Amul’s new ‘mythbusting’ ad campaign is an offensive against non-dairy ‘milk’

Amul’s latest print campaign is all about informing consumers why plant-based ‘milk’ isn’t exactly milk. The ad lists out a host of pros about milk, right from economic factors to nutrition, while . However, it isn’t actually a David versus Goliath sort of a conflict.

The ad mentions that dairy alone contributes Rs 8 lakh crore to the Indian economy. In comparison, value of the vegan or plant based ‘milk’ industry in India would not exceed a few hundred crore rupees at the moment. It’s more like Goliath versus a speck of dust.

However, global trends point towards the increasing popularity of alternative foods like vegan/plant based meat/dairy. This has encouraged newbie brands like Goodmylk to explore the market. The Amul ad also projects milk as a healthier alternative to the the ‘factory produced’ plant based beverages like almond milk.

The ad further cites regulations that bar the use of the term ‘milk’ to denote non-dairy beverages. It also calls upon the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to strictly enforce the regulation.

However, in a recent interview, we had asked Abhay Rangan, founder of Goodmylk, about his take on the situation. Rangan told us Rangan says that plant-based ‘milks’ is not alien to India and that Indians have been consuming beverages like coconut milk for ages. “Any smart dairy company will look at it as an opportunity. Globally, dairy companies are buying out plant-based dairy companies because they see potential. Any resistance that we see is going to be temporary,” he added.