BournVita:  The Central Government has requested e-commerce companies to remove Bournvita from the Healthy Drink category. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued a notification for the same. As per the notification, all e-commerce websites have been asked to keep all beverages including Bournvita out of the healthy drink category on their platforms.

What is in the notification

The Ministry stated in the notification that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, a body constituted under Section (3) of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, conducted the investigation. This investigation found that it does not meet the definition of a healthy drink.

Healthy drinks are defined under the Food Safety System (FSS) Act 2006. The notification stated that all e-commerce companies/portals are advised to remove drinks/beverages including Bournvita from the category of "Healthy Drinks" from their sites/platforms.

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Earlier this month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) instructed all e-commerce companies not to label dairy-based, grain-based, or malt-based beverages as "healthy drinks" or "energy drinks". The direction has been initiated because the term "healthy drink" is not defined in the country's food laws.

Can Mislead customers

The FSSAI cautioned e-commerce sites that using the wrong words could mislead consumers. It therefore advised all e-commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs) to make reforms by removing or separating such beverages from 'Health Drinks/Energy Drinks' categories. FSSAI clarified that the term 'health drink' is not defined or standardized under the FSS Act 2006 or its rules and regulations governing the food industry. Additionally the term 'energy drink' is only allowed to be used on products such as carbonated and non-carbonated water-based flavored drinks.

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