Explained | Why Amul and PETA are at loggerheads

Representative Image (REUTERS/Amit Dave)

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.

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’.

Moneycontrol looks at how the tussle began and how it escalated into a fierce conflict.

How it all started? 

The dairy cooperative society has been on a mission since last year to disallow the use of the term ‘milk’ from labels of almond, soya, oat, coconut, and rice beverages. Amul objects to such beverages being described as ‘almond milk’ or ‘soya milk’.

Last year in November, RS Sodhi, Managing Director of Amul, had slammed manufacturers of plant-based beverages and had urged food safety regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to instruct these companies to remove the word milk from their labelling.

“We have requested the FSSAI to instruct these product manufacturers and importers to remove the word milk from the labelling and also refrain from using this dairy term in any communication, as it is in violation of the existing regulations," Sodhi had said then.

FSSAI had introduced a draft notification in August last year to stop the use of ‘milk’ for these products. The food safety regulator is in discussion with industry representatives and a final verdict is yet to arrive.

Amul has been known to object to labels of several other product segments such as ‘vanaspati ghee’ and ‘ice cream’ in the past too.

Why NGOs moved to ASCI? 

FSSAI had initially indicated a timeline of a month or two to make a decision. The delay seems to have 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 busted “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 campaign piqued NGOs such as PETA, Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC), and Sharan India and they complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).

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.”

What made Amul write to the Prime Minister 

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.

What’s at the core of this spat? 

At the core of this entire issue, is the global discourse on vegan, vegetarian and non-vegetarian lifestyles and which is more eco-friendly. Globally and in India, too, animal rights activists have been routing for a lifestyle that is devoid of animal products in food and otherwise.

“Both dairy and beef industry are increasingly coming under scrutiny for their impact on climate change. Stress on water, soil and methane emissions from livestock are aspects that are believed to adversely impact the planet. Therefore, food systems are now increasingly discussed and researched globally for alternatives and mitigation plans” says Ankur Bisen, senior vice president, retail and consumer products, Technopak Advisors.

While the dairy industry claims that switching to a vegan lifestyle might disrupt livelihoods of farmers who get about 30 percent of their income from dairy.

“In our case, milk is not a business, it is a means to offer livelihood to 100 million farmers in the country,” R.S Sodhi, MD, Amul told Moneycontrol.

“Cows and buffalos have been a part of our families for ages and unlike the Western world, they are not mistreated here,” he added.

Besides GCMMF which sells Amul products, India has a host of other dairy cooperative societies such Karnataka Milk Federation (Nandini), Tamil Nadu Milk Producers’ Federation (Aavin), which source milk from the farmers and sell it to the end-consumer.

Both sides have maintained that their products are higher in nutrition and healthier than the other.

Should Amul worry? 

The vegan movement has taken the world by storm, as mentioned by PETA India in its letter to Amul. In the US, the market is valued at $2 billion. However, it remains a niche segment in India, according to experts.

Sample this: While the dairy industry is valued at $140 billion, the milk alternatives market is pegged to be at $25 million in India, as per industry estimates.

Experts say plant-based beverages do not pose any threat to India’s dairy industry.

“The plant-based beverages category is growing at the double-digit but given its low base it should not be a cause of worry for the dairy industry probably for the next ten years,” said Rajat Tuli, Senior Principal, Retail and Consumer Practice, Kearney.

Of late, the plant-based beverages market has seen the entry of several companies. Besides Sofit from The Hershey Company, Epigamia, Raw Pressery, Urban Platter and Goodmylk are other companies to have a presence.

These companies are trying to tap the growing demand for these products which, besides veganism, has been fuelled by growing incidences of lactose intolerance.

However, their products are quite expensive as compared to milk, which has limited their sales to urban areas. A one-litre tetra pack of Amul milk is priced at Rs 61, while that of Sofit soya milk is at Rs 111.

Given the high prices, the plant-based beverages segment, experts say, will take some time to see larger adoption in India.