5 times Patanjali products stirred controversies

Patanjali Ayurved, a company with over Rs 48,000-crore market value, has encountered numerous controversies. Accusations and reports have surfaced multiple times regarding misleading claims and advertisements associated with its products.

Currently, Patanjali faces scrutiny from the Supreme Court, which issued a strong verbal warning and a potential fine of Rs 1 crore.

What happened

• The Supreme Court recently criticized Patanjali Ayurved for releasing misleading ads regarding allopathic medicines.
• Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Prashant Kumar Mishra warned Patanjali of a possible fine of Rs 1 crore per product if false claims about curing specific diseases persist.
• They instructed Patanjali to cease publishing deceptive ads and refrain from casual statements to the press.
• The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 2024 and requested recommendations from the central government regarding the brand.

Petition against Patanjali 

Last year, the Indian Medical Association filed a petition against Patanjali, accusing the company of disparaging allopathy, making false claims about curing diseases, spreading rumours about Covid-19 vaccines, and contributing to vaccine hesitancy.

Ramdev's response

After the Supreme Court's verdict, Ramdev, in a press conference, denied the claims and criticized the IMA. He stated, "Money cannot decide truth and lie. They (allopathy) may have more hospitals, and doctors, and their voice may be heard more, but we have the inheritance of the wisdom of sages, we are not poor."

Previous controversies 

Patanjali has a history of controversies, including:

1.  The cure for COVID-19

• In June 2020, Patanjali stirred controversy by introducing "Coronil," an Ayurvedic medicine promoted as a COVID-19 cure.

• Ramdev confidently claimed its efficacy, raising concerns regarding regulatory approvals.

• The AYUSH Ministry initially clarified that Patanjali had approval solely for an immunity-boosting product, not a COVID-19 cure.

• However, it was marketed as a remedy for Covid, prompting long queues of people seeking the medicine.

• Subsequently, the product faced strong opposition, not only from various Indian doctors but notably, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concerns about the lack of data on Coronil's efficacy and safety.

• Moreover, First Information Reports were filed in Bihar and Rajasthan against Ramdev, Balkrishna (the billionaire and chairman of Patanjali), and others, accusing them of dishonesty and selling counterfeit medicines.

• Interestingly, the product is still available for purchase on Amazon and other online medical platforms like Netmeds.

2. The cure for everything

Repeatedly, Ram Dev has claimed to offer a remedy for numerous ailments. Do you recall when he stated that Yoga could cure 'AIDS' and even 'Homosexuality'?

• The situation escalated further when he associated these claims with Patanjali products. For instance, in 2015, there was a product called "Divya Putrajeevak Seed," which seemingly implies a seed for conceiving a son.

• As per NDTV reports, Patanjali Pharmacies marketed this as a natural herb for treating infertility.

• However, individuals with even basic genetic knowledge can assert that creating a medicine of that nature is impossible.

READ MORE: The truth I learnt about Ramdev and Patanjali

3. Patanjali Noodle controversy

On November 15, 2015, Patanjali introduced its instant noodles in India, coinciding with the time when Maggi Noodles were banned in the country.

• It seems that the noodle brand had featured an FSSAI license number on its packaging.

• However, according to Ashish Bahuguna, the then-chairperson of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the product was rejected after the brand acquired the license without official authorization.

• FSSAI expressed concerns by informing the company that Patanjali had not secured approval for the manufacturing of instant noodles.

• This lack of approval led to inquiries about compliance with food safety standards and regulations.

4. Amla Juice 

Patanjali Ayurved's amla juice, still available for sale, underwent scrutiny by the Ministry of Defence in 2017.

The Ministry suspended its sale following an adverse state laboratory test report that deemed the product unfit for consumption.

5. Selling Cuttlefish bone in a veg product

In May 2023, Patanjali drew backlash on social media when a Delhi-based law firm issued a legal notice to Patanjali Ayurved.

The notice accused the company of deceptively including a "non-vegetarian" ingredient (Samudra Fen or Cuttlefish bone) in its Divya Dant Manjan, a dental product labeled with a green sign indicating it as vegetarian.

The law firm also stated that this action by the brand was a violation of consumer rights. 

What do you think of Patanjali products?

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