Bournvita is a “scientifically formulated” drink mix with sugar levels under prescribed limits, the product’s manufacturer said in a letter to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). Its marketing is completely legal as per Indian regulations, the letter said.
Mondelez International, which owns the Cadbury brand, has changed Bournvita’s formula to accommodate the 2020 guidelines on the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). A viral Instagram video calling out the sugar content of Bournvita was taken down in April after its manufacturer sent a legal notice to Revant Himatsingka, the influencer who posted it.
“We are transitioning our product to be in compliance with FSSAI recommended dietary guidelines 2020 and have modified our formulation,” Aishwarya Jain, a legal executive at Mondelez International, told the NCPCR in an April 27 letter obtained by The Hindu.
The NCPCR had sent a notice to Mondelez — which also markets chocolate bars like Dairy Milk — after it received a complaint from Vinay Joshi, a resident of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, on the company’s “misleading” package labelling and advertising for Bournvita. While Mondelez indicated that this was not a matter for the NCPCR, it nonetheless outlined a defence of its practices in its 10-page letter.
Also Read | Explained: Misleading food ads and regulations to curtail them
‘Scientifically formulated’
Mondelez claims that Bournvita is a safe, “scientifically formulated” product. As for the claims on its packaging, the company argued that each and every one of the claims it advances is allowed — every “nutrient claim” and “nutrient function claim,” as defined under the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, is appropriate, the company said.
Referring to language on its packaging for Bournvita that says the product “supports … immune system, strong bones, strong muscle, and active brain,” the company pointed to literature from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), which operates under the ICMR, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sugar levels
The company argued that the sugar level in Bournvita is within the RDA limits in place, as long as the drink is prepared with 20 gram of powder and 200ml of milk, which would amount to 7.5 gram of sugar content.
Bournvita also contains maltodextrin, a carbohydrate additive that is not classified as sugar but has been described as spiking blood sugar in medical literature, and liquid glucose.
“We submit that these ingredients are approved by FSSAI and are safe for human consumption,” the letter said. “We further state that FSSAI does not limit the addition of ingredients for our product category.”
Colour-coding
Some of these defences were earlier shared by Mondelez after it acted to take down the influencer’s video. In addition, the NCPCR had asked the company why it wasn’t including a colour-coded label on its packaging as per the Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) system. Mondelez said in response that this was a draft requirement that had not been notified yet by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
“We shall comply with the statutory requirements of these proposed regulations once they are notified in the Official Gazette [of India] for implementation,” Mondelez said.
