A few months ago, my eight-year-old began to resist regular milk. After I started adding a malt based product she started drinking milk again without throwing tantrums. I knew it wasn’t a healthy option, but I convinced myself that I will use it in small amounts.
With the latest controversy surrounding Cadbury Bournvita, I must confess I feel guilty and am reconsidering my decision. Much has been written about the controversy and how the product is a “sugar bomb”, but the first thing we need to change at home is the consumption of sugar.
Traditionally, in Indian households, cheeni (sugar) is considered beneficial and mothers are not used to getting it from their children’s diet. In fact, we believe that children and young people are the strongest and can eat anything and everything.
You may have noticed grandparents serving paranthas slathered in butter, hot chapatis dripping with desi ghee or bowls of greasy and sweet homemade dessert. This is often taken as a sign of their love and care.
Socially and traditionally, we believe that not children should ration sugar or oil, but only the elderly or people with health problems, thanks to popular clichés such as: Ab nahin khaoge toh kab khaoge (loosely translated to ‘this is the time to eat as you please’).
But with changing times, we have now realized that India is reeling from the burden of lifestyle and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and it is time to change the grassroots. These non-communicable diseases include cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – which contribute to about 3.8 crore (68 percent) of all deaths worldwide and to about 58.7 lakh (60 percent) of all deaths in India.
How much sugar is good?
Higher consumption of free sugar, often exceeding the recommended 5 percent intake, is associated with childhood obesity, dental caries and noncommunicable diseases in later life. You can blame increased air pollution and lifestyle diseases, changing environmental conditions, the post-pandemic world, but there is an urgent need to change our children’s diets.
Coming back to Bournvita, the label says, “Add 2 heaped teaspoons (20 grams) of Bournvita to a cup of hot or cold milk.”
Not many of us focus on “20 grams” and use our own estimates. Instead, we focus on “heaping” and finally mix the powder into milk, sometimes adding extra sugar as well. The company claims that “each 20-gram serving of Bournvita contains 7.5 grams of added sugar, which is about one and a half teaspoons.”
“This is well below the daily recommended intake limits of sugar for children,” a company spokesperson told me News18. But experts claim it also contains “hidden sugar,” bringing the total sugar content to 73.1 grams in each 100-gram serving.
Soumya Swaminathan, the former chief scientist of the World Health Organization, tweeted that hidden sugar in such products leads to an increase in the incidence of diabetes, even in low-income families.
The American Heart Association recommends that children and teens should consume less than 25 grams or six teaspoons of added sugar per day. Similar estimates are provided by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). It says that children ages 7 to 10 should have no more than 24 grams of free sugars per day or six sugar cubes, while children ages 4 to 6 should have no more than 19 grams of free sugars per day or five sugar cubes.
Malt-based drinks and health drinks
It is not the first time that the health benefits of malt-based drinks have been questioned. In fact, a group called Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPI) continues to question the benefits on a regular basis. In 2018, it also asked Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan to end its association with another malt-based drink due to its high sugar content.
These potions claim to contain “unique” and “scientific formulas”. Bournvita claims to contain an “inner strength formula” that can help develop the brain, bones and muscles and boost immunity.
But experts believe that these drinks may not even be appropriate supplements for children. The parental guidance booklet published by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) in 2021 recognizes that malt-based milk supplements are widely used in India.
While the primary ingredient is malt, usually barley, or a grain derivative, the secondary ingredient is always high in sugar. It is the free sugar that is becoming a concern as it is not only addictive and an addictive substance but also leads to health problems such as weight gain, dental caries and risk of chronic lifestyle related conditions.
These milk supplements belong to the ultra-processed foods category, and the IAP suggests they are “best avoided.”
“In advertisements, supplements have often been portrayed as full of energy, vitamins and minerals,” the guidance booklet says.
But the IAP clarifies in the same booklet that the amounts of micronutrients in these drinks “may provide some benefit to deficient children” but “have no role in healthy children.”
“Even for providing the vitamins and minerals, the same amount can easily be obtained from other foods that are not only cheaper, but also have no adverse effects as with these drinks,” the booklet states. “Results of improved calcium clearly indicate that it was only the milk that was responsible.”
The document said it all.
Ads influence parents
The way the products are advertised plays an important role in changing parents’ choices.
Case in point: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that “dietary supplements, such as Pediasure, be used only when children are unable to get adequate nutrients from their diets.”
In a study published in 2019authors found that despite AAP recommendations, more than a third of parents chose to include the product in an ideal meal plan (IMP) for their child.
“This rate grew dramatically with increasing body mass index (BMI), showing that children who fell within the overweight and obese categories had parents who chose Pediasure for an ideal meal plan at a significantly higher rate,” the study said.
The reason could be the popularity of dietary supplements widely advertised as “clinically proven to help children grow”, potentially leading some parents to believe that not consuming dietary supplements could put their child at a disadvantage .
What do Indian guidelines recommend?
India has come up with an acronym – ‘JUNCS’ for “junk foods, ultra-processed foods, nutritionally inappropriate foods, caffeinated, coloured, carbonated (foods or drinks) and sugar-sweetened drinks”.
According to the IAP guidelines on ‘JUNCS’, their consumption is associated with higher free sugar and energy intake. It is also associated with higher BMI and possibly adverse cardio-metabolic consequences in children and adolescents.
The group recommendations, published in 2019, call for all children and adolescents to avoid consumption of JUNCS as much as possible and to limit their consumption to no more than “one serving per week”. In fact, the guidelines recommend regional and seasonal whole fruit intake over “fruit juices” in children.
There’s no point blaming Bournvita
The whole controversy started when an influencer took down the viral reel after receiving a legal notice from the company on April 13. In the video, which was viewed by more than 12 million people, Bournvita was called out for having sugar, cocoa solids and cancer. -causing dyes.
In an email to Mondelez India, I asked for “some scientific papers or peer-reviewed studies used to claim the health benefits stated on Bournvita’s packaging.” The claims on the package are “active brain, strong muscles, strong bones and immune system”. I asked for evidence for each of these claims.
The company’s response was a standard statement, but I realized that Bournvita’s claims are supported by adequate documents required for product sales in India. While the company has not shared any study that can substantiate the claims backed up by solid research, they have substantiated them in some way.
The company said: “We would like to reiterate that the formulation has been scientifically formulated by a team of nutritionists and food scientists to provide the best of taste and health.”
“All our claims are verified and transparent and all ingredients have regulatory approvals. All necessary nutritional information is provided on the packaging to enable consumers to make informed choices.
I also contacted the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) – the watchdog, which works on misleading advertising, about the claims on Bournvita’s packaging.
Manisha Kapoor, ASCI’s chief executive officer and secretary general, shared News18 that the organization had already investigated a similar complaint against Bournvita in 2018.
“In 2018, ASCI had investigated a complaint against Bournvita for making claims related to muscle and bone strength and active brain,” she said, explaining that the company was able to meet the commission’s demands.
The company had told ASCI: “Bournvita is enriched with Vitamin D and Phosphorus, both necessary for maintaining bone health. Bournvita is also enriched with Iron and other micronutrients Iodine, and Vitamins B9 and B12 which are directly responsible for the circulation and brain function. Because of the presence of these ingredients, Bournvita could make a supporting claim that it contains ingredients that help build muscle, bone and an active brain.”
Hence the whole controversy dies down.
The heart of the matter:
As childhood obesity rates continue to rise globally, it is essential that India starts to enact stricter food and advertising standards. Despite several discussions to get a health star rating, food regulator FSSAI has not launched the system to warn consumers about excess calories associated with the non-medically necessary use of dietary supplements.
Dear mothers, instead of blaming Bournvita, it’s time to change our own mindset. We must recognize that a healthy diet in early childhood is essential for optimal growth, while laying the foundation for later years and the prevention of future chronic conditions.
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