMOs helps support normal immune system' claim on NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 and an 'easy to digest' whey protein statement for NAN and Lactogen Pro 1. FSSAI asked for scientific justification. The NAN and Lactogen claims are the same ones Business Standard reported on 18 Sep 2026 as the subject of adjudication cases; the October reports do not say whether these are new proceedings.

No reply deadline was stated and no company response has been reported as of 3 Nov 2026. This page will be updated if FSSAI decides.

What this means for you

A show-cause notice asks for an explanation

It is not a finding that a claim is false, and it is not a ban. Each company can reply before FSSAI decides.

Horlicks, Complan and NAN stay on sale

The notices are about wording on packs and in ads. They do not stop sale of the products.

Only named variants

The Horlicks notices cover Women's Plus and Mother's Plus Kesar, not regular Horlicks. The Complan notice covers the claims listed, not the Complan NUTRIGO lab finding of 2025.

This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.

Common questions

Is Horlicks banned after the FSSAI notice?

No. FSSAI's 17 Oct 2026 notice concerns claims on two variants, Women's Plus and Mother's Plus Kesar. Horlicks remains on sale.

Is Complan banned?

No. FSSAI's 21 Oct 2026 notice asks Zydus Wellness to justify claims such as '2X Faster Growth'. It does not stop sale.

Why did FSSAI send Nestle a notice on NAN?

It said '5 HMOs helps support normal immune system' implies support for a physiological condition, which is not permitted, and it wants evidence for an 'easy to digest' claim.

Sources

Researched and written by The Blacklisted team
We are not doctors or pharmacists. Everything on this page comes from the documents listed above, which you can open and check. Last checked 3 November 2026. How we check · Who we are · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.