Exaggerated lines like ‘this is the best in the market’, ‘totally free of chemical’, ‘this is the best’ or ‘purest of the pure’ cannot be printed on consumer items anymore.
If any product in the market is found to carry such inflated taglines after 31 July, then the food authority will take action since such lines are in contravention to safe food labelling regulations, 2017.
The safe food law, 2013, explicitly states that an item cannot be sold by bending the advertisement laws or through the presentation of misleading information.
Member of the safe food authority and joint secretary, Mahbub Milon, told Bangla Tribune: “deceptive information or images cannot be used.”
Already, several companies have started to rejig their advertisement language.
Safe food authority has sent a warning to all soft drink manufacturers about the law with printed newspaper notices.
The notice says that some packaged food items do not list all the ingredients used or, contain warnings about possible presence of allergy creating items, which is a breach of the existing regulation.
Failure to adhere to laws can result in fines up to Tk. 20 lakh with imprisonment reaching up to five years. .
Advertisement agencies will now have to use less embellished language.
Creative director of Grey advertising, Nurur Rahman said: “we have to follow government guidelines and will work within the set rules.”
Greater restrictions will inspire us to be extra creative, he added.