iD Fresh Foods files complaint against 'misleading' viral communal messages

iD Fresh Food, a Bengaluru-based ready-to-cook meals company known for idli and dosa batter, has filed a complaint with the WhatsApp Grievance Cell and Cybercrime, Bengaluru, against "misleading and false information" being spread about the company and its products. 

The viral forward had a communal angle, claiming that a previous funding iD Fresh Food received was the first venture capital deal to “adhere to strict Shariah Islamic Law.”

The forwards spread quickly and became bothersome enough for the CEO Musthafa PC to take to his social media accounts on Tuesday and clear the air. 

"Over the last few days, several customers have been reaching out to me, concerned about dubious social media posts and forwards regarding iD products. While I don’t know ‘why’ these claims are being made or ‘who’ is behind this conspiracy to malign the brand, I can tell you with 100% conviction that none of it is true," he said on LinkedIn and Twitter. 

The Bengaluru-based firm, funded by Azim Premji's investment arm PremJi Invest and Helion Ventures, was targeted through WhatsApp forwards and social media posts claiming the company uses calf rennet and cow bones in its idli-dosa batter to create volume. 

"We would like to reiterate that iD uses only vegetarian ingredients to make its products. iD Idly Dosa batter is made from rice, urad dal, water and fenugreek only, which are 100 per cent natural and vegetarian agri-commodities. There are no animal extracts used in any of our products. We proudly manufacture healthy and authentic Indian products (with no chemicals or preservatives) inside our world-class, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities that are fully compliant with the Food Safety Management System and carry the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000 certification," the company said on Thursday.

Condemning the spread of these "malicious rumours and misinformation" iD Fresh Foods said it continues to grow and has been ramping up its facilities, product pipelines and geographical presence across India, UAE and US. "While we continue to abide by the law of the land, we at iD would like to extend our full support to Governments, institutions and corporates who are also fighting the online fake news menace," it added.