First it was the Delhi government asking celebrities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Arbaaz Khan and Sunny Leone not to endorse pan masala products, and now taking a firm stand on the rampant use of celebrities endorsing such brands, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) said such ads are in violation of its code.

The Council on Wednesday said that it will be investigating such ads as these are in violation of the ASCI’s Code of Self-Regulation in advertising content.

The advertising watchdog said that Clause 2 (e) (under Chapter III) of the code, states that advertisements of products that require a health warning in their ads or cannot be used by minors, should not feature personalities from the field of sports, music and cinema.

Shweta Purandare, Secretary-General, ASCI, said: “At this juncture, we would like to educate the consumers and the advertisers that while products such as pan masala and supari are not banned for sale or from advertising by law, the ASCI code does not permit the use of celebrities in advertisements of products which by law require health warning on its pack or cannot be purchased or used by minors.”

She said that ASCI has received several complaints against such advertisements and it will approach the concerned advertisers to take necessary corrective action, post a decision by its Consumer Complaints Council.

According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Rules and Regulation, the statutory warnings like ‘Chewing of Pan Masala is injurious to health’ and ‘Chewing of Supari is injurious to health’ are mandatory to be printed on the pack as well as in the advertisements.

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