NEW DELHI: An ad war has begun between two consumer goods majors — Amul and Britannia — and the bone of contention is the good old butter in cookies.Amul recently released an ad, claiming that other biscuit manufacturers used just 0.3-3% butter and 20-22% vegetable oil in their cookies. Even though the creative did not name Britannia’s Good Day, the picture used was indicative of the brand. The ad also claimed that Amul’s own Butter Cookie had 25% butter and no vegetable oil.In an apparent response, Britannia released an ad which posed a question to the consumer: “How much cholesterol does a 25% butter cookie have? Approximately 7 times cholesterol.” Britannia too did not name any competitors.Amul managing director RS Sodhi said Britannia’s was a misleading claim. “If vegetable oil is as healthy as they claim, then why do they call their biscuit ‘Butter Cookie’ on the packet. Why not refer to them as palm oil cookie? As a brand we operate in a pure category and from Mr V Kurien, we have learnt never to cheat customers,” Sodhi said, referring to father of the white revolution who played a key role in the formation of Amul.Britannia did not respond to an email seeking comment.The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self-regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising industry, said comparative advertising was permissible. “Brands, from beverages to detergents, have been doing comparative advertising for a long time. However, the claims they make have to be factually correct and truthful,” said Shweta Purandare, its secretary-general. She did not reveal if ASCI had received complaints over the ads.Debate over the advertisements has spilled over onto social media platform Twitter User @alibehzaad tweeted: “Amul has taken its long traditional route of emphasising on butter. Amul has a loyal and vociferous consumer base. With high cholesterol pitch Britannia has just differentiated itself, and may fight for market share in space which is overlapping. Amul has a higher emotional pitch.”One @ghuubear tweeted: “Cholesterol from butter has no negative impact on health but these guys are perpetuating the same myth. Either they haven't read up enough or know it but still chose to go with the narrative of ‘cholesterol is bad for you’. Dishonest marketing either way.”