The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a formal notice to Gemini Edibles & Fats India Ltd, the Hyderabad-based producer, over rice bran oil products found to carry unsubstantiated health-benefit claims on their labelling, the latest in a series of regulatory actions the authority has been pursuing.

Notices targeting Gemini Edibles & Fats India, Innovative Retail Concepts (BigBasket), and Flipkart India were dispatched by FSSAI, which flagged the companies through a Friday social media post for allegedly making inaccurate product claims attached to 'Freedom Cooking Rice Bran Oil'. According to FSSAI, the product's promotion across e-commerce platforms and social media included assertions about reducing low-density lipoprotein and supporting high-density lipoprotein levels, as well as a claim of "10,000+ PPM Natural Oryzanol" — neither of which falls within the health-related representations authorised for edible vegetable oil, specifically rice bran oil, under the Advertising and Claims Regulations, 2018.

The authority's statement further noted that the firm had been dispatching food products through its own online retail channel without appearing to hold a central licence covering such digital sales operations. FSSAI issued show-cause notices to the food business operators, putting them on notice to explain why proceedings under the FSS Act, 2006 ought not to be brought against them.

An improvement notice was also directed at AB Hotels Ltd — the company behind New Delhi's Radisson Blu Hotel at Mahipalpur — over its failure to meet food safety and hygiene standards. The notice cited a range of regulatory shortfalls that included substandard upkeep of the premises and equipment, gaps in cleaning and sanitisation routines, the presence of stagnant water, and unresolved drainage and food-waste concerns.

Inspectors noted the presence of cockroaches and flies, pointing to gaps in how pest management was being carried out on the premises. Spoiled and mould-affected produce was accepted during deliveries, pointing to gaps in how food purchasing and incoming stock were being checked.

Shortfalls in approved-vendor documentation and product traceability were among the findings, alongside failures to keep raw and cooked foods apart, separate vegetarian items from non-vegetarian ones, isolate allergenic ingredients from non-allergenic products, and store food away from non-food materials, with additional non-compliances also noted. AB Hotels, operating as the food business operator, has been ordered to put corrective steps in place without delay and provide a detailed report on actions taken, backed by supporting documents and photographs. Non-compliance with the notice could result in escalating measures, up to and including revocation of the FSSAI licence, the regulatory body stated.

Licences held by DNV Foods and Jhanvitanni were withdrawn by the food safety regulator, with both companies cited for failing to meet compliance requirements. A licence held by DNV Food Products Ltd was withdrawn by FSSAI after inspectors flagged breaches of regulatory requirements at the facility, with four categories of infractions documented — covering how food or goods were kept, cleanliness practices, sanitation conditions, and whether the proper licences were held.

Jhanvittanni's operating licence was revoked after the establishment continued to fall short of food safety requirements even following an earlier suspension.