Tweeps come for Woolworths limited edition falooda, call it ‘cultural theft’

ONE thing about Woolworths Food? They never shy away from taking an innovative approach to new and exciting products.

From “hake sausage” to “chuckles malt crunch” dairy ice cream, the retailer always surprises its customers.

Little surprise then that the retail company recently launched a new product, falooda rose flavoured ayrshire full cream milk.

“Grab our Falooda Rose Flavoured Full Cream Milk with Sabja Seeds! Hurry, this delicious treat is a limited edition!” the retailer announced on Twitter.

Grab our Falooda Rose Flavoured Full Cream Milk with Sabja Seeds! Hurry, this delicious treat is a limited edition! 🌹🥛

Shop now: https://t.co/V2Sq4d1JaH pic.twitter.com/CuZCg0PSxq

— Woolworths SA (@WOOLWORTHS_SA) March 31, 2023

The product is halaal, has no added preservatives, is sweetened, pasteurised, and is “best served with a scoop of Woolworths Vanilla flavoured dairy ice cream”.

let me put y’all on😭 this slaps pic.twitter.com/howPNmzK01

— brown sugar 🤎 (@wtfshanique) March 28, 2023

Falooda is a popular drink particularly among Muslims during the fasting month of Ramadaan.

The new Woolies offering sounds delicious with many people saying it does taste good. But the new product did not sit well with some consumers who called out Woolworths for ‘cultural appropriation”.

“How dare Woolworths sell falooda? #culturalappropriation #upset #FreeTopG,” wrote one user.

“What in the name of cultural theft...Woolworths now selling falooda milk or sharbat for R43. Using words like falooda and sabja. Let's see if the execs know what those words mean. I'll wait,” wrote a second user.

Another user commented: “Imagine buying Woolworths bottled falooda rather than making your own fresh one at home, it just ain't on brav.”

According to Wikipedia, a falooda is a Mughlai cuisine version of a cold dessert made with noodles. The encyclopaedia reveals that It has origins in the Persian dish faloodeh, variants of which are found across West, Central, and South Asia, and traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup, vermicelli, and sweet basil seeds with milk, and often served with ice cream.