Mister Kitchen – Dairy freedom: Dream butter must stay!
What do you do if, as a small brand, you receive threatening letters within a short period of time from the Dutch Dairy Organization (NZO), NVWA and Advertising Code Committee, because they believe the name you have chosen for your new product is misleading or prohibited? It happened to Mister Kitchen, manufacturer of plant-based products, with their newest creature: Dream Butter. Butter based on cocoa butter, and therefore not from dairy.
The short story: you fight back. Through interviews, a petition for Dairy Freedom and hearings. Founder of Mister Kitchen Daan Faber said: “The dairy organizations are fighting a rearguard action and that is a waste of everyone's time and money. To avoid confusion with animal dairy products, manufacturers of plant-based products make it clear in various ways that no cow's mammary glands are involved. With Dream Butter we do this in six different ways on our packaging. The supermarket also places a green 'Vegan' sign on the shelf. We use butter in our name because consumers are used to it. They are not looking for vegetable fat spread, but are looking for vegetable butter.”
Issuemakers helped Mister Kitchen draw up a communication approach and approach media. This resulted on several occasions in articles explaining the matter. By News hour until it F.D and NRC.
The result? The Advertising Code Committee agreed with them, there is no question of misleading the consumer. It was clear and obvious that Dream Butter was a plant-based product. Unfortunately, the legal pressure from the dairy industry has proven to be too great and Dream Butter will soon be removed from the shelves.
Do you also think we should allow terms like 'butter' on plant-based products? Sign the petition here!