Bournvita slashes sugar content after influencer's viral video prompted Centre notice

Bournvita has reduced its sugar content after a Centre notice following a viral video by an influencer.

Cadbury's Bournvita has slashed its added sugar content by 14.4%, eight months after a government notice following social media criticism led by influencer Revant Himatsingka that caused massive outrage against the ‘health drink’ brand.

The content creator, who goes by “Food Pharmer”, posted a viral video in April accusing the brand of deceptive marketing, sparking a heated online debate and legal actions eventually leading to reassessment of the product's formulation.

INDIA WINS! Bournvita FINALLY reduces it’s SUGAR after all the backlash on social media!

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8 months ago, I made a video highlighting Bournvita’s high sugar content which went VIRAL!

Then I received a legal notice from Bournvita. They also called my video “unscientific”.

A… pic.twitter.com/OpuOEv4Dr4

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— Revant Himatsingka “Food Pharmer” (@foodpharmer2) December 23, 2023

Bournvita, in response to the social media storm, rejected Himatsingka's claims, labeling his video as "unscientific" and asserting that it distorted facts. The brand, emphasizing its commitment to immunity-building nutrients, stated that Bournvita had 7.5 grams of added sugar per serving—below the daily recommended intake for children.

13 days later, Bournvita sent a legal notice to the influencer from one of the biggest law firms of the country prompting him to take down the video.

Apologizing and retracting his video, Himatsingka highlighted that he never intended to infringe on trademarks or defame the company. He added that he has “no interest or resources” to take the legal proceedings further.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Revant Himatsingka (@foodpharmer)

Then, a nutrition body comprising 8 doctors and nutritionists vouched for the influencer and signed a document calling his claims correct and dismissing Bournvita’s claim it was “unscientific”, prompting the government to send a legal notice to the company.

Eight months later, Bournvita has mended it ways and Himatsingka celebrated what he dubbed a "victory" in a video and post. He asserted that his social media pressure, combined with a legal notice from the government, led Bournvita to reduce its sugar content and they have now released a new packet with the revised ingredients.

“This is probably the first time in history that a social media video has led to a food giant reducing their sugar content! If one video can result in a 15% reduction in added sugar, imagine what we can achieve if all of us start reading food labels before we buy anything!” he wrote in his caption.

The influencer, at the end of the video, warned that companies should not falsely market products and instead: “Improve the product, improve marketing and not send me a legal notice”. He concluded: “If you send me a legal notice, I will get you publicly noticed.”

Here is the original video, reshared by other users:

Bournvita.. is it... I'm Shocked

I am a victim from childhood #bournvita #childhood #victim #young #india pic.twitter.com/gmiI3tci4e

— Prof Dr Shibu A (@shibu_prof) April 5, 2023

Himatsingka quit his high-paying job in the US and came back to India to start his channel spreading awareness on healthy food habits. He has 1.3 million Instagram followers.