View: Stop companies stretching the truth
Patanjali found itself under the scanner of regulatory bodies and Supreme Court in the context of dodgy advertising practices. Welcome as this development was, the ayurvedic major is hardly alone in stretching the truth when it comes to advertising. While regulatory authorities must ensure that advertising adheres to ethical standards and doesn't mislead consumers, such scrutiny should be applied across the board.
Every label coming out from FMCG, nutraceutical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and wellness sectors must be properly checked by regulators. In this context, Supreme Court rightly pulled up the Indian Medical Association (IMA) last week for not taking action against Patanjali on complaints for the company's alleged 'misleading' claims and 'disparaging' ads against the allopathic system of medicine.
Regulatory bodies should ensure that consumer goods are not allowed to introduce or sell their products in the market where the consumer assumes that products match what they are sold as — and, more importantly, that they are not sold as what they are not, especially by making disparaging comparisons.
Many FMCG and pharma companies have little ethics, pretty much eschewing consumer welfare they claim to deliver. They often mislead the public with their false claims and use distorted ads to lure the unsuspecting buyer.
Many nutraceutical supplement products we see on shelves are far from 'genuine'. Many of them are filled with 'fillers' used over GRAS — generally recognised as safe — limits. There is also
