On July 5, 2021, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) announced that it had reached an agreement with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to protect consumers against misleading claims in food and beverage (F&B) commercials.
On July 1, the agreement was signed in the presence of Arun Singhal, CEO of the FSSAI, and Professor Bejon Misra, adviser, public relations, ASCI. According to the agreement, ASCI will identify advertising that appears to breach the provisions of the Food Safety And Standards (Advertising And Claims) Regulations, 2018, and FSSAI will investigate them further.
ASCI will form a three-member expert panel to review F&B advertising identified by the ASCI monitoring team under the terms of the agreement.
“The unifying goal of consumer protection encourages us all to share skills, expertise, and resources in the most efficient way to minimize the danger of deceptive advertising,” said ASCI chairman Subhash Kamath.
During the covid-19 pandemic, the regulator reported a significant increase in the number of complaints about F&B advertisements. ASCI processed 284 complaints in the previous fiscal year (FY21), compared to 175 in FY 2019-20. As a result, F&B brand claims, particularly those relating to health and nutrition, are being scrutinized more closely.
In this regard, ASCI further elaborated, “The firm is further strengthening its 360-degree approach of protecting consumers as well as guiding brands, organizations, and influencers towards greater responsibility”.
ASCI secretary-general Manisha Kapoor stated, “With this agreement, ASCI would enhance its examination of the F&B sector.” We will use our National Advertising Monitoring Service, which monitors over 900 TV stations, magazines, and websites, as well as over 3,000 websites. In addition to national brands, we will investigate regional and local ones. Our specialists, who have decades of expertise in the food and beverage industry, will shortlist the candidates.
According to a survey published by media firm Zenith, India will be the fastest-growing market for FMCG businesses’ F&B advertising over the next three years, with spending increasing at a 14 percent annual rate. With the rise in digital consumption, FMCG firms’ digital ad spends are predicted to expand from $12.3 billion in 2020 to $14.9 billion in 2023. This demands additional oversight of F&B advertising.