FSSAI mulls over Bournvita unfit as a health drink

WhatPackaging? readers can recall the Cadbury’s Bournvita matter in April, last year. A social media influencer posted a video (now-deleted) which claimed Bournvita to be unfit as a health drink owing to its high sugar content.

Back in the limelight, Bournvita has caught the attention of the Government bodies. The central government has issued an advisory to all eCommerce companies to exclude Bournvita and similar drinks plus beverages from the ‘health drinks’ category.

On April 10, a letter from the ministry: “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 regulatory body points out that ‘health drink’ has not been defined in Indian food laws and this causes the violation of rules. Also recently, the FSSAI mandated eCommerce platforms from incorrect labelling such as tagging dairy-based or malt-based beverages as ‘health drinks’.