Horlicks is no longer a health drink; This is why Hindustan Unilever took this decision

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has many products in the market like Horlicks, Boost. These products have now been removed from the 'healthy drinks' category by the company. These drinks will henceforth be classified under the category of 'Functional Nutritional Drinks'. The mention of 'healthy' next to his name has been removed following the government order. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry had directed e-commerce companies not to sell any generic drinks as 'healthy' drinks on their sites. Then Hindustan Unilever took this decision.

Ritesh Tiwari, Chief Financial Officer of Hindustan Unilever held a press conference on April 24 and informed about this. He said, this change will now make it easier to characterise the product more accurately and transparently.

What are Functional Nutritional Drinks?

According to the company, Functional Nutritional Drinks (FND) are beverages that address protein and micronutrient deficiencies. FND can be known as a non-alcoholic drink. In which bioactive ingredients from plant, animal, marine or microbial sources have been used. This provides additional health benefits.

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What is the reason behind this change?

A person making health related videos on social media raised the issue of high sugar content in drinks like Horlicks, Bournvita. Therefore, the point that it is inappropriate to give such drinks to children was raised in this video. Millions of people watched this video. After that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights i.e. NCPCR sent a notice to all states and Union Territories asking whether these drinks are really good for health. 

After this viral video, a heated debate started on the health benefits of malt-based drinks. Even leading companies for malt-based beverages such as Hindustan Unilever said that they use sugar responsibly according to technological requirements and consumer preferences. But paediatricians refuted the claims of the companies and proved that the extra sugar in this drink is unsuitable for children's health.