Hindus Claim Baskin-Robbins Does Not Disclose Meat In Ice Cream

CANTON, MA — Baskin-Robbins, the Canton-based multinational ice cream chain, is under fire by a Hindu statesman due to accusations that the company does not disclose that its rocky road ice cream contains beef gelatin.

Rajan Zed, President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, recently said in a news release that Baskin-Robbins confirmed to him that the gelatin in its rocky road ice cream comes from both porcine and beef—sources which are not explicitly mentioned in the ingredients list shown on packages.

Consumption of beef is highly conflicting with Hindu beliefs as cows are sacred and have long been revered in Hinduism, according to Zed.

"Now [is] the time for Baskin-Robbins to admit their error of not being transparent enough to mention in clear and simple terms what was inside the package/box so that an ordinary consumer could make right and appropriate choices," Zed said in the news release. "Moreover, in [the] future, Baskin-Robbins should explicitly list beef in the ingredients on the package/box when beef was present in the product."

Zed is also urging Inspire Brands CEO Paul Brown, the parent company of Baskin-Robbins, to recall all Rocky Road ice cream packages containing gelatin without a source clearly stated.

"Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.2 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought, and it should not be taken frivolously," Zed said. "No faith, larger or smaller, should be mishandled."

Baskin Robbins is headquartered in Canton. Along with its sibling brand Dunkin Donuts, it is the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty stores, with more than 8,000 locations.