Not So Sweet: Why Cadbury is the latest to be cancelled by trolls

Everyone’s beloved confectionary brand, Cadbury, found itself embroiled in a boycott trend on Sunday.

Like every year, Cadbury released a special Diwali advertisement and the message of this year’s ad film was not well received by some social media users.

This is the most recent addition to a list of controversies that the brand has faced over the past few years, including the claims of beef being used in Cadbury products.

Let’s take a closer look at the boycott trend against Cadbury.

Is the advertisement linked to PM Modi?

The plot of the advertisement goes like this: A doctor approaches an elderly diya seller. Upon asking if he needs something, the doctor offered the seller a pack of ‘Cadbury Celebrations’, a gift pack that contains assorted chocolates, to him as a Diwali present.

The doctor further guided the seller on how he can take his business online by scanning the QR code on the box of chocolates.

In the last part of the ad, the doctor bids adieu to the seller by addressing him as ‘Damodar’, which is incidentally the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s father. Trouble began when the brand decided to name the old, poor seller Damodar.

Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Prachi Sadhvi took to Twitter to point this out. She has claimed that the brand’s advertisement purportedly showed Narendra Modi’s father, Damodardas Modi in a “poor light.”

On her Twitter account, she wrote, “Have you carefully observed Cadbury chocolate’s advertisement on TV channels? The poor shopless lamp seller is Damodar. This is done to show someone with PM Narendra Modi’s father’s name in poor light. Chaiwale ka baap diyewala. Shame on Cadbury Company.”

Have you carefully observed Cadbury chocolate’s advertisement on TV channels?
The shopless poor lamp seller is Damodar.

This is done to show someone with PM Narendra Modi’s father’s name in poor light. Chaiwale ka baap diyewala.

Shame on cadbury Company #BoycottCadbury pic.twitter.com/QvzbmOMcX2

— Dr. Prachi Sadhvi (@Sadhvi_prachi) October 30, 2022

Following this, some users set off a trend of #BoycottCadbury on Twitter with many echoing Prachi Sadhvi’s claim.

कैडबरी कम्पनी ने प्रधानमंत्री मोदी जी के पिता का अपमान किया है

इसका बहिष्कार आवश्यक है #BoycottCadbury

— Narendra Kumar Chawla (@NarenderChawla1) October 30, 2022

The beef controversy

Similar to a claim that was made last year, some users shared screenshots of a webpage, supposedly of Cadbury, that mentions that the confectionary giant uses gelatine in their products which is halal certified and derived from beef.

The text of the screenshot read, “Please note, if any of our products contain gelatine in the ingredients, the gelatine we use is halal certified and derived from beef. The listed products represent the equivalent “mini” variants found in CADBURY FAVOURITES variety packs.”

However, it was later found that the screenshot was from an older version of the brand’s Australian website.

In response to last year’s claim, the company issued a clarification in 2021 which asked consumers to verify facts before sharing them, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

In a statement, it said, “The screenshot shared in the Tweet is not related to Mondelez/Cadbury products manufactured in India. All the products manufactured and sold in India are 100% vegetarian. The green dot on the wrapper signifies that.”

Hi, The screenshot shared in the Tweet is not related to Mondelez products manufactured in India. All the products manufactured and sold in India are 100% vegetarian. The green dot on the wrapper signifies that.
1/3

— Cadbury Dairy Milk (@DairyMilkIn) July 18, 2021

Cadbury also reminded social media users how negative posts like these can hurt its image. “As you can well imagine, negative posts like these, damages consumer confidence in our well-respected and loved brands. We request our consumers to please verify facts related to our products before sharing them further.”

Accusations over child labour

This year, Cadbury has faced flak for more than one reason.

According to a report by The Guardian, Mondelez International, the food giant that owns Cadbury, was accused of employing children in Ghana to harvest cocoa.

An investigation carried out by Channel 4, obtained footage of children working with machetes on cocoa farms for the company’s supply chain.

Children younger than 10 years of age have been allegedly found working in Ghana’s cocoa farms. Campaigners said that these children were being paid less than Rs 190 a day and that they can’t afford to hire adult workers.

Founder of Slave Free Chocolate, Ayn Riggs told The Guardian, “It’s horrifying to see these children using these long machetes, which are sometimes half their height. Chocolate companies promised to clean this up over 20 years ago. They knew they were profiting from child labour and have shirked their promises.”

Other brands that have faced boycott trends

In February 2022, the fast food chain KFC met with a similar trouble wherein social media users called for a boycott of the restaurant chain after the brand’s official Pakistan handle shared a post showing ‘solidarity’ with Kashmir. According to India Today, the post was shared on Facebook on 5 February to observe it as Kashmir Day.

It wasn’t long before #BoycottKFC started trending on Twitter. The post, however, was soon deleted.

The caption of KFC’s post read, “You never left our thoughts and we hope that the coming years bring peace to you!”. Meanwhile, the text in the picture read “Kashmir Belongs To The Kashmiris.”

KFC India also issued an apology following this. “We deeply apologize for a post that was published on some KFC social media channels outside the country. We honour and respect India, and remain steadfast in our commitment to serving all Indians with pride,” the statement read.

Another food chain brand Pizza Hut and car maker Hyundai India were also caught in boycott trends for supporting Kashmir’s cause on their Pakistan social media handles.

The Hyundai boycott was so severe that its business got affected as many people cancelled their bookings. Hyundai India later issued an apology over their post saying, “As part of our commitment to India, we will continue our efforts towards the betterment of the country as well as its citizens.”

More recently, the Hindu Janajagruthi Vedike, a right-wing outfit based in Karnataka, launched a campaign against halal meat in the state ahead of Diwali. The organisation also asked Hindus to boycott products and companies like McDonald’s and Pizza Hut for using meat prepared under Islamic law.

According to a report by Indian Express, the outfit launched a similar campaign in March during the Ugadi festival.

With inputs from agencies

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