On Thursday, 14 June, actor Amitabh Bachchan responded to the criticism that followed in the wake of his tweeting in support of a campaign against malnutrition in India.
Reacting to media reports, his spokesperson informed FIT that:
He (Amitabh Bachchan) had been approached for Mission Poshan- a noble campaign led by the brand on hunger and nutrition, by a renowned media group and true to his perfectionist nature, he had not only done extensive research on the subject in his personal capacity, but also had mandated that he will participate and lead the charitable campaign , but without directly endorsing any brand, only after he is satisfied with the accuracy of the campaign research.
The statement further added:
Unfortunately media stories of him endorsing the said brand quickly appeared, despite no contracts, monies or legal dictats taking place, which is the norm.
Though he may have extended support to a group, it does not imply that he is directly endorsing or being the ambassador for a specific brand associated with the group.
The spokesperson further added that Bachchan will withdraw all official support from the group involved in the campaign, but will continue to “ wholeheartedly support the larger cause ie Mission Poshan in his personal capacity, pro bono as he has done with numerous campaigns in the past”.
A Tweet That Started it All
On 31 May, Bachchan tweeted extending his support for a brand that is sold as a nutrition drink for children and their new campaign ‘Mission Poshan’ against fighting malnutrition in India.
The senior Bachchan tweeted thrice about the campaign for the brand that also supports the government’s recent National Nutrition Mission. This scheme aims to target undernutrition in the country.
The name of this campaign is also similar to the Indian government’s ‘Poshan Abhiyaan’. This could perhaps also explain why the health experts who have disagreed with Big B also include former government employees like Keshav Desiraju (former union health secretary).
Desiraju is also the chairman of the think tank Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) which wrote an open letter to Bachchan questioning his endorsement.
The letter pointed out that the supplement not only has a very high sugar content, but also comes with an expensive price tag.
Horlicks is a high sugar product, as 100 gram of a popularly advertised pack of Horlicks Delight, contains 78 gram of carbohydrates of which 32 grams is sucrose sugar. This is harmful for children as it may contribute to childhood obesity and non communicable disease in later life.NAPi’s Open Letter
The price would put unnecessary pressure on middle and low income groups who might be influenced to buy the product because of Bachchan’s name attached to it, pointed out NAPi
You may be aware that undernutrition mostly creeps into the resource poor households. We fear that this campaign will influence families and children from these families to buy Horlicks assuming it is a good nutritious product as you are behind it. Horlicks is expensive, may displace real family foods.NAPi’s Open Letter
Bachchan had earlier withdrawn his support from a Pepsi endorsement in 2014 because of its detrimental effects on the health of children, asserts the letter. Using the same as an example, it urged Bachchan to renounce this campaign as well.
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