The Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed penalties of Rs 1 lakh each on Storia Foods and Mrs Bectors Food Specialities over advertisements containing absolute "100%" claims.
The regulator said "100%" is a precise numerical expression and cannot be used loosely, approximately or merely as a marketing slogan. A consumer reading such a claim is entitled to understand it in its ordinary and literal sense unless the composition fully supports it.
In the Storia Foods matter, the authority examined claims used for beverages sold through the company's website, product packaging and major online marketplaces. One coconut-water product was described as "100% Tender Coconut Water" even though the listed composition included water and 9.6% coconut-water concentrate and the drink was reconstituted.
The official account also said the product contained the Class II preservative INS 202, which the CCPA considered inconsistent with an accompanying "100% Natural" claim. Other examined beverage descriptions listed water with specified proportions of fruit-juice concentrates or pulp.
In the case involving Mrs Bectors, marketed under the English Oven brand, the authority examined a claim that a product was "Naturally rich in Whole Grains with 100% whole-wheat flour". Videos carrying the claims had recorded more than 50 lakh cumulative views by 23 April 2026, according to the release.
The orders place responsibility on food companies to ensure that prominent numerical and naturalness claims match the actual ingredient declaration. The penalties are specific to the advertisements examined; they do not amount to a general finding about every product sold by either company.
For consumers, the decision clarifies the standard the CCPA expects: an absolute front-facing claim must be substantiated by the product's composition and must not be contradicted by qualifiers or ingredient information elsewhere in the presentation.
