The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has asked all e-commerce companies to remove all drinks such as Bournvita, Horlicks, Boost from the category as ‘health drinks’ on their websites and platforms.
“The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, established as a statutory body under section (3) of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, conducted an inquiry under Section 14 of the CPCR Act, 2005. Following this inquiry, it was determined, as stated in a notification from the ministry, that there is no specific definition of a “Health Drink” within the regulations of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, as provided by both the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Mondelez India Food Pvt Ltd.”
Following observations of misclassification, the FSSAI issued a directive on April 2, urging e-commerce platforms to ensure accurate categorization of food products listed on their sites. The move was prompted by instances where items licensed as ‘proprietary food’, such as Dairy Based Beverage Mix, Cereal Based Beverage Mix, and Malt Based Beverage, were incorrectly labeled as ‘health drink’ or ‘energy drink’ on these platforms.
FSSAI states ‘health drink’ lacks standardized definition under FSS Act 2006 or the rules and regulations made there under
“Therefore, FSSAI has advised all e-commerce companies to promptly rectify this misclassification by removing or de-linking such drinks or beverages from the category of ‘health drinks/energy drinks’ on their websites and placing such products in the appropriate category as provided under the extant law,” a statement said.
“Proprietary foods are items of food that are not standardised in food safety and standards (food product standards and food additives) regulations and food safety and standards (health supplements, nutraceuticals, food for special dietary use, food for special medical purpose, functional food, and novel food) regulations, but use standardised ingredients,” it added.
The corrective action aims to enhance clarity and transparency regarding the nature and functional properties of the products, and ensuring that consumers can make well-informed choices without encountering misleading information, the statement further said.