Boycott Bournvita: Social media influencer Revant sued by Cadbury

Revant Himantsingka, an Instagram influencer recently received a legal notice from Cadbury after he made a minute-long video criticizing the Cadbury's Bournvita for misrepresenting the nutritional value of its product on the packaging.

Soon, Himansingka who goes by the name 'Foodpharmer' on the social media platform put down the reel that had gone viral. Famous celebrities including Bollywood star Paresh Rawal and former cricketer and MP Kirti Azad shared Himantsingka's post.

In a statement, shared later by the influencer, he said that he created a video about Bournvita that accidentally went viral, receiving nearly 12 million views.

"I have decided to take down the video across all platforms after receiving a legal notice from one of India's biggest law-firms on 13th April, 2023. I apologize 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," he wrote.

In the video, Himansingka could be seen questioning the government for allowing companies to mislead consumers. He said that parents are encouraging their children to develop a lifelong sugar addiction by giving them such products at a young age. Moreover, he mocked the brand’s tagline, “Taiyari jeet ki”, suggesting that it should be “Taiyari diabetes ki” instead.

Later, as reports surfaced that Cadbury had sued the influencer for exposing the alleged health dangers of his product, the incident received a flurry of criticism on social media, with many users criticising Cadbury for taking legal action against the influencer.

"We all need to stand by @foodpharmer Shame on you #Cadbury #Bournvita to sue a content creator only for telling the truth of your product to everyone. Stop selling diabetes to our kids. Do better. Here's the video again. Now Sue thousands will you @CadburyWorld," wrote Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, a journalist.

NCMIndia Council For Men Affairs urged people to stop feeding sugar to their kids, in support of Himantsingka. "Stop feeding Sugar to your Kids. #BoycottCadbury #BoycottBournvita And Dear @CadburyWorld and @MDLZ in case you want to send us legal notice here is the address. NCMIndia Council for Men Affairs B-40, Ground Floor, Moti Nagar, NewDelhi-110015. #Bournvita."

Later, responding to the controversy, Cadbury Bournvita said that “Every serve of Bournvita has 7.5 grams of added sugar, which is approximately one-and-a-half teaspoons. This is much less than the daily recommended intake limits of sugar for children.”