Now Reading: CCPA fines Britannia Rs 1 lakh for misleading ‘100% whole wheat’ bread claim
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CCPA fines Britannia Rs 1 lakh for misleading ‘100% whole wheat’ bread claim
CCPA fines Britannia Rs 1 lakh for misleading ‘100% whole wheat’ bread claim
The Story in Brief
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a Rs 1 lakh penalty on Britannia Industries Ltd for claiming its bread was '100% Whole Wheat' when whole wheat flour constituted only about 62 per cent of the finished product. In an order dated 22 October, the regulator directed the company to stop the advertisement across all platforms immediately.
The CCPA said the claim was prima facie misleading under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, because an ordinary consumer would understand it to mean the entire loaf was whole wheat. It rejected Britannia's argument that '100%' referred only to the flour component and was meant to signal the absence of refined flour (maida). Britannia has been given 15 days to submit a compliance report.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The CCPA's October 22 order is the central fact both outlets report, but each frames liability differently. ABP Live leads with the regulator's reasoning that a front-of-pack claim cannot be corrected by small-print qualifications, it gives the company's argument that '100%' referred to the flour component alone, then shows its rejection. Deccan Herald leads with the Rs 1 lakh penalty and, in two sentences, says Britannia 'admitted' the 62 per cent wheat content, presenting the case as settled. The ABP Live report, at roughly 50 per cent more text, spends space on the procedural timeline, FSSAI's May 2025 advisory and July 2026 improvement notice, and notes that Britannia had begun renaming the product, while Deccan Herald omits those nuances for a tighter enforcement narrative.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): abplive.com (neutral report), deccanherald.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
