Zydus ad leads to butter-margarine flare up

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Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns the Amul brand, has complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India about ads for Zydus Cadila's nutralite. ASCI has asked Zydus to modify them, reports CNBC-TV18.

The little Amul girl is utterly angry. That's because the tagline of the Nutralite ad says it's better than butter. Nutralite, a butter substitute from pharma company Zydus Cadila, is now up against Amul in a battle that goes beyond a few words.

"I think some people are claiming that margerine is better than butter. It is like claiming that vanaspati ghee is better than the desi ghee. Naturally, the fellow is producing, he is going to say that my product is better that yours. But it is the biggest myth. Let me tell you that margerine is made out of hydrogenated fat which has lot of transi fats; it is really bad for health," says RS Sodhi, Chief General Manager, GCMMF.

Amul claims the advertisement is misleading and similar products have been banned in the US and Europe. But Zydus says Amul is worried about its long-term butter sales as urban preferences swing towards healthier options and claims that its product is a blend of vegetable oils, unlike butter, which is derived from animal fat.

"Products from animal fats are richer in saturated fats, trans fatty acids and cholestoral and they are poorer in unsaturated fatty acids, that are of two types mono unsaturated fatty acids and poly unsaturated fatty acids," explains Dr Ravindra Mittal, Medical Advisor, Zydus Cadila.

Zydus has chalked out plans to increase reach of its butter substitute in India. As per ASCI directions, it said it would substantiate its claims in future. It might take more though, to satisfy the little Amul girl.