WARNING that all actors in an advertising chain are accountable, Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Monday defended action against celebrities endorsing surrogate products, while stating that more than 8,000 public complaints were resolved in a month. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a show-cause notice and a final warning to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff for featuring in an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi, saying the campaign prima facie amounts to indirect or surrogate promotion of prohibited pan masala and tobacco-related products. In an exclusive interview with PTI, he said the advertisement was being examined as a possible surrogate for a prohibited product, as the company had also been found selling gutkha in the past. Mundhe emphasised that regulations apply to everyone involved in creating, publishing or sponsoring advertisements and claims, noting that “everybody across the chain is responsible”.

 

Mundhe said the complaintsMyfda.In portal has received a good response as complainants can track the status of their complaints, while the department can also monitor their progress. The system has features such as auto-accountability, auto-assignment and auto-escalation, he said. “9,000 or more complaints have been received on the portal. It’s almost one month now. More than 8,000 complaints are resolved, and almost 700-800 are under process,” Mundhe added. Referring to the action against advertisements featuring celebrities, he said the FDA’s response was based on regulations concerning misleading claims, including surrogate advertisements. Referring to pan masala and tobacco-related products, the FDA Commissioner said a prohibitory order has been in place in Maharashtra against gutkha, pan masala and related tobacco items since 2012.