INVESTIGATION Relishing chocolates has always been something that interests kids, grown-ups and old alike. A high number of chocolate bar sales is always reported in India and contribute to the bulk of profits for the confectionary makers in the country.
Nonetheless beware; not always can you un-wrap the package and put the bar in your mouth with eyes closed as naive as a newborn – Not Always!
In the latest reported separate incidents, Rakeshand Akhil came up with the horror of their life, after they un-wrapped the freshly purchased chocolate bars, from one of the premier confectionary brands in India and abroad.
“As soon as I was about to put the bar in my mouth, I realized a worm was crawling out of it. I was shocked,” said Rakesh, a student at university in Patiala.
Akhil from Mumbai shares a similar story saying “after he opened his newly purchased chocolate bar, a worm was seen creeping out of it. When I complained it to the shopkeeper, he agreed to replace it. But I refused, and called company guys instead, who said that they will be sending someone to get it replaced. The guy who approached me from the company came with a sole intention of registering my complaint, and nothing more was done sadly.”
When INNLIVE contacted the concerned officials from the leading chocolate manufacturer of the country no satisfactory answers could be provided by them in this respect.
The complainants were of the view that notwithstanding such issues (worm appearing in chocolate bar) having made news in the past as well, what’s stopping company from coming with something concrete in this regard.
There have been various such cases reported in the past too. The market leader in the segment has been fined Rs. 15,000 on complaint of a man who found worms and fungi in chocolate he presented to a friend.
Chocolate maker’s view
As per one of the famous cases Cadbury India Ltd. vs L. Niranjan on 4 December, 2006 , the chocolate maker was let off as complainant counsel submitted to the reasoning provided by the company :
“Regarding the contention that such chocolates are required to be kept or preserved in a cool condition which may require refrigerator, learned Counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner submits that if a retailer or vendor of such chocolates commits something wrong in not preserving it at appropriate place, manufacturer is not liable.”
Company maintains that:
• Consumer must not purchase such chocolates from a retailer who is not in possession of fridge or visicooler.
• Consumers must read the date of manufactured product before making purchase.
In a country such as India, where temperature in most parts shoots up to 45 to 50 degree Celsius, any retailer maintaining sub-standard chocolate bar storing facility, should be held liable for such issues – justifiably such!
Nevertheless, such incidents are still being reported repetitively, since the first time in 2003, and thus, chocolate manufacturers can’t completely wash-off their hands of the entire concern.
Other possible causes
Despite all the FMCG companies maintaining high standards during manufacturing process, there may lie every likelihood of worm larvae and eggs entering the product during the initial stages – only to mature with time and appear as a ‘surprise package’ for the chocolate buyers.
To plug-off even the tiniest of loopholes existing is what’s expected of the leading brand.
Customers expect such in the developed part of the world and therefore, Indians merit a lot better too.
Worm-in-bar - Perennial problem for Chocolate makers
It was October 2003, a leading chocolate bar maker was attracting substantial bad press, quite unlikely for a brand of such stature otherwise, for widespread complaints about an infestation of worms in two of its chocolate bars in the states of Maharashtra (read Nagpur and Mumbai) and Kerala.
After facing extreme pressure from all sides, Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensured all the chocolate stocks of the company get seized at all the plants of manufacturer in the state.
FDA was at its boldest best and despite the chocolate bar manufacturer leaving no stone unturned is putting its clarification across all the platforms, the regulator was hell bent on proving its authority, and justifiable such.
Leading business daily Mint quoted the then spokesperson of the company when the issue was burning hot saying “the company had received a complaint from customer and we are looking into the matter.”
Meanwhile, Food and Drugs Commissioner Uttam Khobragade was making sure the accused doesn’t go unpunished and was very eloquent in informing news media of the time that – “I not sure if the manufacturing was to blame for the infestation, there is definitely some problem in their packaging."
To save its face, the company put the entire blame keeping in tandem with the standard norm, on the retailer.
Rediff quotes the spokesperson saying “chocolates are vulnerable to infestation if they are stored near grains and cereals, or in unhygienic conditions.
The company, therefore, provides retailers with storage dispensers and visicoolers to give adequate protection to its products. Additionally, every Cadbury product label mentions the care instruction: 'Store in a cool, hygienic and dry place’.”
Further states that packaging unit of the company in Satara was found to be working under unhygienic conditions by the FDA officials and hence, its license was suspended.
What followed next?
The chocolate manufacturer was pushed down inside the dungeon, while waiting for the sun to rise again and wash off the adverse publicity it has gained over the niggling days.
The company had by now understood well enough that confessing guilty is the only way out of the insulting and image-destroying cobweb and hence, it promised the FDA that superior packaging design would be introduced in its plants and temper-proof seal used thereon.
Nevertheless, the damage had been done and several spoofs ran abuzz on the internet ensuring the company is pushed to the corner for once and all.
It was a time when the competitors of the leading chocolate manufacturer began drafting a revival story for themselves, inside their heads, of course.
In order to save its credibility (whatever was left over by then) and maintain its supremacy in the market - company sales hit a new bottom and decreased enormously in the first 10 weeks of the crisis.
As per market reports, the share value of the company plummeted from 73 per cent in October 2003 (when the incident was first reported) to 69.4 per cent in January 2004.
As per a report published in Business Standards Amitabh Bachchan ad campaign (remember him extolling the virtues of celebrating Diwali with company’s chocolates than traditional mithai) helped the company to regain the confidence back among its consumers and hence, sales shot up to around 66 per cent in May 2004.
He is the same superstar who has been awaken from deep slumber after eight long years and questioning nutritional benefits of soft drinks from Pepsi-co and Maggi noodles.
The multi-national decided to hire some ‘genius’ PR professionals to counter the bad press.
• All the promotional advertisements were put off air instantly.
• The campaign was drafted in a way that the whole blame was shifted on retailers.
• Retaining back trust of the customers, stakeholders and other business partners was the main idea.
• Media, which had almost torn apart the company running 24/7 bad press against the company was taken in the loop, and was updated on press releases and new manufacturing and storage processes.
• New packaging processes were introduced in its plants such as sealed plastic wrapper inside the outside foil.
Even media developed a soft corner for the company after spitting fire against it, for about three long weeks.
It took the company just over 10 years to re-build its image in the eyes of customers since a worm being reported in the year 2003 for the first time.
And, now it yields generous power in the chocolate business of the country, and far more trustworthiness than others competing in the race to top.
Great power comes with greater responsibility!
For that reason, plugging off every small glitch alive would only help it in maintaining ascendancy in the long run.
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