The Ministry of Industry and Trade has called on all e-commerce companies and platforms to remove their drinks from the “health drinks” category. The decision will be a setback for brands like Bornvita, which is known for promoting its products as healthy.
The move comes after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) investigated and found that there was no “healthy drink as defined under the FSS Act, 2006, rules and regulations submitted by FSSAI and Mondelez India.” This was done in response to the announcement that Therefore, the Ministry, through a notification issued on April 10, 2024, directed e-commerce platforms to remove all beverages from the 'health drinks' category.
The notification further states, “The NCPCR, a statutory body established under Section 3 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, has concluded that after an investigation under Section 14 of the CPCR Act, 2005, “the health issue is concluded that it does not exist. Beverages as defined under the FSS Act, 2006, FSSA and Rules and Regulations filed by Mondelez India Food Pvt Ltd. ”
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Earlier this month, FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) had notified e-commerce websites to avoid adding dairy products, cereals or malt-based drinks to the 'health drinks' or 'energy drinks' category. Officials explained that while India's food laws do not define a 'health drink', the law defines an 'energy drink' as a flavored water-based beverage.
FSSAI warned against using incorrect terminology as it could mislead consumers and asked websites to modify or remove their advertisements.
Notably, NCPCR Director General Priyank Kanongo has asked the Department of Commerce, FSSAI, Consumer Affairs Department of several states and UT authorities to stop the sale of drinks such as Bournvita under the 'health drinks' category. This is what I requested.
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