Summary:
As claim support data, the advertiser submitted item- wise reply with literature citing and published research papers, Text book reference; USDA Nutrient Data base, and Research work conducted on coconut oil by Amrita Institute of Medical Science.The claim support data submitted by the advertiser was reviewed by the technical expert of ASCI. MANGALURU: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the regulatory body for advertisements, has issued a notice to the Coconut Development Board (CDB) and directed it to modify an advertisement after the latter failed to substantiate claims made in the advertisement.The complaint against CDB was lodged by Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations ( FIRA ) president Narendra Nayak with ASCI, regarding an advertisement in a magazine in May this year. Nayak said the page had objectionable matter with comments that coconut oil was highly nutritious, rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals; natural antiseptic boosts energy immune system; restores thyroid function and increases metabolic rate; reduces obesity; an antioxidant, improves bowel movements; good for kidneys, skin and hair and will not increase cholesterol. Nayak said none of these were true.The ASCI only upheld the contention of the advertiser that "Coconut Oil is good for skin and hair," since coconut oil was generally accepted as being a good lubricating oil for human body and hair.Rest of the claims, ASCI summarily dismissed it by stating it was not adequately substantiated and therefore was untruthful, and misleading by exaggeration.R Dharod, executive - Complaints Handling, ASCI stated the advertiser had in their response said they published this advertisement for promoting coconut, coconut oil and Farmer Producer organizations (FPO) with the consent from Dr.
D.M.Vasudevan, MD, FRCPath; Head, Post Graduate programs & Research who has conducted a project on coconut oil at Amrita Institute of Medical Science, Kochi. The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) viewed the print advertisement and examined the complaint and the detailed response given by the advertiser as well as the opinion of the Technical expert presented at the meeting.The CCC noted the advertiser had on one hand stated in their response their advertisement does not deal with coconut oil and whole coconut separately; but on the other hand, it is seen that in the print advertisement that all the benefits are featured under "The multifarious benefit of coconut oil" under a very prominent headline: "From farm to your home, invisible hands are at work to bring you the world's healthiest oil, the coconut oil"..