Bournvita rejects claims made by social media influencer Revant Himatsingka

Mumbai: Popular health drink brand in India, Bournvita rejected the claims made by social media influencer Revant Himatsingka. Mondelez India, the packaged food company that owns the brand has said that Revant Himatsingka’s claims about the drink are unscientific.

Earlier Revant Himatsingka, claims to be a nutritionist and a health coach had shared an Instagram Reels video. In the video he criticized the company for advertising Bournvita as a health drink despite its high sugar content. ‘Should the government allow companies to blatantly lie on their package? Parents are getting their children addicted to sugar at a young age, and the children end up craving sugar throughout their lives,’ he captioned the video.

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A post shared by Revant Himatsingka (@foodpharmer)

The video had gathered more than 12 million views on Instagram and was shared by celebrities like actor-politician Paresh Rawal and former cricketer Kirti Azad. The video was later deleted as the firm send a legal notice.

‘I have decided to take down the video across all platforms after receiving a legal notice from one of India’s biggest law firms on 13th April 2023. I apologize to Cadbury for making the video. I did not plan or intend to infringe any trademark or defame any company nor do I have the interest or resources to participate in any court cases and I request MNCs to not take this forward legally,’ he wrote after deleting video.
The company has refuted all the claims made by the social media influencer in a statement. ‘Bournvita contains nutrients namely Vitamin A, C, D, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Selenium which help build immunity. These have been part of our formulation for several years. We have always called out ‘Helps with the healthy functioning of the immune system’ on the back of our pack for several years (even before the Covid-19 pandemic),’ the company said. The company also clarified that each serve of Bournvita contains 7.5 grams of added sugar, which is less than the daily recommended sugar intake for children.

The formulation of Bournvita has been scientifically crafted by a team of nutritionists and food scientists to offer the ‘best of taste and health, claimed a spokesperson for the company . ‘All our claims are verified and transparent and all ingredients have regulatory approvals. All the necessary nutritional information is mentioned on the pack for consumers to make informed choices,’ the spokesperson added.

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‘As we continued to witness an abnormal and unusual amount of traction on the post, we were constrained to take legal recourse to avoid misinformation. We also issued a statement to clarify and share the correct facts to allay the concerns of our consumers,’ the company added.

Bournvita said in its statement that it is best consumed with a glass of 200 ml of hot or cold milk as highlighted in the pack. ‘Every serving of 20 gm of Bournvita has 7.5 grams of added sugar, which is approximately one and a half teaspoons. This is much less than the daily recommended intake limits of sugar for children. All ingredients are safe, approved for use and within permissible limits as per the regulatory guidelines,’ said Mondelez India, the company which owns Cadbury.