New Delhi: Disputes have erupted between two major domestic FMCG companies, Dabur and Marico, over claims over their respective city brands, and both have taken the matter to the advertising regulator ASCI. Dabur said on Sunday that she was filing a complaint with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) against her rival Marico’s claim that her Safola honey brand had passed the NMR test.
The Noida-based company claimed that Marico’s Safola honey failed the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) test and was misleading consumers. Dabur claimed, “Dabur is filing a complaint against Marico with ASCI because a sample of his safola honey taken from the market has failed the test. The test report clearly indicates the presence of sugar syrup in the saffron honey. ”
“His claim on the NMR test is confusing consumers,” Dabur claimed. However, rejecting Dabur’s claim, Marico said, “Safola honey also meets all the quality standards of FSSAI.” Earlier, Marico had lodged a complaint with the ASCI on October 1 over Dabur’s NRR claim regarding honey.
A spokesperson for Marico said, “Dabur has claimed that its product Dabur Honey is pure honey as per the NMR investigation, against which Marico has lodged a complaint with ASCI. The claim to be honest on NMR has been found to be false and misleading. ”
Marico filed another complaint with the ASCI on December 3, challenging Dabur’s claim that his honey had passed a German NMR test. Without naming any brand, ASCI said it has received four complaints against honey brands in the last few months.
