Court order restrains publishing, broadcasting & communicating videos making allegations of plastic in Aashirvaad Atta, India’s No.1 Packaged Atta Brand
Telangana & Andhra Pradesh, February 2018: Aashirvaad Atta, the No. 1 packaged atta brand in the country has recently been the subject of malicious videos on internet platforms alleging that the atta contains plastic. The saidvideos claim that if the dough made from ‘Aashirvaad atta’ was washed several times it resulted in a gum like substance, which was alleged to be plastic. The said videos are being made and circulated with the intent to cause confusion and false alarm among the general public regarding the use and consumption of Aashirvaad atta, and to damage the reputation of ‘Aashirvaad’ brand. Recently, similar false videos made by unknown sources have again surfaced and are being circulated. What is being alleged as 'plastic' in these videos is in fact a wheat protein (also known as gluten) which binds the atta together and gives elasticity to the dough when kneaded. Even the FSSAI regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, require that all atta must contain a minimum of 6% wheat protein.
Taking on the baseless allegations made against the reputed brand, the Company had filed a suit seeking an injunction against these videos and damages for loss of reputation. A restraint order was passed by the Court on 16.12.2017 restraining the publishing, broadcasting, communicating or in any manner making such videos available or causing or continuing to make such videos available for public viewing on internet/social media platform providers, viz. Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
An NABL accredited laboratory in Mumbai, on testing Aashirvaad Atta as well as other popular atta brands recently, has confirmed the presence of gluten in the samples of all these atta in the range of 7 to 12 percent of atta. The report of the laboratory also confirmed, that when atta dough is washed with water, starch and fibre gets removed and a residue is obtained which is gluten and not plastic.
In line with its commitment to creating world-class FMCG brands that create, capture and retain value in India, ITC Ltd. has always kept the interest of the consumer at the forefront. With careful sourcing from over 6500 selection centres, over 410 tests done twice a year, manufactured in factories with ISO 22000 certification, ITC ensures that Aashirvaad Atta, like all ITC’s products, maintains and complies with the highest levels of purity, quality, safety and hygiene standards in manufacturing processes and in the supply chain.