E-commerce giants Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, and others are set to make a significant change to their platforms following a directive from the Commerce Ministry. The Ministry has instructed these platforms to remove all drinks and beverages like Bournvita, Horlicks, Protinex, and others from the category of health drinks.
According to the Ministry, there is no specific definition of ‘health drink’ under the country’s food and safety standards laws. The decision comes after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights conducted an inquiry and concluded that there is no such definition under the relevant regulations.
While manufacturers of these brands may not be directly impacted as they do not label their products as health drinks, any advertisements portraying them as such will have to be withdrawn. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) already has guidelines in place for branding and advertising of such products.
For marketplace platforms like Flipkart and Amazon, sellers will need to make the necessary changes in the category as these platforms do not hold inventories. This process may take some time as it requires a change in technology solutions. On the other hand, inventory-led firms like BigBasket will need to implement the measure faster as the responsibility falls on them.
As of now, all e-commerce platforms are still listing these products as health and nutritional drinks. It remains to be seen how quickly they will comply with the Ministry’s directive and make the necessary adjustments to their platforms.