Healthy development

Consumer watchdogs must be more proactive

Even as domestic Ayurvedic products company Patanjali has drawn the Supreme Court’s ire for misleading advertising, multinational companies (MNCs) like Mondelez are facing threats to entrenched markets following a commerce ministry order that e-commerce companies stop listing all drinks and beverages under the “health drinks” category on their portals. The order is the result of a yearlong inquiry by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) centred on Mondelez’s 78-year-old brand Bournvita. The advisory follows the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI’s) recent request to online shops not to categorise dairy, cereal or malt-based drinks