In re Global Healthfit Retail India LLP-Neuherbs (Central Consumer Protection Authority)
Summary: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) held Global Healthfit Retail India LLP-Neuherbs responsible for misleading advertisements concerning its Green Coffee Extract products. The proceedings arose from a consumer-organisation complaint alleging that Green Coffee Extract products were promoted for weight loss despite the absence of evidence-based conclusions establishing a positive correlation between Green Coffee Extract and weight reduction. CCPA also examined claims that the product “helps improve insulin function which assists in blood sugar management and detoxification.”
After preliminary inquiry and investigation by the Director General (Investigation), CCPA found that the company relied on publicly available scientific literature rather than product-specific clinical or scientific evidence. The investigation noted that cited studies involved different populations and conditions, contained acknowledged limitations, and did not establish a clear correlation with the specific dosage or intended use of the Neuherbs product. The Authority further observed that the product packaging and advertisements did not contain qualifying disclaimers corresponding to the limitations asserted by the company during the proceedings.
The Opposite Party maintained that individual clinical trials were not mandatory under the applicable food-safety framework, that the product was marketed as a food/nutraceutical supplement under a valid FSSAI licence, and that its claims were based on peer-reviewed publications, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials and scientific literature concerning Green Coffee Extract, Chlorogenic Acid and Caffeine. It also stated that manufacture of the product had been discontinued and supplied sales information showing 3,318 units sold, a total sale value of Rs. 6,54,870 and the last recorded sale on 14.06.2026.
CCPA concluded that the scientific material relied upon did not constitute conclusive product-specific substantiation for the advertised weight-management and related health claims. It also recorded that digital listings remained available on e-commerce platforms despite discontinuation of manufacture and treated the visual presentation and claims as misleading. The Authority held that the conduct attracted the misleading-advertisement provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Exercising powers under Sections 18, 20 and 21 read with Section 10 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, CCPA directed immediate discontinuation of the impugned advertisements from electronic and print media, warned that future weight-loss/management claims must be backed by concrete evidence, imposed a penalty of Rs. 1,00,000, and directed submission of the penalty and a compliance report within 15 days.
FULL TEXT OF THE ORDER OF CENTRAL CONSUMER PROTECTION AUTHORITY
1. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has been enacted to provide for protection of the interests of consumers and to establish authorities for timely and effective administration and enforcement of consumer rights. In furtherance of the said objective, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (hereinafter referred to as “CCPA”), established under Section 10 of the Act, is empowered to regulate matters relating to misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, and violation of consumer rights, and to take appropriate action in the interest of consumers as a class.
2. The present case arises out of a complaint/reference received by CCPA dated 22nd November 2022 filed by the complainant, a voluntary consumer organization, through Secretary General, PVVS Murthy, Consumer Advocacy Group against Green Coffee Extract products by Global Healthfit Retail India LLP-Neuherbs (hereinafter referred to as “the Opposite Party”) Scientifically Unproven Weight Loss Dietary Supplement “Green Coffee Extract” available in many forms such as capsules, powder, etc”. In the representation, the complainant has alleged that the markets are flooded with Green Coffee Extract Products both online and offline with misleading advertisements promising Weight Loss. Further, it has been submitted by the Complainant that the researches carried out so far are only on a very small sample size and short duration. Thus, they could not lead to an evidence-based conclusion on the positive correlation between Green Coffee Extract and Weight Reduction.
3. Thereafter, CCPA forwarded the complaint to Ministry of Ayush & requested their comments in the matter vide its O.M. dated 23rd February 2022.
4. The comments of the Ministry of AYUSH were received on 04.07.2023 which stated that the “Green Coffee extract products” is not mentioned in any of the authoritative books of Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani as listed in the First Schedule of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the product has the license/ registration from Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).
5. Thereafter, the CCPA, in exercise of its powers under Section 19 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, conducted a preliminary inquiry into the matter. At the prima facie stage, the CCPA noted that the advertisements published by the Opposite Party’s on e-commerce platform such as Amazon in respect to Green coffee claims such as ‘helps improve insulin function which assists in blood sugar management and detoxification’ were unsubstantiated. During the course of inquiry, it was found that the Opposite Party is selling the Green Coffee product as scientifically unproven weight loss Dietary Supplement in the form of capsules, powder etc. However, no essence or quality of coffee was mentioned, but just a weight loss management under the name of ‘green’ was advertised. Further in this relation, it was found that the alleged misleading advertisement of the Green coffee product was deliberately concealing important information with respect to the product.
6. The CCPA considered whether any material was available on record indicating the basis of the aforesaid claims, including the existence of any data, records, scientific studies, or documented instances but its absence demonstrated that the Opposite Party had indulged in misleading advertisement by not providing important information. In view of the above, it was found that the Opposite Party fails to adhere to the Section 2(28) of the CP Act, 2019 and hence is in violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
7. Subsequently, after examining the preliminary inquiry report, CCPA formed a view that the impugned claims warrant examination as to their basis and manner of presentation especially under Sections 2(28), 2(47), and 2(9) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the CCPA was satisfied that a prima facie case existed for class action and issuance of a Show Cause Notice to the Opposite Party.
8. Thereafter, the CCPA issued a Show Cause Notice dated 17th October 2023 to the Opposite Party, calling upon it to explain as to why action should not be taken against it for dissemination of misleading advertisement and violation of Consumer Rights. The Show Cause Notice was issued majorly on the following issues:
i. The seller is claiming their green coffee beans for ‘weight loss’. The Company is claiming that the product ‘helps improve insulin function which assists in blood sugar management and detoxification’ without providing adequate scientific substantiation and selling a scientifically unproven weight-loss Dietary Supplement.
ii. Misleading Consumers by exaggeration and violating consumer’s rights as mentioned under Section-2(9) of the CP Act, 2019 i.e., the right to be informed about standard, quality and genuineness of the product and right to consumer awareness.
iii. Luring consumers under the title of green, healthy and weight loss supplements.
9. In response to the notice, a reply dated 3rd November 2023 was received from the Opposite Party, wherein, following submissions were made:
i. The scientific studies conducted by Research Organizations where it has been proved that “Green Coffee Beans” helps in weight loss, blood sugar management and improve metabolic functions and other benefits.
ii. The Scientific Studies conducted by the Research Organizations have demonstrated the efficacy of Green Coffee in achieving benefits, further the impugned advertisement is based on a thorough analysis of available data and scientific research. The research has been subjected to scrutiny by the academic and scientific communities through a rigorous peer-review process.
iii. The research and advertising practices are fully aligned with industry regulations and guidelines.
iv. The Opposite Party has established an internal Ethics and Compliance Committee dedicated to ensuring that their advertising practices meet the highest standards of ethics and compliance.
v. Further the Opposite Party has assured that they are actively reviewing and adopting industry best practices in advertising and marketing ethics. This includes participating in industry forums and working closely with industry associations to stay up-to-date with the latest guidelines and regulations.
10. Having thoroughly examined the replies received from the Opposite Party and the issued raised as evident from the preliminary inquiry, CCPA was satisfied that there existed a prima facie case of violation of provisions of Consumer Protection Act 2019. Accordingly, CCPA in exercise of its statutory powers under Section 19(1) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, vide letter dated 07.05.2025 referred the matter to Director General (Investigation) to conduct detailed investigation into the matter and submit its report.
11. The Director General (Investigation) submitted its report dated 15.04.2026 whereby the findings are as under:
i. During the course of investigation, it was observed that the Company, which was earlier selling green coffee bean powder with misleading and exaggerated claims, continues to market and sell the same product with identical claims on various e-commerce platforms.
ii. Further, it has been observed that the Company is now selling “Green Coffee Instant charge” in tablet form, with the same claims as those associated with the green coffee bean powder. This expansion of product range with identical claims raises serious concerns regarding product credibility and reflects inadequate compliance measures on the part of the company.
iii. The claims are misleading as they attribute unsubstantiated health and therapeutic benefits to the product. The company has failed to provide any independent scientific studies or clinical trial data conducted on its own product to substantiate such claims.
iv. It was further observed that the company in its submissions, admitted that it has not conducted any scientific or clinical trials on its own product instead relies on publicly available global articles, data, and research. However, it simultaneously claims that its product is “backed by science, rooted in nature”.
v. It was observed that the research papers and journals submitted by the company are not directly comparable to the product in question, as the conclusions drawn therein are inconclusive in nature. The studies cited do not establish a clear correlation with the specific dosage or intended use of the product.
vi. In one such study, “subjects were randomly assigned to consume 400 mg of Green Coffee Extract (GCE) or placebo tablets twice daily for 8 weeks.” However, the product packaging and labeling do not specify any such dosage regimen, nor do they include any disclaimer indicating whether the product should be consumed once or twice daily to achieve the claimed benefits. Given that the product contains 400 mg of (GCE) and 200 mg of Chlorogenic Acid, the absence of clear dosage instructions creates ambiguity regarding the quantity required to obtain the purported results.
vii. Additionally, some of the studies submitted by the company explicitly acknowledge limitations in their findings. For instance, the conclusion state that “Long-term research on the effectiveness and safety of Green Coffee Bean Extract and Chlorogenic Acid on body weight require more clinical trials,” thereby establishing that the findings are preliminary and not definitive.
viii. Reliance on such general scientific literature or studies conducted on different populations and conditions, does not substantiate product-specific claims. While such references may contribute to general scientific understanding, marketing the product as delivering specific benefits without conducting product-specific clinical trials raises serious concerns regarding the validity of such claims.
ix. The company has stated that the claims are general in nature, and the advertisements are not intended to guarantee specific results or outcomes and consumers are advised to use the product in conjunction with a balanced lifestyle. However, no such disclaimer or qualifying statement is present in the actual advertisements or product claims.
The investigation report concluded as below:
x. Global Healthfit Retail India LLP-Neuherbs is in violation of Sections 2(9), 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The claims and advertisements made by the company falsely describes the product and exaggerate its characteristics so as to mislead and lure consumers under the labels of ‘green,’ ‘healthy,’ and weight loss supplements.
xi. Additionally, the company is in violation of Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022 as it continues to make unsubstantiated health and therapeutic claims without any product-specific clinical or scientific evidence. The advertisements fail to include disclaimers regarding the general nature of the claims, the absence of guaranteed results, or the recommendation to use the product alongside a balanced lifestyle thereby further misleading consumer.
12. The Investigation Report submitted by DG (Investigation) was shared with the opposite party vide letter dated 04.05.2026 to furnish its comments.
13. Thereafter, the Opposite Party vide its comments dated 14.05.2026 submitted the following:
a. That there is no mandatory requirement under the Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, etc.) Regulations, 2016 to conduct individual clinical trials for every product where the ingredients used are approved and within permissible limits.
b. The product was marketed as a food product/beverage supplement under a valid FSSAI license and not as a pharmaceutical or therapeutic drug requiring independent clinical efficacy trials.
c. The claims made in relation to the product were based upon publicly available scientific literature concerning Green Coffee Extract, Chlorogenic Acid and Caffeine.
d. The Opposite Party had placed on record peer-reviewed publications, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials and scientific studies from recognized scientific repositories including PubMed and NCBI.
e. That the studies relied upon reflected the general scientific understanding concerning the ingredients used in the product and were never represented as proprietary product-specific clinical trials conducted by the Company.
f. That limitations and recommendations for future research are a standard feature of scientific literature and do not invalidate the scientific relevance of the studies relied upon.
g. That the Instant Charge Tablets contain 400 mg Green Coffee Extract, which matches the dosage used in successful human clinical trials relied upon by the Opposite Party.
h. That “Instant Energy”, in the context of a beverage/food supplement, refers to the physiological stimulation caused by the caffeine content. The Opposite Party has never marketed the product as a drug or miracle weight-loss cure but rather as a complement to a healthy lifestyle.
i. That the Opposite Party has a valid FSSAI license (No. 10020051003483) and the products are fully approved by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, bearing the status of ‘Food Product/Nutraceutical’, and all safety parameters under the FSSAI Act have been complied with.
14. In view of the aforementioned submissions, an opportunity of hearing was provided to the Opposite Party on 17.06.2026 wherein Advocate Jaskaran Singh Chawla and Ms. Jyoti made the following submissions:
a. The said Product qualifies as a “proprietary food” within the meaning of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (“FSS Act”) and the rules and regulations framed thereunder.
b. The Product is not a drug or medicinal product, but is a nutraceutical tablet/supplement marketed by the Company as a food product.
c. The Product containing green coffee bean extract is intended to supplement a balanced and healthy lifestyle and is not intended to be used as a substitute for regular coffee.
d. With regard to the claims relating to the Product, including the claim that it “boosts metabolism”, the Company submitted that such claims are based on publicly available scientific studies and research papers concerning green coffee bean extract and its properties.
e. The Company further submitted that the Product continues to be available in the market through certain marketers however, its sales have witnessed a decline over the past five years.
The Company submitted that the ingredients of the Product were clearly and adequately disclosed on the product packaging. It was reiterated that the manufacturing of the Product by the Company had been discontinued for a considerable period and that the Product was no longer being manufactured by the Company.
15. During the hearing held on 17.06.2026, the Opposite Party was directed to furnish the documents asked for clarification such as Sales and Distribution Data like how many total units of the ‘Neuherbs Green Coffee Extract’ product has the Company sold to date, Substantiation of Misleading claims, Status of manufacturing and Discontinuation which they failed to furnish within the stipulated time. However, CCPA vide its e-mail dated 31.07.2026 sought the information from the Opposite Party on following points:
i. The total number of units of ‘Neuherbs Green Coffee Extract’ sold by the Company to date, the exact date of sale of the last unit, and the total period for which the Product remained available in the market.
ii. Substantiation of Claims that whether the Company has conducted or commissioned any scientific study, clinical trial or research substantiating the claims that the Product “helps improve insulin function which assists in blood sugar management and detoxification.”
iii. Whether any such study, clinical trial or research has been conducted or commissioned, submit a detailed technical note along with all relevant research papers, studies, reports and supporting scientific evidence to the CCPA within one week of receipt of the notice.
iv. Submission of formal clarification stating the reasons for not previously furnishing the complete sales and distribution data relating to the ‘Neuherbs Green Coffee Extract’ Product to the CCPA.
v. Whether the manufacturing of the Company’s green coffee extract products has been permanently discontinued or temporarily suspended, along with the reasons thereof.
vi. To furnish a formal written undertaking clearly stating whether the Company has completely discontinued the ‘Neuherbs Green Coffee Extract’ product line or whether any such Product continues to be manufactured, marketed or distributed.
vii. To furnish the exact date on which the Company ceased manufacturing of the ‘Neuherbs Green Coffee Extract’ Product.
16. In view of the above, the Opposite party furnished their response dated 03.08.2026 received by CCPA on 06.08.2026 wherein the Opposite Party submitted as follows:
i. The Opposite Party submitted that a total of 3,318 units of the product have been sold to date.
ii. The last recorded sale of the product was made on 14.06.2026.
iii. The product was available in the market for 5 years.
iv. The product was developed and marketed in accordance with the applicable regulatory framework prevailing at the relevant time. The product communication was prepared based on the published scientific literature and technical material relating to the ingredients used in the formulation as available at the relevant time.
v. The total sale value of the product submitted is Rs. 6,54,870/-
vi. In October 2025, the management took a formal decision to discontinue the concerned product, namely Green Coffee and cease its sale in the market.
17. Subsequently, the Opposite Party was provided an opportunity of hearing on 06.08.2026 wherein Opposite Party was represented by Ms. Jyoti Joshi and Advocate Pratyush Kumar Yadav who made the following submissions:
a) The Opposite Party submitted certain research papers and scientific literature in support of the efficacy and use of Chlorogenic Acid in the product.
b) The Opposite Party submitted that it holds a valid licence issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for the manufacture/sale of the product.
c) The Opposite Party submitted that the ingredients used in the product are derived from and are covered under the Schedule to the applicable Nutraceutical Regulations, and are therefore permissible for use in nutraceutical products, subject to the applicable regulatory requirements.
d) The Opposite Party submitted that the product is a nutraceutical supplement intended to provide nutritional and health benefits and is available in tablet form. It was further submitted that the recommended dosage of the product is one tablet per day and that the ingredients specified under Schedule III are permitted for use in such nutraceutical supplements.
e) The manufacture/production of the said product was discontinued with effect from 2025.
f) The Opposite Party further submitted that it has already initiated communication with Flipkart and Amazon requesting the delisting/removal of the said product from their respective platforms.
18. The oral and written submissions by the opposite party are carefully examined and after due consideration, the CCPA draws the following observations:
a) The Opposite Party has admitted that it has not conducted any product-specific scientific or clinical trials on its own product and has relied upon publicly available research material.
b) The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has taken note of the submissions regarding discontinuation of the product and the status of the identified online listings. However, the discontinuation of a product does not preclude examination of the advertisements and claims made in respect of such product during the period when it was marketed and available to consumers. This issue before the Authority pertains to the veracity, substantiation, and presentation of the claims made by the Opposite Party, including the claims “helps improve insulin function which assists in blood sugar management and detoxification”.
c) In support of the aforementioned claims, the Opposite Party has relied on general scientific literature regarding Chlorogenic Acid (CGA) and a laboratory report on antioxidant activity. The Authority notes that while ingredient-level properties are material, product-specific efficacy or health claims must be substantiated by adequate, reliable, and relevant scientific evidence proving that the finished product delivers the purported benefits to consumers. Furthermore, comparative claims require rigorous methodology and appropriate disclosures to prevent creating a misleading impression of product superiority.
d) The Authority further observes that the regulatory framework under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 governing food-related claims shall be duly considered. However, compliance with food safety regulations does not exclude the applicability of the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 in cases involving allegations of misleading advertisements or unfair trade practices.
e) The advertisement is false & misleading as it deliberately conceals important information with respect to Green Coffee and exaggerated the claim of “helps improve insulin function which assists in blood sugar management and detoxification” to mislead aspirants/consumers. This deceptive practice consequently attracted consumers into buying coffee products through the misleading advertisements by the opposite party on the e-commerce platforms.
g) Furthermore, the Opposite Party in their support have relied on the several research papers submitted vide its response dated 03.11.2023 and 03.08.2026. The research papers were examined by CCPA.
h) Upon careful examination of the studies submitted by the Opposite Party, the CCPA observed that the said studies were conducted in foreign jurisdictions and were neither conducted nor independently researched in India. Further, the studies primarily relate to Green Coffee Extract as an ingredient and do not specifically evaluate the efficacy or safety of the impugned product. It was also observed that the studies were conducted on relatively small sample sizes and do not provide a consistent or uniform conclusion regarding the efficacy of Green Coffee Extract for weight management. Accordingly, the research papers relied upon by the Opposite Party, in their present form, cannot be regarded as conclusive scientific evidence substantiating the claimed weight-management benefits of the impugned product. This is particularly so as the studies themselves acknowledge that, owing to the limited number of available studies and the small sample sizes, the efficacy of Green Coffee Extract could not be conclusively established. The studies further recognise the need for additional and more rigorous clinical trials involving larger sample sizes and further research to adequately substantiate its claimed efficacy and safety.
i) It is also observed that the Opposite Party discontinued the manufacturing of the product in 2025 owing to low market demand. However, the Opposite Party persists in profiteering by maintaining active digital listings on e-commerce platforms such as BigBasket, Flipkart & Amazon, utilizing interactive “Notify Me” interfaces to sustain consumer engagement and thereby indulged in unfair trade practice. Further, the Opposite party vide communication dated 08.08.2026 place on record the communication addressed to Amazon and Flipkart stating that the said product, Green Coffee, had already been archived/discontinued on Flipkart with effect from 23.04.2025 and has not been available for sale since the said date. Further, Flipkart has officially confirmed the above position on 07.08.2026, confirming that the product was archived/discontinued and was not available for sale since 23.04.2025. Further, the Opposite party has failed to place on record any official communication addressed to Bigbasket and Amazon stating that the said product, Neuherbs Green Coffee Beans had stopped being manufactured and should therefore not be listed on their e-commerce platform for sale. Despite the communication addressed to Amazon and Flipkart, the listings of the product are still available on the respective websites.
j) The conduct of the Opposite Party deliberately conveys an express or implied intention to advertise and promote green coffee through misleading visual presentation. The screenshots of the advertisements displayed on Amazon, Flipkart & Bigbasket are annexed herewith as Annexure-I, Annexure-II and Annexure-III.
k) Furthermore, it is observed that the impugned advertisements and product labels are in direct violation of Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, as they deliberately conceal material information regarding the product’s actual composition, long-term efficacy and potential health implications. By marketing catchphrases such as “helps improve insulin function which assists in blood sugar management and detoxification” the Opposite Party has falsely described the product’s natural attributes and intentionally exaggerated its material characteristics. This deceptive marketing strategy was engineered to exploit consumer vulnerabilities, lure undiscerning buyers through misleading representations and distort market choices under the false pretense of wellness.
16. During the hearing in the case, it has become clear that the opposite party has no objective data to back its claim about their product. In a nut shell, the opposite party did not have any in house dataset to back its claims. The actions of opposite party attracts the applicability of Section 21(2) read with section 21(7) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, thereby warranting imposition of penalty. Thus, the case of Global Healthfit Retail India LLP-Neuherbs is a fit case of Misleading Advertisement under Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
17. The CCPA is empowered under Section 21 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 to issue directions to the advertiser of false or misleading advertisement to discontinue or modify the advertisement and if necessary, it may, by order, impose a penalty which may extend to ten lakh rupees and for every subsequent contravention may extend to fifty lakh rupees. Further, Section 21(7) of the above Act prescribes that following may be regarded while determining the penalty against false or misleading advertisement:-
a) the population and the area impacted or affected by such offence;
b) the frequency and duration of such offence;
c) the vulnerability of the class of persons likely to be adversely affected by such offence;
d) Gross revenue from sales effected by virtue of such offence.
18. In light of the findings highlighted above, CCPA finds it necessary to impose penalty on the opposite party. In deciding the quantum of penalty, the CCPA takes into consideration the facts and findings evidenced during the proceedings.
19. In view of the above, under Section 21 of the Consumer Protection Act 2019, CCPA hereby issues the following directions to the opposite party:
a) To discontinue the impugned advertisement from all electronic and print media whatsoever with immediate effect.
b) To be forewarned that no such claims such as weight loss/management may be made in future, unless it is backed by concrete evidence.
c) After giving due consideration to sub-clause (7) of section 21 of Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and factors noted in (i) and (ii) above, CCPA deems it fit to levy a penalty of Rs. 1,00,000/- on the opposite party to meet the ends of the necessity to impose penalty for the violations.
d) The opposite party shall submit the amount of penalty and a compliance report to CCPA on the above directions within 15 days from the date of this Order.
The above directions are passed in exercise of the powers under section 18, Section 20 and Section 21 read with section 10 of the Consumer Protection Act 2019.
