Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) & Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have signed an agreement to protect consumers from misleading claims in Food & Beverage (F&B) advertisements.
- The agreement was signed in the presence of Arun Singhal, CEO of FSSAI & Professor Bejon Misra, Adviser, Public Affairs, ASCI.
- As per the deal, ASCI will identify advertisements that violate provisions of Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 and FSSAI will investigate the cases.
- ASCI will set up a three-member expert panel to evaluate foods and beverages advertising identified by the ASCI monitoring team.
Key Points
i.ASCI will utilize their National Advertising Monitoring Service, which monitors over 900 TV channels, publications and over 3,000 websites. Apart from national brands, ASCI will also examine regional and local ones.
ii.During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of complaints against foods and beverages ads.
- During the last FY 2020-21, ASCI processed a total number of 284 complaints compared to 175 in FY 2019-20.
iii.A recent report by Media agency Zenith stated that India is set to be the fastest-growing market for FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) brands’ F&B advertising over the next three years, with the spending set to increase by 14% per year.
- It is expected that FMCG brands’ digital ad spends will increase from USD 12.3 billion in 2020 to USD 14.9 billion in 2023.
Recent Related News:
On August 7, 2020, an agreement was signed between CSIR and FSSAI for collaborative research and information dissemination in the area of food and nutrition.
About Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)
Chairman – Subhash Kamath
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Chairperson – Rita Teaotia
Headquarters – New Delhi
