Dettol Kitchen Gel Partners With Mumbai Dabbawalas to Create Awareness Around Kitchen Hygiene

MUMBAI, December 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Reaches Out to 10,000 Households With Samples and Awareness Message 'Trusted Protection Meets Flawless Efficiency'

For 10,000 housewives across the suburbs of Mumbai, the daily chore of collecting their lunchbox from the designated dabbawala came with a surprise. The specialist disinfectant kitchen cleaner Dettol Kitchen Gel in partnership with the efficient Dabbawalas of Mumbai stepped in to create awareness around the importance of kitchen hygiene. Each of the 10,000 lunchboxes was tagged with a small booklet with surprising facts on germ contamination in kitchen. In addition, a pack of Dettol Kitchen Gel was also inserted into the boxes to give housewives a chance to use an expert cleaner for keeping their kitchen clean and family healthy.

In one of the studies recently conducted by Global Hygiene Council, a global independent body of experts on health and hygiene, it was revealed that up to 90% of surfaces touched during preparation of a simple meal can become contaminated with bacteria from food, which in turn can cause foodborne illness. Elements in kitchen like chopping boards, cleaning cloth, taps, plates, and other utensils can become readily contaminated with bacteria if they are not adequately cleaned after meal preparation. This is not all, even the leftover food in the lunchbox can act as a perfect breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Hence there is a burning to need to use an expert kitchen cleaner for not just keeping the kitchen clean, but also keeping the family healthy.

Mr. Akhil Chandra, Managing Director, RB India  said, "Consumers see Dettol as trusted champions of health, an "expert" that guarantees protection from germs. Our association with the Dabbawalas in Mumbai allows us to take the message of Kitchen hygiene to a large number of households. Recent studies by Global Hygiene Council clearly revealed kitchen as germ hotspots. While creating awareness, we also wanted to custodians of family health, mothers and housewives, to use an expert kitchen disinfectant cleaner to extend our promise of germ protection to the kitchen by providing a single solution for a truly healthy kitchen and family."

Facts from The Global Hygiene Council Cross Contamination Study

- Only 44% of mothers clean and disinfect their child's lunch box each day.

- 92% of the cases chopping boards and knifes were found to be contaminated.

- 100% of kitchen cloths in India are heavily contaminated and was found to be the dirtiest item in Indian households.

- 46% of fridge interiors were unsatisfactory or heavily contaminated due to high levels of bacteria.

- 95% of kitchen taps in India failed the hygiene test, making it the second dirtiest item in Indian households. 85% were found to be contaminated with E. coli.

About Dettol

Dettol is a Power Brand of Reckitt Benckiser and has stood for "Trusted Protection" in India since 1933. The brand is endorsed by the Indian Medical Association and has consistently been voted as one of India's Most Trusted Brands (ORG Marg Brand Equity Survey). Also please visit: http://www.dettol.co.in and http://www.facebook.com/dettolindia.

About RB (Reckitt Benckiser):

RB (Reckitt Benckiser) is a global consumer goods leader in health, hygiene and home. With a purpose of delivering innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes, RB is in the top 25 of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Today it is the global No 1 or No 2 in the majority of its fast-growing categories, driven by an exceptional rate of innovation. Its health, hygiene and home portfolio is led by 19 global Power brands including Nurofen, Strepsils Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Lysol, Dettol, Clearasil, Veet, Harpic, Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Woolite, Calgon, Air Wick, and French's. RB has close to half of its revenues coming from it 2 emerging market areas and just over half from its developed market Area. Over 70% of core revenues come from the health and hygiene categories of the portfolio.

RB people and its culture are at the heart of the company's success. They have an intense drive for achievement and a desire to outperform wherever they focus, including in sustainability where the company has reduced its carbon footprint by 20% in 5 years and is now targeting to deliver a 1/3 reduction in water impact, 1/3 further reduction in carbon and to have 1/3 of its net revenue coming from more sustainable products by 2020. It is also the Save the Children charity's largest FMCG global partner, with a new partnership vision to radically reduce the world's second biggest killer of under fives, diarrhoea.  RB has been recognised as a sustainability leader in the CDP Global 500 Carbon Performance Leadership Index and received a 2013 Sector Mover Sustainability Award in the 10th Sustainability Yearbook.  

The company has operations in over 60 countries, with headquarters in the UK, Singapore, Dubai and Amsterdam, and sales in almost 200 countries, The company employs approximately 36,000 people worldwide.

For more information, visit http://www.rb.com/in

Primary Media Contact: Rakesh Kumar Jha, [email protected], 91-9873904595