Move Over, Pinocchio

“Lying makes a lot of

people a lot of money.

Lying is big business.”

— Marty Rubin

The rest of the world got a taste of the Cola Wars before it descending into India. Similar was the case with Burger Wars, Sandwich Wars and Coffee Wars. Mankind, jaded by fighting over only that which can be eaten or gulped down, moved on to technology and gadgets. Thus, Format Wars, Browser Wars, Software Wars and Smartphone Wars mystified us for a bit. The wheel has now turned full circle – we return to our guts in the Edible Oils Wars, sporting vegan mushrooms and smoke suds in our pans and woks. Competitive rhetoric is as pungent as its aftertaste in this no-holds-barred joust. Ladles and fists are generously bunched to spawn headlines, stopping power and market blotches. Facts are sacrificed, fake news used blatantly to grab decibels, visibility and profitability.

Ironically, this began after an initiative was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself. The PM outlined strategic plans to take India to self-sufficiency in edible oils, using a barrage of measures to enhance domestic cultivation under the National Edible Oils Mission-Oil Palm (NEOM-OP 2024). The outlay of the project was Rs 11,040 crore, and the call to crofters was simple; boost oil production-related farming in the country. Among the moves were oil palm farms expansion under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, increasing the minimum support price (MSP) for rapeseed-mustard, creation of buffer stocks for oilseeds, and cluster demonstration of oilseed crops.

PM Modi’s call to arms had an invigorating impact on the domestic farming community. As is wont, it had a boomerang tangent too, with some dredging up unfair means to reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The dredgers have not been averse to use blatant untruths to push their agenda.

Untruths Are Not New

Globally, there’s nothing new in corporate rivalry escalating to malfeasance. In fact, the trend tailgated business itself. If we look at just the last few decades, there are riveting skirmishes that have grabbed eyeballs. The standoff between General Motors and Volkswagen in 1993, the 2001 Procter & Gamble-Unilever skirmish and the Microsoft-Oracle case in 2010 come easily to mind. Coca-Cola and Amazon themselves became hapless victims of strategy theft that led to marketshare mayhem.

In contrast, corporate clashes in India have been relatively subdued and even-keeled. It is this penchant for sobriety that makes the ongoing edible oils battle stand out, especially as NEOM is backed by the government. That has also led analysts to use a microscope to dissect this disruption in market dynamics and the deceptive tactics utilized by some firms to grab eyeballs. A Consumer Voice study takes note of this and says: “Extremely alarming adulteration levels have been found in loose oils, with some brands of mustard oil showing a 72-per cent contamination rate. What’s more, these brands claim they are the way to a healthy heart and healthier body.”

Sure, the stakes are high. India is the second-largest edible oil-consuming nation and by far the largest importer, with 20.7 per cent of global imports. Palm oil is not just the world’s most used vegetable oil, it is also used to make detergents, plastics, cosmetics and biofuels. But what makes the NEOM-OP initiative significant is ‘productivity’. Higher adoption can provide a boost to edible oils production, which would be a game-changer, as this is the only crop that can yield four tonnes of oil from every farmed hectare. Consider this – 60 per cent of the edible oil India consumes is imported, costing the exchequer over US $14 billion (Rs 1.2 lakh crore). With plans to boost cultivation to 10 lakh hectares by 2025-26, India’s import bill for edible oils would be cut drastically.

Going Gets Nefarious

The Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) in Gujarat recently exposed instances where products were mislabelled, with myriad oils being sold as ‘cottonseed oil’. Such practices deceive consumers and undermine the integrity of genuine brands. Dr Sudeep Khanna, Gastroenterologist at Apollo Hospitals, says dubious oil types may contain harmful elements like trans-fats, heavy metals and pesticides, leading to liver and kidney damage, neurological disorders and other health concerns.

There is ethical distress in marketing strategies too, with the modus operandi of even top firms coming under the lens. A leading company faced regulatory backlash for promoting a blended edible oil which it claimed it had “medicinal properties and regulates diabetes”. Ashok Gulati, Professor for Agriculture at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), said while progress and even genetic modification are welcome, they are not solutions to imports. “Increased investment in agricultural R&D is needed to ensure sustainability, which is as critical as productivity,” he adds.

If productivity and sustainability are so critical, why is OP drawing so much ire? Clearly, it is affordability and sustainability that fuel rival misinformation campaigns that question anything and everything. A way out is education and awareness, backed by tough standards and punitive damages. Watchdogs need to enforce ethical practices and ensure that those running vilification campaigns are penalized.

A top official says the Indian government is also wary of projections that given present consumption levels, the country will face an obesity figure of over 53 per cent in a decade. “While high-fat diets can lead to obesity and lifestyle diseases, reliable sources of fats like palm oil can provide daily energy requirements to those suffering from food insecurity, such as so many of India’s poor,” he adds.

Why All The Brouhaha?

The immediate trigger seems to be a tussle between profitability and ethics. “In a highly competitive race, companies are resorting to devious means and untruths to target those running ahead,” says Subodh Ashray, digital marketing expert. “We have ‘experts’ who blatantly ignore even the findings of statutory bodies such as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). That is sad and dangerous,” he adds.

Time and again, ICMR and NIN have backed palm oil’s credentials. Dr Ramesh Kumar, senior nutritionist at NIN, says: “It is a rich source of Vitamin E and tocotrienols, which have antioxidant properties. It contains beta-carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A, making it nutritionally superior to many other oils.” In a nation grappling with diseases like diabetes and heart ailments, the ICMR itself has issued dietary guidelines that advocate its use in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

Soliloquy: I am no expert and thus not equipped to pass further judgment. What I do know is that my father was 5 feet 3 inches tall and my mother is 5 feet nothing. I am 6-feet tall and grew up on palm oil and its many avatars. And the debate above allows me room for mischief – to question my mom on the merits of palm oil and/or the extent of her youthful escapades that sparked this genetic incongruity in my vertical stature. When I do ask her, I am not looking for disclosure; the blush of embarrassment and red-faced smile on her beautiful 78-year-old face are reward enough.

The writer is a veteran journalist and communications specialist. He can be reached on [email protected]. Views expressed are personal