Bournvita saga brings role of health and wellness influencers back in focus

Govt looks to rein them in with guidelines

A viral video on Instagram by social media influencer Revant Himatsingka recently took on Bournvita, alleging that its ingredients weren’t as healthy as the brand claimed. In the reel, Himatsingka, who goes by the Instagram handle Foodpharmer, went to the extent of saying that some of these ingredients were outrightly harmful. Bournvita promptly served him a legal notice, and Himatsingka took the video down.

The episode, though, has again turned the spotlight on health and wellness influencers who have followers running into thousands. Himatsingka, for instance, has 134,000 followers.

India has the largest base of influencers in the world, according