Why Amul And PETA Are Fighting It Out: Here's A Timeline Of The Vegan Controversy
The standoff between Amul and People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has escalated as both sides are exchanging barbs and engaging in open mudslinging.
On Tuesday, Valamji Humbal, the Vice Chairman of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which sells Amul-branded dairy products, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to ban PETA.
Amul vs PETA
Humbal alleged that the non-governmental organisation in cohorts with ¡°foreign companies¡± is involved in a larger conspiracy to malign the image of the dairy industry. He went as far as to call the NGO an ¡°opportunistic element spreading misinformation.¡±?
In turn, PETA India¡¯s CEO and veterinarian Dr Manilal Valliyate was quick to respond and called Amul a ¡°bully, unable to appreciate the public¡¯s concerns for animals.¡±?
Though the recent confrontation between the two was triggered by an advertisement by Amul, it all started when the country¡¯s largest dairy brand objected to companies labelling plant-based beverages as ¡®milk¡¯.
Lets take a look?at how the tussle began and how it escalated into a fierce conflict.
Timeline of events
November 2020
Amul has been on a mission since last year to disallow the use of the term ¡®milk¡¯. The dairy cooperative society slammed companies selling almond, soya, rice beverages and oats in disguise of milk and said that it may consider dragging them to court to stop this practice.
Food regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had issued a draft notification in August, proposing to stop the use of the word 'milk' for such products.?Amul has been known to object to labels of several other product segments such as ¡®vanaspati ghee¡¯ and ¡®ice cream¡¯ in the past too.
March 2021
FSSAI had initially indicated a timeline of a month or two to make a decision. However, the delay seemingly made Amul and the larger dairy industry antsy. To fight what it calls ¡°a spread of misinformation¡±, the dairy brand in March rolled out advertisements in newspapers and on social media talking about the difference between milk and plant-based beverages.
The advertisements claimed to bust ¡°myths¡± such as ¡°plant-based beverages are rich in nutrients¡±, ¡°plant-based beverages are milk¡± and ¡°plant-based beverages are a sustainable food system¡± etc. It went to talk about the ¡°fact that milk is a complete food, natural as well as vegetarian.¡±
The ad mentioned that dairy alone contributes Rs 8 lakh crore to the Indian economy. In comparison, value of the vegan or plant based ¡®milk¡¯ industry in India would not exceed a few hundred crore rupees at the moment. It¡¯s more like Goliath versus a speck of dust.
The campaign piqued NGOs such as PETA, Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC), and Sharan India and they complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
May 2021
ASCI, which is a self-regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising industry, upheld the contentions of AMUL and observed that ¡°there is sufficient scientific data to prove that milk is nutritious and a rich source of calcium, vitamins, carbohydrates, fat, minerals and protein.¡±
End of May
Disgruntled with the ASCI verdict, PETA, wrote a letter to Amul in late May, asking the dairy cooperative society to switch to making vegan products."We would again like to encourage Amul to benefit from the booming vegan food and milk market, instead of wasting resources trying to fight the demand for plant-based products that are only growing. Other companies are responding to market changes, and Amul can too," PETA India said in a letter addressed to the MD RS Sodhi.
This sparked a Twitter war between the two. R.S Sodhi questioned the NGO ¡°if they would give livelihood to 100 million dairy farmers.... Who will pay for the school fee.... How many can afford expensive lab manufactured factory-made food out of chemicals and synthetic vitamins.....¡±Since then, both sides have waged an ugly war of words which subsequently resulted in the letter to the PM.
