Not 'health drink' anymore; HUL rebrands Horlicks amid ministry regulation

NEW DELHI: Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has dropped Horlicks from the ‘health drink’ category. The 'health' label was dropped and the drink was included in the 'Functional Nutritional Drinks' (FND) category.

The announcement was made by Chief Financial Officer Ritesh Tiwari, who at a press conference floated the new plan to make a more lucid description for the sweet malted drink. The company's action is part of compliance with new food safety regulations. The Commerce and Industry Minister had earlier asked for the removal of drinks and beverages from the 'health drink' category.

There was no precise definition of a health drink under the Food Safety Act, of 2006. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had given instructions to exclude milk from being classified as health drinks and energy drinks. The authorities also pointed out that the misleading advertisement would confuse the consumers.