Bengaluru: Haldiram, a well-known food company, was embroiled in a controversy on Wednesday over the alleged packaging of namkeen in Urdu.

A video of a media person questioning the store supervisor of a Haldiram outlet over the packaging of its packets is going viral on the internet. One of the namkeen packets contains instructions printed in Urdu.

The namkeen packet includes instructions in two languages: English on the front and Urdu on the back. Falhari Mixture is the name of the packet in dispute.

Why the controversy?

Falhari is a very popular snack eaten during fasting, especially during Navratri, and its packaging in Urdu has sparked controversy.

Haldiram, one of the very popular food brands, mentions on its website that Falhari Mixture is specially designed for Navratri and other fasting days.

"Falhari Mixture is carefully prepared using components utilised during fasting days," it adds.

Though the packet displays a green vegetarian emblem, it is the packaging in a language spoken by people of different faiths that has sparked strong opposition. Many people on Twitter were outraged by the brand's erroneous behaviour.

In the viral video, the reporter claims that Haldiram is using Urdu to conceal information about the food, which is labelled as vegetarian, and wonders if the company uses animal fat to make the fasting snack. A staff member of Haldiram responds to her questions without any confusion, saying that the product description is printed in English as well, and if she wants to know the ingredients that go into making this snack, she can read it in English as well.

A Twitter user, Alishan Jafri, sharing the viral video on his Twitter handle, wrote, "Amazing restraint by the Haldiram staff. BTW, Sudarshan's ‘sherni’ should know that it's Arabic and not Urdu. Haldiram exports to multiple Muslim majority countries whose citizens buy Indian products without discrimination."

"Haldiram exports its products to so many places and has outlets in different countries. Have you heard of mobs in the UAE vandalizing Haldiram outlets because they serve just vegetarian food?," he wrote further.