In yet another CSR initiative, Reckitt Benckiser’s flagship brand Dettol has taken upon the crusade of building awareness around the subject of food hygiene. The company together with the Global Hygiene Council released a study on ‘Cross-contamination’, which talks about how lack of awareness about food hygiene leads to increased food-borne illness risks.

Chander Mohan Sethi, Senior Vice President– South East Asia, Reckitt Benckiser, says that innovation in products will be the key to enhance the company’s commitment towards safer and happier homes. “Dettol has come a long way since its inception in 1933 because the company has firmly stood by the fundamentals of being a hygiene brand. So, taking a cue from the studies of experts like the Global Hygiene Council, we will bring out innovative products for our consumers, the latest being the no-touch handwash.” According to him, Reckitt Benckiser has put Dettol’s portfolio under three parts, namely hygiene, health and home products in order to live up to the brand’s objective of protecting consumer health.

The company will focus on mass media and on-ground activities to drive awareness. For the record, the company has already initiated 14 such programmes in the last few months. Currently, it reaches out to schools through students as the company’s mascots in raising awareness and will also embark upon on a new programme, that is, to talk to housewives directly and share the information picked up by these research findings. In addition, this year the company is planning to reach out to 3,500 schools and around 1.4 crore students.

According to Sethi, the brand is also actively involved in consumer interfacing through digital and social media such as Facebook and Dettol websites. The company will increase investments significantly in traditional as well as digital media. Sethi adds, “We are quoted by independent research agencies like TAM to be the third largest advertisers on TV.”

According to John Oxford, Chairman of Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at Queen Mary College, University of London, the scope of the study was international in nature, as it was conducted in 18 countries covering 18,000 people across the globe. From India, around 1,000 respondents were surveyed. He also expresses concern that the Government should also run sustained campaigns to drive Dettol’s point home. Hence, Reckitt Benckiser has partnered with the Health Ministry, NGOs and World Health Organisation, apart from the Global Hygiene Council.