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The company, said it emphasized a four-point
health and wellness agenda:
• Focus on research and development (R&D) to make its existing
offerings healthier. For instance, its products such as Lay's
and Kurkure were fried in rice bran oil, which reduced the
saturated fat in these brands by 40 percent. Its products also
did not contain MSG or trans fats. |
• Introduce healthier variants of existing products.
For instance, the Lehar Lite range of snacks contained less oil.
• Expand the company's snacks offerings by including healthier products
such as Quaker Oats.
• Make efforts to address the calorie problem by encouraging the
adoption of active lifestyles especially for school-going children. For
instance, the company had initiated the 'Get Active' program in around
120 schools located in Delhi and Mumbai by the end of 2007.9
As part of the deal, the IMA would also be involved in the 'Get Active'
program. "We believe the endorsement from a third party will strengthen
the overall messaging of both products and lend further credibility to
them,"10 said Mallika Jankiraman,
vice president (health and wellness) PepsiCo.
While IMA had, in the past, endorsed products such as Dettol and
Dispirin (of Reckitt Benckiser11),
Pampers diapers (of Procter & Gamble Company12),
and Eureka Forbes's13 water
purifiers, this was the first time it was endorsing any food product.
Former IMA president Ajay Kumar, who had inked the deal with the
company, said that it had had second thoughts about endorsing products
from a company that also sold colas, but the scientific research data
produced by the company in support of the health benefits of Tropicana
and Quaker Oats had helped clinch the deal.
However, he added that if the company changed any of the ingredients in
these products, the deal would be nullified.
The IMA's decision to endorse commercial products raised ethical
concerns. According to some sources, the IMA had received Rs. 5 million
to endorse the brands. Critics including some doctors castigated the IMA
for getting into a deal which, they felt, put it in a conflict of
interest situation.14
"The moment a brand is being endorsed by the medical fraternity, for the
common man it becomes a healthy food. So we should be a little more
careful when we are getting it endorsed,"15
said Ritika Sammadar, a doctor.
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9] Amitabh Baxi, "'It's Tough to Maintain the
Priceline'," www.economictimes.indiatimes.com, November 22, 2007.
10] "PepsiCo and IMA Sign Non-Commercial Deal,"
www.medindia.net, May 7, 2008.
11] Reckitt Benckiser Plc, headquartered in Slough,
UK, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of cleaning products.
12] Procter & Gamble Co. is a leading manufacturer and
marketer of a wide range of consumer goods. It is one of the dominant players in
the Indian FMCG arena.
13] Eureka Forbes is one of the largest direct selling
networks in Asia focusing on water purifiers and vacuum cleaners.
14] "VIEW: It's a Conflict of Interest,"
www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, May 8, 2008.
15] "IMA's Endorsement of Products Raises Ethical Concern,"
www.ibnlive.com, May 8, 2008. |
