Imagine Foods Private Limited - Imagine Meats

Recommendation: Upheld | Medium: General Public

The ASCI had approached the advertiser for its response in addressing the grievances of the complainant and forwarded the details of the complaint, verbatim, to the advertiser with a request to respond to the same. The advertiser was offered an option to seek an Informal Resolution (IR) of the complaint by modifying or withdrawing the claims in the advertisement, or alternately to substantiate the claims with supporting data. The advertiser was also offered an opportunity for a telecon with the ASCI Secretariat, which they availed and replied seeking for an extension of 15 days to submit their response. The deadlines stipulated by Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) procedure exist keeping in mind the immediate and widespread impact that advertisements have on the public. Consequently, any action which is needed to be taken with respect to the same is required to be prompt and urgent. It is for this purpose that the deadlines, as stipulated, are set for advertisers/broadcasters etc. and the CCC itself makes it a priority to deal with every complaint before it as expeditiously as possible. However, as a special gesture, the advertiser was granted an extension of additional five business days to respond. The advertiser in their response stated that the term “Plant Based Mutton Seekh Kebab” when read in its entirety, does not present a contradiction or oxymoron. The qualifier “Plant Based” modifies “Mutton Seekh Kebab” to indicate a vegetarian analogue designed to replicate the taste and texture of the traditional meat dish. The product is not claiming to contain meat; instead, the term “Mutton Seekh Kebab” is used as a culinary descriptor to convey the intended taste, texture, and form of the product. The product labelling does not use the term “Mutton Seekh Kebab” in a standalone manner. It is prominently qualified with the term “plant based”. In support of their response, the advertiser provided the Front of Pack (modified pack), Front of Pack (old pack), Back of Pack labelling, and the Website page. The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) viewed the Website advertisement considered the complaint, and the advertiser’s response. The CCC observed that the product is marketed as a "Plant Based Mutton Seekh Kebab". While the product is indeed plant based, the green dot symbol used to identify vegetarian food is not clearly visible in the website image of the packaging. This lack of clear visual indication may mislead consumers into believing the product is non-vegetarian, particularly due to the use of the word `mutton’ in the product name. Although the advertiser has stated that the product is plant based and that relevant information is included on the packaging, the CCC noted that the advertisement does not make this prominently clear to an average consumer at a glance. Based on these observations, the CCC concluded that the lack of a clearly visible green dot in the advertisement creates an impression that could mislead consumers about the nature of the product. The advertisement contravened Chapter I, Clause 1.4 of the ASCI Code. This complaint was UPHELD. The CCC noted the advertiser’s response that the modified pack and the website clearly describes the product as `Plant based Mutton Seekh Kebab’.