What Is Bournvita Case? Know Why Centre Ordered Its Removal From 'Health Drinks' Category

NCPCR urged the FSSAI to take action against companies that did not meet safety standards and guidelines and are instead marketing power supplements as 'health drinks'

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has directed e-commerce firms to remove all drinks and beverages, including Bournvita, from the 'health drinks' category from their platforms and portals. This decision by the centre came into effect after a controversy interrupted when a social media influencer, Revant Himatsingka, who runs his social media channels by the name ‘Food Pharmer’ pointed out that the amount of sugar present in the Cadboury’s drink Bournvita is way beyond the limits for tagging it as a health drink and this created a huge controversy.

After the influencers’ video went viral on social media, Bournvita drew a lot of criticism from people, which caught the attention of the FMCG giant Mondelez India makers of Bournvita. The firm issued a legal notice to Himatsingka, forcing him to delete the video from all platforms. The matter escalated into a significant controversy, prompting the apex child rights body, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), to demand the withdrawal of all "misleading" advertisements, packaging, and labels from the brand after they found out in an investigation that the Bournvita drink contains sugar levels which is much beyond than the acceptable limits.

NCPCR urged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to take action against companies that did not meet safety standards and guidelines and are instead marketing power supplements as 'health drinks'. According to the regulatory body, 'health drink' lacks a defined definition within the country's food laws, and labelling products as such violates regulations. 

In December, marking a big win for the influencers’ claim, Cadbury's reduced the sugar content in their Bournvita chocolate 'health' drink by 14.4 per cent. In its original formulation, Bournvita contained 37.4 grams of added sugar per 100 grams of powder. The updated formula now features a reduced sugar content of 32.2 grams per 100 grams. Following the company's decision to decrease the added sugar content, Himatsingka posted a video on Instagram, hailing it as a "Big Win."

“Big win! Probably the first time in history that an INSTAGRAM REEL led to a food giant reducing its sugar content! One video resulted in a 15 per cent reduction in sugar. Imagine if all Indians started reading food labels. Companies wouldn't dare falsely market themselves,'' reads the post's caption.

Now, the centre has asked the brand to remove it from the ‘Health Drink’ category, which marks another big win for the influencer. “National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory body constituted under Section (3) of the Commission of Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, after its inquiry under Section 14 of CRPC Act 2005 concluded that there is no 'health drink' defined under FSS Act 2006, rules and regulations submitted by FSSAI and Mondelez India Food Pvt Ltd," the ministry said.

In addition, earlier this month, the FSSAI even directed e-commerce platforms to refrain from labelling dairy-based or malt-based beverages as 'health drinks' on their websites.