Food influencer Foodpharmer calls out PepsiCo for taking down video on Sting energy drink
Apparently, LinkedIn is the only platform where the Sting energy video is still available in India. It has been taken down from YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Revant Himatsingka, a health and nutrition influencer known publicly as Foodpharmer, gained fame after a viral video highlighting the high sugar content of Bournvita. Now, he is calling out Pepsico India-owned energy drink brand Sting and Red Bull owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH for their high sugar content.
Himatsingka took to LinkedIn to talk about how his Sting video has been taken down from social media in India. Apparently, LinkedIn is the only platform where the Sting energy video is still available in India. It has been taken down from YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
"Sting Energy (owned by Pepsi) took down my video from social media in India. Open challenge to all food companies that have sent me legal notices/court cases. Instead of a legal notice/court case, come for a public debate where we will examine all ingredients scientifically. We can have a team of doctors and nutritionists as judges," he writes in a post.
The video in question, lasting over a minute, shows Himatsingka discussing the ingredients of both these brands and calls out the high sugar content in both the products.
He highlights that while a Red Bull 250 ml can has almost 7 teaspoons of sugar, a Sting 250 ml bottle has 4 teaspoons of sugar content. He goes on to add that while Sting has less sugar content, it does use multiple artificial sweeteners (Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium). The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against using artificial sweeteners, and other studies have associated these ingredients with a higher risk of stroke and dementia.
Sting has been promoted by actors such as Akshay Kumar.
In May, Himatsingka caused a stir with his video on Mondelez India-owned malt drink brand Bournvita, highlighting its high sugar content and the misleading positioning as a health drink. The video went viral, and he received a legal notice from the company, leading him to take it down. However, it resonated with millions of netizens who called out the brand.
The issue was also addressed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the apex body for the protection of child rights, which asked Mondelez India-owned brand Bournvita to review and withdraw all "misleading" advertisements, packaging, and labels following a recent video claiming that the health drink contains a high percentage of sugar and ingredients that may have a harmful impact on children's health.
He has also called out Hindustan Unilever (HUL)-owned ketchup brand Kissan Tomato Ketchup and Nestle India-owned Maggi tomato ketchup for their high sugar content.
