NEW DELHI — The Delhi High Court has sought responses from the Central Government and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regarding a legal challenge against regulatory notices that prohibit the manufacture and sale of ‘Fortune Soya Health Refined Soyabean Oil’ over alleged misleading label claims. The petitioner, AWL Agri Business Limited, approached the high court after the food safety regulator issued show-cause notices objecting to on-pack declarations such as “100% Veg”, “Cholesterol Free”, and “For Healthy Lifestyle”.
Opposing the maintainability of the petition, statutory authorities contended that the Delhi High Court lacked territorial jurisdiction because the agribusiness firm is based in Gujarat and its refining operations take place outside the national capital. Dismissing these preliminary objections, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma held that the foundational actions and nationwide directives directly challenged by the manufacturer originated from FSSAI’s principal regulatory headquarters located within Delhi, thereby establishing proper legal standing and jurisdiction before the court.
According to the petition, FSSAI issued a show-cause notice on July 17 alleging violations of advertising, claim, and labelling regulations, while simultaneously issuing a countrywide directive instructing state food safety commissioners to halt the manufacture, distribution, and sale of products categorized as non-compliant. The edible oil manufacturer submitted that the blanket directive led to immediate market disruptions, as regional food safety officers instructed distributors to stop commercial sales, prompting retailers to decline shipments and return existing inventories. The high court directed the respondents to submit their counter-affidavits within four weeks and scheduled the next hearing for November 5.
