"Multigrain", "Natural", "No Added Sugar" — Misleading Health Claims on Indian Packaged Food

An independent audit by LabelBlind Solutions found that 33.6% of food labelling claims in India's packaged food market are non-compliant with FSSAI regulations. More than one in three products makes a claim on its front packaging that either violates the law or misleads consumers.

These are the most common misleading claims and what they actually mean.

What you assume: Multiple whole grains providing fibre and nutrients.

What it usually means: The product contains traces of multiple grain types — often as less than 5% of total content — while the dominant ingredient remains refined wheat flour (maida).

Example: A "multigrain" biscuit or cracker may contain: refined wheat flour (70%), oats (5%), ragi flour (3%), corn flour (2%). The front of pack says "Multigrain" in large type. The nutrition facts show 1.5g of fibre per serving — virtually zero.

FSSAI reality: FSSAI does not define a minimum percentage for "multigrain" claims. Any product containing more than one grain can legally use the term.

What you assume: Significantly healthier than fried snacks.

What it usually means: The product was baked instead of deep fried. It may still contain the same high sodium, refined flour, and saturated fat from added oils.

Reality: Baking removes the deep-frying oil, but manufacturers often add back significant oil quantities for texture. Some baked snacks have comparable fat content to fried versions. FSSAI does not require calorie or fat comparisons for "baked not fried" claims.

What you assume: Low sugar, safe for diabetics.

What it usually means (often): No sucrose (table sugar) was added. However, the product may contain:

FSSAI reality: "No added sugar" is permitted as long as no sucrose, glucose, or fructose was added as an ingredient. Ingredients that contain these sugars (fruit concentrates, honey) or alternative sugars (maltitol) are not covered by the restriction.

What you assume: The flavour comes from natural sources.

What it usually means: A synthetic compound derived from a natural source at some point in its manufacturing chain. The FDA definition of "natural flavour" allows for hundreds of synthetic processing steps as long as the original source material was natural.

In practice, "natural strawberry flavour" may have never been near a strawberry after the initial extraction of one compound.

What you assume: Significantly high protein content for your goals.

What it usually means: FSSAI defines "high protein" as containing at least 20% of energy from protein. For a 100 calorie snack, this means just 5g of protein — not particularly impressive.

A "high protein" biscuit claiming 5g protein per serving at 200 calories still gives only 10% of a 50kg woman's daily protein requirement.

What you assume: No trans fat whatsoever.

What it usually means: Per FSSAI regulations, products containing less than 0.2g of trans fat per serving can be labelled "zero trans fat". If the serving size is defined as 10g and the product has 0.19g trans fat per 10g, the label legally reads "zero trans fat."

Consuming multiple "zero trans fat" servings per day can accumulate significant actual trans fat intake.

What you assume: The product provides meaningful micronutrition.

What it usually means: A small quantity of synthetic vitamins was added to a product that is otherwise nutritionally poor. This is called "nutrient washing" — adding just enough vitamins to make a health claim while the product remains high in sugar, sodium, or refined carbs.

Example: A highly sugared breakfast cereal can claim "source of B vitamins and iron" by adding synthetic fortification. The added vitamins are real. The sugar content undermining the claim is also real.

Rule 1: Ignore the front of the pack entirely. Read the ingredients and nutrition table on the back.

Rule 2: Look at ingredients in order. The first three ingredients define the product.

Rule 3: For any "low" or "no" claim (low fat, no added sugar, low sodium) — check the actual gram amount in the nutrition table.

Rule 4: Scan with AaharIQ.

→ Download AaharIQ Free — See Past the Marketing Claims

AaharIQ reads the nutrition table and ingredients list — not the marketing copy — and gives you a factual health score regardless of what the front of the pack says.