Now Reading: Maharashtra FDA defends notice to Shah Rukh, Ajay, Tiger on pan masala ads
-
01
Maharashtra FDA defends notice to Shah Rukh, Ajay, Tiger on pan masala ads
Maharashtra FDA defends notice to Shah Rukh, Ajay, Tiger on pan masala ads
Maharashtra FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has defended show-cause notices sent to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over alleged surrogate advertisements for pan masala. Mundhe said celebrities promoting such products…
Maharashtra FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has defended show-cause notices sent to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff over alleged surrogate advertisements for pan masala. Mundhe said celebrities promoting such products are equally responsible under food safety regulations, and the action is not targeting any individual.
Mundhe stated that the notices are based on the 2018 Advertising and Claims Regulation, which holds both advertisers and promoters accountable. The FDA considers the ads to be indirect promotion of banned pan masala and tobacco products. The three actors have been asked to respond within 15 days.
Fines of up to Rs 10 lakh can be imposed and advertisements may be ordered removed. The FDA is also taking action against manufacturers and sellers. The actors appeared in ads for Vimal Elaichi, a brand linked to pan masala products.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The 2018 Advertising and Claims Regulation under FSSAI treats surrogate advertising as a violation if the primary product is legally banned, as pan masala with tobacco is under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Celebrities endorsing such brands have previously faced scrutiny: Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar distanced themselves from pan masala brands in 2022 after similar notices. What makes this case notable is the FDA commissioner explicitly naming the third link, the promoter, as equally liable. The real test will be whether the actors' legal teams can prove they conducted due diligence on the product's compliance before signing the contract, which is the defence typically cited. The 15-day response period ends in mid-September, if replies are deemed insufficient, the FDA may proceed with prosecution, which would set a precedent for celebrity liability in surrogate ads.
Source: bazaar.businesstoday.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
