Who Wants Hot Fudge on Their Veggies?

Ice cream without real cream is like cricket without world-leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar, Diwali without firecrackers, or a wedding without dancing, according to radio ads by India’s Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation. The campaign is designed to draw attention to the lack of a key ingredient in most of arch-rival Unilever’s Indian frozen treats: cream. “Let the consumer decide and make an informed choice that ‘Yes, I’m buying frozen dessert which has got vegetable oil,’ ” says R.S. Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative, whose 3.2 million dairy farmer members market their wares under the Amul brand.

Unfortunately for Sodhi and his colleagues at India’s biggest milk producer, consumers seem pretty content with frozen desserts that use cheaper fats such as palm oil. In the five years ended Dec. 31, Gujarat Cooperative’s share of India’s market for frozen treats fell to 31 percent from 35 percent, while Unilever’s rose to 21 percent from 17 percent, according to researcher Euromonitor International. “Unless there is greater awareness among consumers that frozen desserts don’t contain milk [fats], Unilever will continue to grow,” says Swati Gupta, an analyst at A C Choksi Share Brokers in Mumbai.