Influencer deletes post on Bournvita after legal notice from the brand; here’s what happened
In the now-deleted video, Himatsingka called out the brand for “miscommunicating” on its package about the products’ “nutritional value”, and ridiculed the claims it made on the packaging
Hyderabad: Social media influencer Revant Himatsingka, whose video criticising the endorsement of Cadbury Bournvita went viral earlier this month, has now deleted the clip after allegedly receiving a legal notice from the company.
In the video, Himatsingka, who goes by the identity ‘Food pharmer’ on Instagram, called out the brand for “miscommunicating” on its package about the products’ “nutritional value”. Ridiculing the claims Bournvita makes on its packaging, the influencer further questioned if the government should allow companies to blatantly lie on their packages.
Is is just a taste enhancing agent? #Bournvita 🤔🤔 https://t.co/cQd50ZWn5u
— Dr. Sudhir Bisht (@sudhir_bisht) April 5, 2023
The now-deleted post had reportedly amassed over 12 million views on Instagram and was widely shared across social media platforms, including actor-politician Paresh Rawal, former cricketer and MP Kirti Azad posting it on their social platforms.
Cadbury Bournvita, however, on April 9, issued a clarification about the product on their Instagram handle. The company said “Bournvita contains nutrients namely Vitamin A, C, D, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Selenium which help build immunity. These have been part of our formulation for several years. We have always called out “Helps with the healthy functioning of the immune system” on the back of our pack for several years (even before the Covid-19 pandemic) (sic).”
View this post on Instagram
Himatsingka has subsequently apologised to the brand. Taking to his Instagram, he wrote, “I have decided to take down the (Bournvita) video after receiving a legal notice from one of India’s biggest law firms on 13 April. I apologise to Cadbury for making the video. I did not plan or intend to infringe any trademark or defame any company nor do I have the interest or resources to participate in any court cases and I request MNCs to not take this forward legally. (sic),” he said.
View this post on Instagram
In the now-deleted video, the influencer initially discussed the benefits of Bournvita and later noted that it has sugar, cocoa solids, a colour 150 degrees (which he claimed was cancer-causing), an emulsifier, and liquid glucose.
