Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha has raised concerns over misleading branding in packaged beverages. In a post shared on X on Tuesday, Chadha highlighted at the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday the issue of how fruit juice products are marketed.
“You may think you are drinking fruit juice, but in reality, companies are selling sugar-filled drinks while using attractive images of fresh fruits on the packaging. The truth is hidden in small print at the back, which states that the pictures are only for marketing purposes," he said.
“I raised this issue in Parliament because such branding and advertisements are misleading people, especially children, and pushing them towards diabetes and lifestyle-related diseases. It is time to bring out the reality behind these products,” he added.
Addressing the House on Tuesday, Chadha spoke in detail about what he described as misleading practices in the consumer market.
"There is a serious issue in India's consumer market related to misleading branding and false advertising. When people buy fruit juice, they see large images of fresh fruits on the front of the bottle," he said. "However, on the back, it is written in small letters that the images are only for representation. Consumers, especially young people, believe these drinks are healthy, but in reality, they are consuming sugar-based beverages that can lead to diabetes, obesity, and other lifestyle diseases.”
He further raised questions to the government, stating, “I want to ask the Honorable Minister what steps are being taken to stop misleading images so that people are not visually misled even if companies follow technical rules. What measures are being taken to ensure that warnings about high sugar content are clearly displayed on the front of the packaging? Also, how will it be made clear whether a product is real fruit juice or a drink made using added concentrates and preservatives?”
Earlier on Monday, Chadha also raised another issue in the Upper House concerning mobile data usage. He called for “regulation and rationalisation” of mobile data services and suggested that telecom companies should allow unused data to be carried forward or shared among family members and friends.
Speaking on the matter, he said, “Mobile data that remains unused by customers at the end of the day is taken back by telecom companies after midnight instead of being carried forward.”
“Even though users pay for the full data pack, any unused portion is forfeited. This raises concerns as customers are not able to use the full value of what they have paid for,” he said.
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