The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has put out an advisory to the e-commerce companies and directed them to remove Bournvita among other drinks and beverages from the category of 'health drinks' on their platforms. The advisory comes after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) conducted an investigation which found that Bournvita contains sugar levels, much above the acceptable limits. The Ministry said in a notification dated April 10 that NCPCR said that there is no ‘health drink’ defined under the FSS Act 2006.
"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 the notification.
Earlier, the NCPCR had asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to take action against those companies that failed to meet safety standards and were projecting power supplements as ‘health drinks’.
‘Health drink’ not defined in food laws
According to the regulatory body, ‘health drink’ has not been defined in India’s food laws and projection of any product under the same is a violation of the rules. The FSSAI, earlier this month, also instructed e-commerce portals against labelling diary-based or malt-based beverages as 'health drinks'.
The row over the ‘unhealthy’ nature of Bournvita came to the fore after a YouTuber in his video alleged that it contained excessive sugar, cocoa solids and harmful colourants that could lead to serious health hazards in children, including cancer.
(With agency inputs)
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