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McDonald's, KFC, and Domino's face misleading ad crackdown

McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Domino’s are among the food service brands that received notices from India’s food safety regulator. ©Image Credit: Unsplash / Kim Wine

Your favorite fast-food chain may have more to worry about than whether you want fries with that. India’s food safety regulator is cracking down on food companies over misleading advertisements, false claims, and labeling violations, and some of the biggest names in the business have landed in the regulator’s crosshairs.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) says it has issued more than 150 notices to food companies in recent months as part of a broader enforcement campaign. That includes some very familiar names.

Fast food is officially in the hot seat

FSSAI says it has issued more than 30 notices to food service establishments, including McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Costa Coffee. Domino’s appears to have had a particularly rough time as five of its licenses have been suspended, according to the regulator.

The notices are part of a wider crackdown on businesses that FSSAI says have violated food safety laws and regulations. So, this isn't simply a case of regulators examining whether a burger looks slightly more glamorous in an advertisement than it does in the paper bag.

The campaign covers everything from potentially misleading claims to labeling problems and other regulatory violations.

Big food brands aren't escaping either

The fast-food giants aren't the only companies being called out. FSSAI's list includes major food, beverage and consumer brands such as Nestlé India, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola India, Red Bull India, Mondelez India, Ferrero India, Danone India, and Abbott India.

The regulator has also taken action against companies in the energy drink and alcoholic beverage industries, including Monster Energy, Hell Energy, Diageo, and Pernod Ricard. In some cases, products have reportedly been seized over alleged violations.

Amazon and Flipkart got notices too

FSSAI says it has issued 12 notices to e-commerce companies, including Amazon and Flipkart. One Amazon warehouse license has also been canceled, according to the regulator.

Despite the heavy crackdown, FSSAI says companies are already cleaning things up. According to the regulator, many companies have begun taking corrective action after receiving notices.

Source: NDTV

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