The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA)seizes tea packs for false claims

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA)seizes tea packs for false claims

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raided a godown of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) at Nagpur recently and seized stock worth Rs 11 lakh of one of its popular tea brands.

Samples of the seized stock have been sent for testing. The stock has been seized under Rule 39 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act 1955, which does not allow manufacturers to make false claims on food products. The seized packs claimed that the product was a rich natural source of antioxidant flavonoids that protect cells and tissues in human body.

It was learnt that FDA had directed the company to withdraw the claim from its packets by December 2010. But as the company failed to do so, action was taken against it. The seized stock consisted of 16,794 packs with packaging date February 2011 weighing 245 gm.