The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued show cause notices to Gemini Edibles & Fats India Limited, Innovative Retail Concepts Private Limited (BigBasket) and Flipkart India Private Limited over allegedly misleading claims made for Freedom Cooking Rice Bran Oil, Business Today reported. The regulator announced the action in a series of notices shared on social media on 16 October 2026, the report said.

According to the report, the oil was promoted with claims linking its consumption to cholesterol management and heart health. FSSAI said those claims were not covered under the applicable Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018. The regulator also flagged the absence of an apparent valid Central Licence for Gemini Edibles’ e-commerce activities.

The three businesses have been directed to show cause why action should not be initiated under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and related rules. The deadline for replies and the dates of the individual notices were not disclosed, and Business Today reported no response from the companies.

In the same series, FSSAI suspended the licence of DNV Food Products Limited with immediate effect after an inspection, Business Today reported. The findings included unhygienic manufacturing, packing and storage conditions, products stored directly on the floor or near walls, processing and repacking without the required licence endorsement, and the unavailability of food-grade packaging certificates, migration reports and mock recall records.

Platforms in the frame

The notices followed an interview in which FSSAI chief executive Rajit Punhani told Bloomberg that e-commerce was the regulator’s next big focus area. In the interview, carried by Business Standard on 13 October, Punhani set out plans to require online food listings to show manufacturing dates, expiry dates and batch numbers, and to hold platforms accountable for misleading claims made by manufacturers.

Bloomberg reported that FSSAI is also considering rules requiring photographs and addresses of dark kitchens, and stricter checks on dark stores to confirm proper storage, including for frozen items. These are plans described in an interview. The reports did not cite a draft notification or a timetable.

According to Bloomberg, Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Flipkart and Amazon’s India unit have all faced regulatory action for violations ranging from misbranding to the sale of prohibited items and invalid licences. Punhani told Bloomberg that prosecutions involving e-commerce companies had risen at least five to sixfold over the past year, and that regulatory bodies conducted about 700,000 inspections between April and September, almost double the figure a year earlier. He said state food and drug enforcement agencies, which operate independently of FSSAI, should also increase oversight.

Claims and supplements under review

Inc42 reported that FSSAI has issued notices to more than 150 food and beverage makers over allegedly incorrect or misleading ingredient claims and other labelling violations. Bloomberg reported that FSSAI is reviewing supplement and nutraceutical approvals granted as far back as three to five years ago, with plans to issue notices and suspend licences where it finds violations, and that Punhani said weight loss claims are not permitted.

Punhani also told Bloomberg that FSSAI is assessing trademarks such as “GLP Plus” that could mislead consumers, and has raised the issue with India’s trademark authorities.

F&B Today’s reading

  • Analysis: Naming the marketplaces alongside the brand owner signals that FSSAI treats platforms as answerable for claims on product listings. Brands should expect BigBasket, Flipkart and quick commerce operators to ask for claim substantiation and licence documents before listings go live.
  • Analysis: Health-linked claims on everyday staples such as edible oils are a clear pressure point. Brands should check every on-pack and on-listing claim against what the Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018 permit, and review anything that relies on a claim the rules do not cover.
  • Analysis: If listing rules on manufacturing date, expiry and batch number are adopted, brands and sellers will need batch-level data flowing into platform catalogues. For many smaller suppliers that is a systems change, not a label tweak.
  • Analysis: The Central Licence point in the Gemini notice is a basic check any supplier selling online can make now.