PETA asks Amul to pull ad on vegan tennis star Novak Djokovic

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The Dairy Times News Bureau
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National, June 26, 2021: Animal rights organisation People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and India’s dairy brand Amul are at it again, this time over an advertisement on Tennis star Novak Djokovic.

PETA has sent a letter to Amul asking it to pull its ads on appropriating Novak Djokovic’s recent 19th Grand Slam title win in the French Open tennis championship, pointing out that the ad is deceptive as Djokovic is vegan (plant-based) and, therefore, does not consume dairy according to the reports published in moneycontrol.com.

Amul recently rolled out an ad after Novak Djokovic won the title. The advertisement hailed Djokovic’s win saying “serb kuch jeeta…..do baar”. However, it also implied that the tennis player consumed dairy products and said, “Amul Djo khaaye, usse bhaaye.”

According to PETA, that is why the ad is misleading.

“Djokovic is a vegan who won his 19th Grand Slam, and now, PETA India slams Amul for appropriating his image in an ad for the very product he denounces,” said PETA India CEO and veterinarian Dr Manilal Valliyate.

This is not the first time that PETA has called out Amul for its ads.In 2020, too, the company pointed out that Hollywood actor and star of the movie ‘Joker’ Joaquin Phoenix being vegan after Amul had rolled out an ad on him.

Advocating the vegan lifestyle, which is the bone of contention between Amul and PETA, Valliyate in its letter said: “Today, many athletes and celebrities around the world, including tennis champion Venus Williams, Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton, American football player Colin Kaepernick, and Olympic gold medallist and football player Alex Morgan, are eating vegan for improved health, concern for animals, or to help the environment.”

Amul and PETA have been at loggerheads since March after Amul 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 on to talk about the “fact that milk is a complete food, natural as well as vegetarian.”

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.”

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.Since then, both sides have waged an ugly war of words which subsequently resulted in the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Amul, wherein it asked for a ban on PETA.

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