Hindustan Unilever Rebrands Horlicks and Boost Amid Regulatory Changes

Hindustan Unilever has revamped its lineup of health food drinks, now branding them as 'functional nutritional drinks' (FND) in response to directives from the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. This renaming follows the Ministry's instruction to e-commerce platforms to avoid categorizing such products as 'healthy drinks.' Consequently, popular HUL brands like Horlicks and Boost now fall under the newly designated FND category.

Previously, the Ministry advised against labeling products like Cadbury Bournvita as 'health drinks,' aligning with the Food Safety and Standards Act, which does not recognize such a category.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has further urged e-commerce platforms to refrain from tagging dairy, cereal, or malt-based beverages as 'health drinks' or 'energy drinks,' expressing concerns about potential customer confusion.