kurkure plastic controversy

THE KURKURE PLASTIC CONTROVERSY

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND CORPORATE IMAGE

PROJECT

TOWARDS PARTIAL COMPLETION OF

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS STUDIES [SEMESTER-II]

SUBMITTED TO- DR. MONICA BANSALDEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS STUDIES

DEEN DAYAL UPADHYAYA COLLEGE

ABHISHEK DHAWAN 12/BBS/0069

KURKUREBrand HistoryLaunched in 1999, this perfect ‘namkeen’ snack, developed entirely in India, has come to be identified with fun and lovable human quirks. It developed an even stronger identity through associations with celebrities like Juhi Chawla (2003) and Kareena Kapoor (2008), well-known Indian actors.

Brand PromiseKurkure is a crunchy new-age namkeen snack brand which symbolizes light-hearted fun.Embodying the spirit of India, Kurkure has found a home in millions of hearts and minds and enjoys the position of a strong Lovemark brand in India.Juhi’s vibrant and fun-loving personality complements and embodies the essence of Kurkure. Over the years, Kurkure has journeyed effortlessly from being a snack with a twist to becoming an integral part of India’s teatime menu and an embodiment of endearing human ‘imperfections’ or ‘tedhapan’.

Brand AdvantageMade with trusted kitchen ingredients: 100% vegetarianAll the raw materials used in Kurkure comply with the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and rules that govern the manufacture, distribution and sale of Kurkure.All Kurkure ingredients are used daily in households for the preparation of various edible items.

InnovationsKurkure has constantly re-invented itself to sustain its relevance to Indian culture and the Indian ethos. Not only does Kurkure provide an inimitable taste and superior quality, it has also brought fame and happiness to many through its ‘Chai-time-achievers’ face on pack initiative.

Quality StandardsKurkure is made in automated plants at three locations – Channo (Punjab), Kolkata and Pune. These plants are audited and certified by various external agencies. The certifications include:HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point).Certification by TQCSI (Australia), which confirms that products are manufactured in a food safety environment and the manufacturing process has adequate controls to track products.American Institute of Baking (USA), one of the best auditing bodies for confirming process and product safety.Our Plants are ISO 14000 certified, which confirms that the manufacturing process ensures environmental safety.Our plants are also certified to ensure that the safety of products, processes, environment and people is maintained at a very high level. This certification is issued by OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series), USA.


THE CRISIS• People out of the mass uploaded videos showing KURKURE had

plastic contents.• There prevailed rumors surrounding the snack that there is

plastic in Kurkure which WAS completely untrue. As per the rumour, Kurkure burns because of the presence of plastic in Kurkure.

• An email was spread and TV interviews were conducted to boast upon this so called rumor and everything just happened at a moments’ notice.

• The P_O_S sales fell by nearly 33% in early times of FY-2009.• The February sales incentives bill fell by INR 3,00,00,000.• The employee morale fell drastically• Customers and suppliers started switching to alternatives like

HALDIRAMS,PICNIK,CHEESE BALLS etc.


THE ANALYSIS• The origin of the videos was identified and analysed and

presented..


THE ANALYSIS contd

• The harmful effect of PLASTIC CONSUMPTION being promoted was analyzed THROUGH A RESEARCH.

The Outcomes were:-• Eating plastic can affect the hypothalamus, the thyroid, the reproductive

organs and other parts of the endocrine system.• Plastic contains plasticizers which belong to the chemical group phthalates. • Phthalates can affect the human body’s hormone balance, which directly

relates to the function of the endocrine system. • The EPA claims there is a risk of phthalates transferring from plastic

packaging to food.


• The internal operations were scanned and re-structured.• KURKURE officially started media-campaigns and

prolonged LIVE interviews with the Top Officials being aired-PAN INDIA.

• The Masterminds were supposed mainly to be of any of the following categories-

1.Disgruntled competitors

2.Employees

3.Detractors or mischief mongers at play.

• A major review meet was observed at the HEAD_OFFICE at MUMBAI to analyze the outcomes of the research and to correlate things.

THE ANALYSIS contd


THE STRATEGY• KURKURE had excellent relations with the media houses

and hence an effective turn-around of the matter aired was exercised.

• A special BLOG was launched to simply things and regain the customers confidence effectively and sooner.

• Campaigns were observed in support with other PARENT_COMPANY products like soft-drinks etc.

• The nutritional values and indrigidents were all made public and an operational video was also launched.

• LA_PARSSE test to trace plastic contents was conducted at AIIMS , an a clean chit was procured , proving no plastic contents.


THE STRATEGY contd

NO PLASTIC

BLOG


• The safe and health KURKURE campaign depicted the following—• Kurkure has been a long-drawn favorite of many people because of its nutri-rich

contents. As college friends we have shared a deep love for this snack. I am saying this for my friend Ashutosh, one of my closest friend during our IIM days. In fact, our bonding has a lot to do with Kurkure. When we used to stay at hostel and miss homemade food, we had Kurkure for company. We spent a lot of times discussing vivas, presentations, group discussions etc with couple of Kurkure as our support system to keep us going.

• Made from the ingredients that are mostly available at home: rice meal, corn meal, gram meal, edible oil, salt, spices, rice bran oil condiments and flavoring, we would have a great time as we would snack on this healthy food for hours and every topic would turn out extra tangy, extra interesting because of this snack.

• Now for some time, we have heard about this silly plastic in kurkure rumor. Nothing could be more stupid: firstly we need to consider that the edible oil that is used in rice bran oil is rich in good fats (MUFA and PUFA) and has low saturated fats. Also, it is a fact that any fried product that has 30 percent oil content or less will burn like plastic, but it is not plastic.

THE STRATEGY contd


The operations being made public-• After the knowing about the plants where Kurkure is manufactured, how

Kurkure is actually produced.• The process of manufacturing Kurkure involves blending of the raw material

to deliver a homogenous mix. The raw materials used in this blending process is carefully checked for its quality and if any of the raw materials does not match up to the quality guidelines, it is not used in the process.

• There is not a single sign of plastic in this homogenous mix as Kurkure is made of home-made ingredients.

• Water is added further to this homogenous mix and then the extrusion of the mix is done.

• The mix is then fried to develop taste and texture and the relevant consumer lovable flavor is put. The product obtained through the process is then packed in to an environmental friendly, hygienic, attractive packaging laminate to ensure delivery of quality Kurkure snack to the end consumer.

THE STRATEGY contd


THE OUTCOMES• CLEAN CHIT FROM AIIMSKurkure plastic lies are baseless allegations on the reputed snack brand spread by some miscreant or who knows may be the competitor himself. Check out the attachment, found it on the Kurkure website. It is a letter from a Dr at the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) who says that Kurkure plastic lies and other such allegations that have been circulating in his name are baseless allegations.

We believe in rumours very easily and so whenever any rumour spreads, we immediately circulate it to our friends. Take for instance, this Kurkure plastic lies which says Kurkure has plastic and burns like plastic when all of us know that plastic is not edible. When a food product contains corn meal and 30% oil, then definitely it will burn and burn like plastic.

On the Kurkure website, it says that Kurkure is not only the safest product but is also a healthier snack. We would also like to inform you that Kurkure is made with Rice bran oil. Rice Bran Oil (RBO) is one of the healthier oils because it is naturally high in the good fats (MUFA and PUFA) and low in saturated fats. By cooking Frito Lay range of products in RICE BRAN oil, the saturated fat has been reduced by 40%. Saturates are the ones to watch out for, because too much saturated fat can contribute to increased blood cholesterol levels.


• Customer confidence was regained and the brand image was restored through involvement and customer engagement.

THE OUTCOMES


• The stock was cleared in the DIWALI season- company statement.

• KURKURE officials claimed that this crisis was rather fruitful for the company as-

1. In the beginning, people looked upon Kurkure as a modern day snack. Now people know what Kurkure contains ingredients mostly the ones we use in home: rice meal, corn meal, gram meal, edible oil, salt, spices, condiments and flavors (according to various Kurkure variants).

2. People have come to know about the quality of oil used in Kurkure: rice bran oil,, one of the healthier oils naturally high in good fats (MUFA and PUFA) and low in saturated fats (reduced by up to 40 percent).

3. People have come to know about the manufacturing processes involved in Kurkure.Kurkure is manufactured in three different locations in India, especially Pune, Kolkata and Channo in Punjab. The processes in these locations are audited and certified by external auditing and investigatory agencies for safe manufacture procedures. Every single namkeen of Kurkure is passed and certified by the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) certification given by TQCSI (Australia). The three automated plants are ISO 14000 certified, which implies that the process involved in manufacturing Kurkure is safe, with no room for complaint. Kurkure plants are also certified with the OHSAS 18001-(Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series)- (USA) which means the emphasis of safety is touched and adhered to product, people, processes and environmental levels. Read more about Kurkure's levels of hygiene and safety

THE OUTCOMES


CONCLUSIONKurkure is in the Indian market for years now. People have been munching Kurkure with great delight including me. It is fundoo timepass snack. All these ingredients are healthy ingredients that are used in the manufacture of Kurkure. As per the Kurkure plastic rumor, when you burn Kurkure it melts. Definitely, when you burn Kurkure, Kurkure melts. The reason why Kurkure melts is because Kurkure contains carbohydrate in the form of corn starch. When any carbohydrate snack (like gol gappas, matharees and namkeens) is burnt, it burns the same way like Kurkure burns. But that does not mean that those snacks contain plastic.

Kurkure does not contain plastic for the simple reason being Kurkure is made from edible ingredients including Rice meal, Corn meal, Gram Meal, Edible oil, Seasonings, Salt, Spices and Condiments and Flavors. All of these ingredients are used in the daily kitchens for cooking. If Kurkure contains plastic, then it means the dishes we cook at home also contain plastic.

On second thoughts, Kurkure is not edible then how can anyone even eat and digest Kurkure. If at all there was plastic in it.


Education

kurkure plastic controversy