CERS has filed a class action suit against Nestle India Ltd over alleged misleading advertisements before the District Forum in Ahmedabad. It alleged that ‘Atta Noodles’ advertisements by the leading FMCG brand claim that the product contains “the fibre of 3 rotis” and is “packed with veggies”. However, tests conducted by CERS found that the product contains half of the fibre amount claimed.
If you ate ‘atta noodles’ thinking it be a lesser sin than the ‘maida’ versions, here’s some food for thought. The ‘nutritious’ label is a simple marketing gimmick to lure unsuspecting noodle-lovers, claims the Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS) in Ahmedabad. CERS has filed a class action suit against Nestle India Ltd over alleged misleading advertisements before the District Forum in Ahmedabad. It alleged that ‘Atta Noodles’ advertisements by the leading FMCG brand claim that the product contains “the fibre of 3 rotis” and is “packed with veggies”. However, tests conducted by CERS found that the product contains half of the fibre amount claimed.
Chief general manager of CERC, Pritee Shah said the the product was tested at an NABL-accredited laboratory and the tests found that the product only had 5.63g of fibre, against the 6g mentioned on the label. “The fibre content in ‘three rotis’ is 10.2g, according to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),” Shah said, adding that the other claims of the manufacturers, like ‘packed with veggies’, were found to be misleading. “Our tests revealed the 80gm noodle packet has only 5g of vegetables and is high in sodium with 985mg/100g. Thus, it cannot be termed nutrilicious. Such misleading claims put consumers’ life at risk,” Shah added.
Acting on behalf of a complainant, CERS urged the court to direct the company to pay Rs3 lakh to the complainant, refund the price of the product to consumers, and issue a corrective advertisement.
CERS had filed another case against a cosmetics major, alleging its television commercial on its ‘Cleansing Water’, endorsed by a Bollywood actor, has been found to be misleading by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
“ASCI observed that the claim to take ‘make up off in just one swipe’ were not substantiated,” CERS said in a statement. The consumer body appealed to the court to direct the company to refrain from broadcasting the commercial and issue a corrective advertisement and to deposit Rs 50,000 in the Consumer Welfare Fund of Gujarat.
Source: ETRetail
