For the past few days, there is a lot of discussion on social media about the popular chocolate drink Bournvita. After the allegations of an influencer regarding its healthy claims, now the food regulator FSSAI has released a big statement. FSSAI on Friday said it continues to take action against food business operators involved in making false or misleading claims to protect the interest of consumers.
The regulator said this amid allegations of high sugar content in Bournvita, a health drink brand owned by Mondelez India. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) did not specifically mention the Bournvita issue. But in a statement, it said it has taken note of various media reports, including social media, about various health claims made by Food Business Operators (FBOs) in the country.
The food regulator said that FSSAI is actively playing its statutory role by taking action against those FBOs to protect the interest of consumers while ensuring fair trade practices and orderly growth of the food industry, which is involved in making any false or misleading claims about food products.
The statement comes in the wake of ‘social media influencer’ Rewant Himatsingka’s allegation that Bournvita contains more sugar.
However, the company rejected this claim earlier this week. The accuser had removed his video from social media following a legal notice from the company. After the video went viral, the talk of ‘boycott Bournbita’ started rising on many social media platforms. FSSAI said that its job is to set and enforce science-based standards for food products in the country. The food regulator said it has constituted a committee to monitor the advertisement.
The committee has scrutinized advertisements and claims on several food products in the last six months and reported 138 such cases, in which the rules are not followed and they are misleading. These include many major brands as well. “The cases have been referred to the concerned authorities for further action to withdraw or scientifically substantiate the misleading claims,” it said.