The NCPCR sent a notice to Mondelez International India on April 21.
The NCPCR also ordered the company to send a detailed explanation or report within seven days to inform the panel of the matter.
The National Commission for the Protection of Children’s Rights (NCPCR) has issued an advisory to Mondelez International, India – the company that manufactures Bournvita to remove all misleading advertisements, packaging and labels after claims that the product has a high in sugar which could be harmful to children. The NCPCR also ordered the company to send a detailed explanation or report within seven days to inform the panel of the matter.
The notice issued by the NCPCR on April 21 was addressed to the Indian chairman of Mondelez International, Deepak Iyer, PTI reported. He said he was aware of a complaint that Bournvita itself as a health powder/drink that supports a child’s growth and development, “contains a high percentage of sugar” and substances that may have ” a harmful impact on the health of children”. .
“The commission observes in this regard that the product produced by your company misleads customers through its packaging and advertisements. The Commission observes that your product’s labeling, packaging, display and advertising claims are misleading to the general public,” the notice states.
Although the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has yet to refer to the Bournvita issue, the regulator in a statement earlier this month mentioned that it had taken note of various media reports, including the social media take on various health claims. carried out by food sector operators (OPA) in the country.
The notice also stated that FASSAI is actively fulfilling its statutory role in the interests of consumers by taking action against food business operators allegedly involved in making “any false/misleading food claims in order to protect the interests of consumers while ensuring fair trade practices and orderly growth of the food industry in the country”.
The NCPCR is a statutory body constituted under Section 3 of the Commission for the Protection of the Rights of the Child Act 2005 to protect the rights of the child and other related matters in the country.
The notice came weeks after a video by social media influencer Revant Himatsinhka went viral where he said Bournvita was high in sugar. The video received around 12 million views. He also said that Bournvita’s slogan “tayyari jeet ki” should be changed to “tayyari diabetes ki”. He later deleted the video from all platforms after receiving legal notice from the company.
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