Hindustan Unilever Limited, the parent company of drink products Horlicks and Boost has announced the change of label from ‘health drinks’ to ‘functional nutritional drinks’.
Ritesh Tiwari, The Chief Financial Officer at HUL announced at a press conference on April 24. However, the original tagline “taller, stronger, and sharper” remains the same.
What prompted this ?
Last year, a video went viral on the internet claiming that Bournvita contains high levels of sugar content and added colorant which is harmful for children. This was in stark contrast to its advertisement which claimed it to be a “health drink” for growth and development of kids.
Consequently, Mondelez India came under the radar of National commission for protection of child rights (NCPCR). The food company was asked to remove the misleading labels from its product and asked for a detailed report/explanation of the incident. ” The commission in this regard observes that the product manufactured by your company is misleading the customers through its product packaging and advertisements. The commission observes that your product’s labeling, packaging, display and advertisement claims are misleading for the general public.”, the NCPCR notice said.
Later this year, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued an advisory notice to all e-commerce sites asking them to remove the label ‘heath drink’ from their product.
“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,” it said.
Functional nutritional drink vs health drink
Functional drinks are meant to provide extra nutrients to the body, beyond the essential nutrients. They aren’t the ultimate health drink meant to significantly improve the health of an individual but merely support an individual’s well-being. According to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, functional nutrition is a holistic approach to diet. it takes into consideration a person’s lifestyle factors that could affect their food choices.
