The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has directed all e-commerce companies to remove drinks and beverages, including Bournvita, from the 'health drinks' category on their platforms. This order comes following an inquiry by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which found that Bournvita exceeds acceptable sugar levels.
In a notification dated April 10, the ministry stated that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) concluded, after its inquiry, "that there is no 'health drink' defined under the FSS Act 2006, rules, and regulations submitted by FSSAI and Mondelez India Food Pvt Ltd.”
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The NCPCR had previously urged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to take action against companies misrepresenting power supplements as 'health drinks.'
As per the regulatory body, ‘health drink’ has not been defined in the country’s food laws and to project something under the same violates the rules.
The FSSAI, earlier this month, also instructed e-commerce portals against labelling diary-based or malt-based beverages as ‘health drinks’.
Last year, the NCPCR demanded that Mondelez India Food Pvt Ltd, the owner of Bournvita, withdraw all misleading advertisements, packaging, and labels following concerns raised in a video about the product's sugar content and additives.
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The controversy over the potentially 'unhealthy' nature of Bournvita first arose after a YouTuber criticised the supplement's sugar levels, cocoa solids, and potentially harmful additives in a video.
