Beef has long been a controversial food item in India. Its complicated legacy has been shaped by religious beliefs, increased vigilantism in recent years, non-uniform laws on cattle slaughter across states, and much more. Because of this, in a country where one can find packaged spice mixes for almost every Indian dish under the sun, it is a little more than uncommon to come across a branded spice mix pack for a beef dish here.
It is then all the more unlikely to see “beef biryani” spice mix being sold under the brand of Patanjali Ayurved, the packaged consumer goods company co-founded by self-styled yoga guru Ramdev — a man who last year demanded that cows be declared the national animal of India. On social media, many shared the photo of such a packaged spice mix. In fact, the photo being shared even included Ramdev’s name as part of the branding.
Those sharing the photo on Facebook and Twitter took a dig at Ramdev, juxtaposing his public appeals for cow protection with the kind of products his brand was selling. An archived version of such a post can be seen here.
— Priyanka (@Priyanka432m) September 19, 2022
AFWA's investigation found that the viral photo was digitally altered. Patanjali's logo as well as Ramdev's name were not part of the original packaging of a Pakistani brand.
First, we noticed that the branding on the side of the box was different from that on the front. While it said Ramdev on the front, the logo on the side said “National”.
When we...
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