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Food cos see snacking indulgence taking a turn towards health and taste
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Tuesday, 15 December, 2020, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
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Snacking, which was considered as an indulgence, is now taking turn towards health and taste. This is in sync with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s ‘Eat Right’ movement. During this pandemic with staying indoors and work from home, healthy snacking has come to the fore, according to a panel of experts.
Role of health and nutrition has taken centre-stage in the current scenario. This is because nutrition is intricately linked to immunity and to the risk and severity of infections. Food manufacturers and retailers have got a major responsibility as well as tremendous opportunity to lead healthy eating habits amongst consumers. Moreover, consumers are willing to shift towards sustainable, organic, and healthy foods, said the experts.
At a virtual event, FICCI in its fifth event under its Centre for Nutritional Excellences series of webinars on Future of Nutrition - Exploring the Health and Wellness benefits in the food ingredients ecosystem’ focussed on the ‘Perspectives on Healthy Snacking: Opportunities and Future of Snacking’.
Moderating the panel was Siraj Choudhary, MD and CEO of National Collateral Management Services, who said that there is a sizeable market opportunity. The food entrepreneurs could develop products that are dense in nutrition and light on calories. Fortification of food and consumption of snacks in a responsible manner are catching up.
“Snacks which were viewed as unhealthy guilt have now been developed as sugar-free, healthy, clean and convenient, are in demand,” he added.
According to Kalpesh Parmar, country general manager, Mars Wrigley, India, snacking is rising with considerable attention to health and immunity. It is also packed with nutrition to convey wellness. There is scope for snack purchases as manufacturers have now boarded the online route via e-commerce platforms. Consumers are looking for tasty and versatile snacks.
Salil Murthy, MD, India and South East Asia, General Mills, noted that bulk of snacking is still part of the home-made category. This will continue to be the mainstream. The trends in this space are caution towards weight gain, fear of lacking nutrition, informal and individualised snacking. This is where manufacturers need to take a cue to research and develop snacks that are packed with nutrition and customised.
Vikram Kelkar, group MD, Hexagon Nutrition, said that while the snacks are being tweaked to cater to consumers palate, the food regulator FSSAI has increased interactions with industry. There are new notifications on Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) bringing in more clarity. Food fortification has become mandatory. Testing mechanism enables monitoring of ingredients. There is also a need to comprehend the consumer’s perception on snacking, not just in terms of taste but quality, clean labelling and affordability.
Signe Causse, global marketing leader, digestive health & bakery, DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, noted that globally too need for more packaged foods was on the rise. Personalised nutrition is the order of the day.
Consumers have become more aware of what they eat. On a global level, youngsters are most willing to purchase premium goods due to health attributes. As far as it goes, they are learning from mistakes of the previous generation and are ready to change their habits towards healthier nutrition. The sustainability trend witnessed in retail and manufacturing spreads to the food industry as well. Looking towards the change in the consumer perception is providing an opportunity to the food processing industries to innovate the food products which are both nutritious and flavoursome, according to FICCI.
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