Baba Ramdev, the yoga guru, popularly known for two things- yoga and Patanjali. From a yoga guru to a leading player in the FMCG section (Fast Moving Consumer Goods)- shows the aspiration of Baba Ramdev as a businessman.
He never misses any chance to make the top headlines of the day. What is keeping the yoga baba in the news constantly is the question mark over the purity of the ayurvedic products.
The yoga magic of Baba Ramdev may be doing wonders, but the statement could be quite contrary if we are talking about the Patanjali ayurvedic products.
Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Magic- Godman to Tycoon
You can call it a miracle; an Indian citizen built his own empire from a small sized pharmacy named Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. If we are talking about the growth rate, the revenue growth is ten times the revenue in last five years. From soap to food items to beauty products- a well-diversified product range.
What is the secret ingredient behind the rapid rise of Patanjali? Or should I say secret yoga posture? Following are the ingredients you can count to create the Patanjali magic:
- Cost dynamics– Lower overhead cost and marketing expense makes the Patanjali products comparatively cheaper. They take advantage of price-sensitive customers by distributing the products on attractive discounts.
- Baba’s magic– The image of baba as a brand ambassador is the big factor for creating the Patanjali magic. Ramdev’s association with the brand create the perception of healthy products.
- Profitable product– Patanjali ghee, toothpaste, hair oil are the biggest selling products, and most of the profits come from these products. But still offering a wide range of products will build a strong brand
- Distribution network– A large number of own store, vendors and distributors ensure the proper supply of the products to every nook and corner.
OMG! Patanjali has failed the fssai quality test
The yoga baba always finds the way to be in a death hoax. Patanjali brand comes under fssai scanner again. This is not the first time when Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali brand has caught into the headlines for sub-standard product quality.
The company ran into trouble with fssai for misbranding. Earlier also Patanjali caught into a controversy for selling the Patanjali noodles and pasta without a license, and the Patanjali advertisement also misled customers.
The Yoga Guru- Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurveda brand once again came into question. Again Patanjali was found guilty of misbranding its products. RTI (Right To Information) inquiry find and revealed that the Patanjali products failed the lab test. This time Patanjali’s Divya amla juice and shivlingi beej failed the food quality test.
According to the issued report, the products were found sub-standard. The pH value of the amla juice was below the prescribed level, and the shivlingi beej contains the 31.68% of foreign matter. The report revealed that almost 32 samples out of 82 samples have failed to meet the fssai standards.
Baba Ramdev denied the allegations and still claiming the Patanjali as a healthy brand. Patanjali’s MD denied the lab report by saying that shivlingi beej is natural; can’t be adulterated. Later, Baba Ramdev took the path of social media to defend his Patanjali products.
Baba Ramdev is always claiming that Patanjali is a most trusted and healthy brand. But gradually, all the laboratories test black mark the brand image and break the misconception. Patanjali’s battle for product quality over the year:
- Patanjali products- mustard oil, salt, besan, pineapple and honey were failed the fssai quality test at Rudrapur laboratory.
- The samples bearing the Patanjali label included black pepper, salt, honey, mustard oil, pineapple jam, gram flour collected from the Patanjali store at Kankhal in Haridwar district; failed the food quality test conducted at the Udhamsingh Nagar laboratory.
- Earlier, the armed forces canteen suspended the sale of the amla juice, an ayurvedic Patanjali product. The juice was tested at food lab in Calcutta and failed the laboratory test declared unfit for consumption.
- Food safety regulator serves the notice to Ramdev’s Patanjali brand for violating the food safety norms by manufacturing Patanjali atta noodles.
- Samples of Patanjali’s desi ghee collected from Bhadrabad phase ll was also failed the food quality test held in a lab at Rudrapur. The food authority found the fungus in a bottle of ghee.
- Patanjali was found guilty of misbranding and misleading advertisements of its products and fine of 11 lakhs.
- Meanwhile, the Nepal government has banned the Patanjali products. According to the department of drug administration, the products including Bilwadi churna, Ajmodadi churna, Sitopaladi churna, Amla churna, Divya Gashar churna, Bakuchi churna, Triphala churna, Ashwagandha churna and adiva churna were found to be of substandard quality. These medicines have failed the microbial test.
- Patanjali alleged to be misleading the edible oil’s advertisement; fssai issued the show cause notice for the same.
About the author
Kapila Tanwar
Limiting her in few words would be a herculean task. She Likes to add some zing to the story. When not writing, she loves to watch movie. She especially enjoys being a fashionholic. Affiliated with QuickCompany which deals in Company Registration, Trademark Registration, Service Tax Registration, MSME and Other Legal Activities.