Horlicks, Boost Lose 'Health Drink' Tag, Placed Under 'Functional Nutritional Drink' Category By HUL | Here's What Led To This

Rebranding its 'health drinks' category, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), with several popular brands including Horlicks and Boost under its name, has termed it 'functional nutritional drinks' (FND) while removing the 'health' label from Horlicks and Boost.

HUL's big move came following the Minister of Commerce and Industry's recent order to the e-commerce platforms seeking the removal of these drinks and beverages from the 'healthy drinks' category considering their sugar content above acceptable limits.

Commenting on the decision, HUL's Chief Financial Officer Ritesh Tiwari said, this measure of rebranding the whole section will help the consumers with a more accurate and transparent description of the category.

'Functional Nutritional Drink': What does it mean?

As per reports, functional nutrition is defined as a holistic approach to diet which also takes into consideration a person's lifestyle factors and food choices accordingly.

This category encompasses any non-alcoholic beverage with additional health benefits coming from any bioactive component sourced from a plant, animal, marine or microorganism source.

According to HUL, the rebranded 'functional nutritional drinks (FND)' category primarily caters to the protein and micronutrient deficiency needs.

Bournvita came under scanner for high sugar content

This regulatory crackdown initiated with Cadbury's Bournvita, another popular malted drink, which came under the scanner owinng to its high sugar content.

Taking cognisance of the alarming matter, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) sent an enquiry to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which ended up in the Centre's order to e-commerce firms seeking removal of 'health' tag from these drinks.