Nevada (America): Hindus are requesting an official apology from Baskin-Robbins for failing to disclose that its "Rocky Road" ice cream included beef, as well as for its prompt recall.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, said that it was shocking for Hindus to learn that popular “Rocky Road”, which they had been eating for years, contained beef; while beef was not explicitly mentioned under the ingredients listed on the packages/boxes.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, stated that “Rocky Road” contained gelatin, but the source of gelatin was not mentioned under the “Ingredients” on packages/boxes. When Zed contacted Baskin Robbins, Customer Relations Coordinator Katie responded: “The gelatin in Rocky Road is from both porcine and beef source”.
Beef consumption runs directly counter to Hindu religious principles. Rajan Zed said that the cow is sacred and has long been revered in Hinduism. It was a very serious issue for the devotees and would severely hurt their feelings if they would come to know that they were unknowingly eating beef-laced “Rocky Road” ice cream, Zed noted. Is this the “Baskin-Robbins Commitment to Better”? Zed asked.
Rajan Zed added that it was difficult to understand why Baskin-Robbins, the "largest chain of ice cream specialty shops in the world, with more than 7,600 retail shops in nearly 40 global markets," did not specifically state under the ingredients on the package or box where the gelatin used in that product was sourced.
Now was the time for Baskin-Robbins to admit their error of not being transparent enough to mention in clear and simple terms what was inside the package/box so that an ordinary consumer could make right and appropriate choices, Zed said. Moreover, in future, Baskin-Robbins should explicitly list beef in the ingredients on the package/box when beef was present in the product; Zed added.