Lays Controversy in India

Controversy 

       ' Lays potato chips contains Pig meat',is the latest rumor in India.


  Mind you, it's new on Facebook, but we have seen it in 2009 also (on Orkut).The controversial news has been traveled from Pakistan to India.It's very sensitive issue for Muslims all over the world as Pork is Haraam (taboo/forbidden) in Islaam.

           Frito-Lays the division of PepsiCo. (whose Lays product 'Lay's Masala' is famous in India,Pakistan and Bangladesh) is trying their best to END this rumor.Pakistani Singer Junaid Jamshed featured in Advertisement of Lays announcing Lays is a halal product made from fine potatoes and fried in vegetable oils. He also mentioned in Ad that Lays Masala is produced in Pakistan itself,hence Pakistani people should not spread rumors about Lays. But the Ad turned out a big headache for singer and public criticized him for going against religion only for the sake of money.

                                  Does Lays contains Pig fat?

   The E631 food additive (spice enhancer) in the Lays is the root-cause of controversy. 

          The additive can be extracted from Plants like Cassava ( from Tapioca starch) or the inosinate can also be extracted  from animal products like Pig meat or Fish. Most of the Muslims have already stopped eating Lays potato chips so as to avoid any risk. For them whether the product is Haraam or Halal is no more an issue. 


    As an Oil technologist I can easily tell you that extracting lipids from plants is much easier and less expensive than extracting from Meat.So the company's Tapioca starch extraction can be trusted easily.

    

              In India, vegetarians are large in numbers and so the news can surely affect the sale of Lays product. Although, no Muslim Religion leader has yet targeted Saif Ali Khan for endorsement of Lay's products. The controversy has started knocking on the doors of India again. Let's see how proactive is the 'Marketing' team of the company?