Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has called upon Amul, the biggest milk and dairy products company in India to switch to producing vegan milk.
Claiming that demand for vegan food and beverages is growing PETA in a letter said: 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 is only growing. Other companies are responding to market changes, and Amul can too.
Citing a report by Grand View Research revealed that the global dairy alternatives market is estimated to reach $52.58 billion by 2028, PETA India Vegan Outreach Coordinator Dr Kiran Ahuja said: "Much of the world - and that certainly includes India - has turned sour towards dairy over animal welfare, environmental, and health concerns."
"PETA India is calling on Amul to realise which way the wind is blowing and switch to producing the creamy dairy-free milk that today's consumers want." In India, most people would be astonished to learn that the dairy sector is the primary supplier of cattle to the beef industry and that most family farms are now gone, PETA India said.?
In March, Amul had launched an ad campaign on myth-busting about plant-based milk.
Among other claims, Amul had said that plant-based ¡®milk¡¯ isn¡¯t exactly milk and went on to list the economic contribution of the industry.
Under new regulations set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in 2017, a company cannot claim or suggest in advertisements and packaging that a non-milk product is made out of milk.
Despite the size of the industry and how important milk and milk products are in India, the dairy industry has been controversial.
From unhygienic circumstances to the use of hormones, artificial insemination, and selective breeding - the industry has had its share of controversies.
However, the industry argues that dairy farmers are mostly small and landless and the one or two cows they have are their only source of income.