After a 9-year-old girl refused to drink Dabur Real juice because the label on its pack said it was meant for "him", Union minister Maneka Gandhi has asked the manufacturer to look into the matter.
Resultantly, Dabur has agreed to make changes to its packaging, while maintaining that it used "him" on the pack to connote both girls and boys.
The intervention from Gandhi, the Women and Child Development Minister, followed a letter to her by the girl's father who wrote that Dabur's 'Real' juice brand needs "to show some respect to our daughters".
"My 9-year-old daughter asked me yesterday that whether 200 ml carton of Real fruit juices can be consumed only by boys...I was caught aback and could not reply to her (sic)," wrote Mriganka K Majumdar.
His daughter was referring to a label on the juice carton which read: "Something that's good for your child should also make him smile." This is accompanied by an image of a boy in school uniform.
Dabur said, "Let me reassure you that the use of the term 'him' on the pack is not gender-specific and was used in a more general sense to connote children and not any specific gender."
"However, we have taken into account Mr Majumder's concern and will make the necessary amendments to avoid any such misunderstanding in the future," according to an official statement issued by the group.
It also said, "In the point raised by Mr Majumder, we would like to state that the Real Fruit Power product pack also carries the picture of a happy family of four, including a girl child."
However, the girl's father said, "It is misleading on the part of Dabur to say that the pack also carries a girl's image because that is not true. However, I am happy that they have decided to make changes."
The 200 ml pack of 'Real' juice only has an image of a boy in a school uniform, accompanied by nutritional facts per 100 ml of the beverage. However, the bigger 1 litre pack also has an image of a girl.
"The reason why I intervened is that it sends a message out and will set a precedent for future," said Maneka Gandhi.
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