India: Can many a Maggi slip through?

There has been a huge public outcry about how Maggi was allowed to advertise as a ‘healthy’ food alternative. Many are vexed about how authorities could let the brand duck for so long.



The regulator in cases of broadcast is the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting law. That might work for censoring potentially objectionable content, but where are the ‘claims’ probed?

Industry experts claim Maggi should have been advertised as a convenience food, and not a health food. The opposite led to the ensuing paradox.

This is how it works. The FSSAI, FDA or Ministry of Health check the authenticity of the products advertised. In matters of broadcast, there are self-regulatory voluntary organizations like the Advertising Standards Council of India that keep an eye on the advertising industry.

“We review complaints against objections raised against current advertisements, process them, and advertiser is given an opportunity to present their case. In case of technical claims, the advertiser furnishes the data which is reviewed by technical experts. The Consumer Complaints Council then arrives at a conclusion,” says Shweta Purandare, Secretary General, Advertising Standards Council of India.

However, ASCI’s remit is limited to advertising content.

Most believe that a slight lack of coordination between these seemingly diverse departments can spell disaster for the Indian masses. A group of experts and citizens believe the Maggi case should be made an example to deter future offenders.

Devindar Sharma, Food and Trade Policy Analyst agrees, “This is definitely an indication of the poor food safety regulation in India. It’s also high time to introduce provisions in the Consumer Protection Act to penalize Celebrities and Advertising agencies for false advertising. Just because they can play around with words doesn’t mean they have the freedom to sell illusions.”

Outrageous claims like six packs abs in 7 days, or 15 kg weight loss in 15 days can be sieved easily, but can finer claims by bigger brands go unnoticed in India? Only time would tell.

(Image credit: Indiatimes)