The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has directed Storia Foods and Beverages Pvt. Ltd. to discontinue a series of advertisements and product claims relating to its coconut water and fruit juice products, holding that the company’s representations such as “100% Tender Coconut Water,” “100% Natural Tender Coconut Water,” and “100% Juice” were misleading and likely to deceive consumers. The Authority also imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh on the company and directed compliance within 15 days.
The proceedings were initiated after the CCPA took suo motu cognisance and examined promotional material displayed on Storia’s website, product packaging and e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Flipkart, Blinkit, Jiomart and Zepto. The Authority found that the product marketed as “100% Tender Coconut Water” actually contained water and coconut water concentrate (9.6%), while the fruit juice variants disclosed significant quantities of water and concentrates despite being promoted as “100% Juice.”
Rejecting the company’s defence that the products complied with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations, the CCPA held that compliance with food safety norms does not automatically shield a manufacturer from scrutiny under consumer protection laws. The Authority stated:
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“Compliance with FSS framework does not, by itself, answer the distinct question that arises under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 namely, whether the advertisement, viewed from the perspective of an ordinary consumer, creates a false or misleading impression as to the nature, composition or quality of the product.”
The Authority found that the prominent front-of-pack claims conveyed to consumers that the products were entirely natural and directly derived from the named fruit, whereas the ingredient declarations revealed otherwise. According to the order:
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“The impression created by the words ‘100%’ and ‘Natural’ read together is that the ordinary consumer would understand the product to contain an absence of any manufacturing process between the coconut and the bottle. The representation therefore falsely describes the product.”
The CCPA was also critical of health-related claims made for the coconut water products, including assertions that they “Combat Viruses,” “Improve Metabolism,” “Kill Fatigue,” and “Rehydrate the Body Faster than Water.” It observed that Storia had failed to place any product-specific scientific studies or clinical trial data on record to substantiate such claims.
Concluding that the advertisements created a misleading impression regarding the composition, quality and benefits of the products, the CCPA held that Storia had violated provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 relating to misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. It directed the company to immediately discontinue the impugned claims across its website, packaging and e-commerce listings and to cease making health or therapeutic benefit claims unless supported by adequate scientific evidence.
