The debate around the high sugar content in Mondelez India-owned 'health' drink Bournvita is still on days after a social media influencer called out the product in a viral video. A social media storm arose when Instagram influencer Revant Himatsingka had to take down his video after receiving a legal notice from Cadbury.
Here's what has happened so far:
'Foodpharmer' Criticises Cadbury's Bournvita
In his now-deleted video posted on April 1, Revant Himatsingka called out Bournvita for packaging their product as a 'health' drink. "The tagline of Bournvita is ‘taiyari jeet ki' but rather, it should be ‘taiyari diabetes ki',” he said in the video, adding that Cadbury is not a health company but a chocolate company.
Revant Himatsingka claimed that one of the ingredients in Bournvita known as 'Colour (150C)' can cause cancer and reduce immunity. He also said that on Bournvita's ingredient label, they have 50 grams of sugar per 100 grams. "I will request parents to please stop getting their kids addicted to these products. I request the government to take action against these false claims," the influencer said.
Influencer Takes Down Video
Days after his video went viral, Revant Himatsingka shared a post on his Instagram account in which he issued an apology to Cadbury. In a detailed post, Revant said that he has decided to take down the video which received nearly 12 million views on Instagram after getting a legal notice from Cadbury.
“I have decided to take down the video across all platforms after receiving a legal notice from one of India's biggest law firms on 13th April 2023. I apologize to Cadbury for making the video. I did not plan or intend to infringe any trademark or defame any company nor do I have the interest or resources to participate in any court cases and I request MNCs to not take this forward legally,” Revant Himatsingka said in his post. Take a look at his full statement:
View this post on InstagramBournvita Issues Clarification
Soon after the video went viral, Bournvita on its official Twitter account released a statement regarding the issue. “Bournvita contains nutrients namely Vitamin A, C, D, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Selenium which help build immunity. These have been part of our formulation for several years. We have always called out ‘Helps with the healthy functioning of the immune system' on the back of our pack for several years (even before the Covid-19 pandemic),” the company stated.
April 9, 2023In another statement, Bournvita said that over the last seven decades, it has earned the trust of consumers in India by being a scientifically formulated product that adheres to quality standards and complies with the laws of the land.
"We would again like to reinforce that the formulation has been scientifically crafted by a team of nutritionists and food scientists to offer the best of taste and health. All our claims are verified and transparent and all ingredients have regulatory approvals. All the necessary nutritional information is mentioned on the pack for consumers to make informed choices," news agency PTI quoted a Bournvita spokesperson as saying.
"As we continued to witness an abnormal and unusual amount of traction on the post, we were constrained to take legal recourse to avoid misinformation. We also issued a statement to clarify and share the correct facts to allay the concerns of our consumers," the company further said. Bournvita also clarified it had "no play in actions around the presenter's Twitter account" after Revant Himatsingka claimed that his handle was restricted.
Nithin Kamath And Others React
On April 17, Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath, without naming Bournvita or Cadbury, suggested that such products should have "front-of-package food labelling, like FSSAI proposed in their 2018 draft paper." In a series of tweets, he also recommended mentioning the maximum number of servings per day.
An intervention that could help people make healthier food & beverage choices is to have front-of-package food labelling, like FSSAI proposed in their 2018 draft paper.
April 17, 2023
Indicate fat, sugar, & salt per serving, & a warning if per serving % is beyond a % of daily requirement 1/3 pic.twitter.com/OqqhNge2OQActor and former Member of Parliament Paresh Rawal shared Foodpharmer's video on Twitter with the caption: 'BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE!'
BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE! https://t.co/bQNYjEccBU
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