A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Haldiram’s company has been caught red-handed while mixing meat in its products. The posted video was telecast by ‘Sudarshan News’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows Haldiram’s company being caught red-handed while mixing meat in its products.
Fact: In the posted video, the main concern raised by the anchor was regarding the ‘Urdu’ label on Haldiram’s Falahari Mixture packet. They do not mention anywhere in the video that they found Haldiram’s company mixing meat in its products. The controversial content on the packet is actually in ‘Arabic’ and is just an ‘Arabic’ translation of the English content written just above it on the packet. The ‘Arabic’ text does not mention that the product contains meat (as speculated by the anchors). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
An extended version of the posted video can be found on the ‘Sudarshan News’ YouTube channel. In the video, it is seen that the main concern raised by the anchor was regarding the ‘Urdu’ label on Haldiram’s Falahari Mixture packet. They do not mention anywhere in the video that they found Haldiram’s company mixing meat in its products. They just speculate that since there is an ‘Urdu’ label on the packet, the Haldiram’s company might be mixing something, which is anti-Hindu, in the Falahari Mixture packet.
If one translates the controversial content on the packet, it can be seen that the language is ‘Arabic’ and is just an ‘Arabic’ translation of the English content written just above it on the packet. The ‘Arabic’ text does not mention that the product contains meat (as speculated by the anchors).
The Haldiram’s Falahari Mixture packet also contains the ‘Vegetarian Food’ symbol on it (as prescribed by FSSAI for vegetarian foods).
Talking to ETimes, Gaurav Mahajan [Head of Marketing at Haldiram’s] said – “I really don’t understand why the use of Arabic language is being given so much of importance right now. What is written at the back of the packet is nothing but the ingredients and nutritional content, which the customer is entitled to know. It is a general declaration of ingredients that are used in the making of the product. So that the consumer who is eating does not have any doubts about it. These details include the facts and figures as well”. Also, Sharad Aggarwal [Director (Calcutta region), Haldiram’s] said – “First of all, it is not even Urdu. We have written it in Arabic language as our products are exported in several countries like Dubai, Italy, Spain, and France. Also, it is a mandate from every country to use their local language in the product description and this is the reason why we use various languages in our products.”
In several documents related to food labelling in UAE, it can be read that the Arabic label or sticker is mandatory. Some of those documents can be read here, here, here, and here. Not only the Haldiram’s Falahari Mixture packet, but many other products of Haldiram’s being sold in Dubai has Arabic labels. Some of them can be seen here, here, here, and here.
To sum it up, neither the Haldiram’s company mixed meat in its ‘Falahari Mixture’ nor was caught red-handed.
