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RTE and RTC propelling growth in ingredients
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Friday, 01 July, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Dr Priya Khetan
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fiogf49gjkf0d Today, the homemaker is taking on multiple responsibilities in and out of home. The role of the RTC category is to help her in ensuring that she does not miss out on the joys of cooking and serving her family delightful food.Homemakers and individuals are rushed for time when they have to pack tiffin boxes or lunch for their kids and themselves. This is where the instant mixes and the RTC (ready-to-cook) category plays a major role.
The growth in RTCis picking up across the world.Meanwhile, the food ingredients market has been growing at a moderate rate over the last five years with growth being majorly driven by increasing localisation of food products, increasing development of mega food parks, surging prevalence of the processed food, wide cultural and regional diversities, growing urban middle- class population, and surging demand for RTE and RTC products.
The market is dominated by food flavours and taste enhancers which make up for a considerable share on the heels of increasing adoption of natural flavours, augmenting application of flavour enhancers in noodles, and influx of kinds of beverages.
As soon as the fruits and vegetables are plucked from the plants, eggs are laid or animal is slaughtered for food, their deterioration immediately starts. To control this deterioration, some chemicals are added to original food products in a very small quantity. Such products are called food additives.
Uses of Food Additives
Food additives are basically allowed to use with the assurance that they will not harm the consumers and will not alter the basic qualities of the food. Nowadays number of substances are added to the list of food additives and they serve the following purpose:
- To increase the shelf life of the food. All the food preservatives fall under this category.
- To improve the nutritive value of the food. All the vitamins and minerals which are commercially prepared fall under this category.
- To enhance the appeal of the food products. All colouring and flavouring agents come under this section of additives.
The Indian law provides us with the information on proportion of additives with the original food products. Usually the maximum safe levels are given. It also gives us the list of the permitted food additives and it makes us compulsory to give details about it on the labels.
Types of Additives
There are two types of additives intentional additives and incidental additives.
Intentional Additives
Intentional additives are those additives which are purposely added to the food to perform definite function such as
- Improving the organoleptic properties of food. Artificial flavour, colours, sweeteners help to improve the sensory appeal of the food.
- It also helps in processing of the food. Emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners are some of the additives which help during processing.
- It improves the nutritive value of the food.During cooking some of the nutrients are lost,they can be compensated by adding the nutrients which are commercially prepared. Usually vitamin C is destroyed while cooking. Sometimes nutrients are added to improve the quality of the food products like iodine is added to salt.
Incidental Additives
These are also called as accidental additives. They are present in very small amount in actual food products. Usually they are the products which get absorbed in the food during growth period or processing. Some of the examples of incidental additives are pesticides, antibiotics and growth regulators
Successful RTE & RTC food products in Indian market
Noodles
Packaged noodles are the best examples of the successful RTE food products in Indian market. This segment has the likes of Maggie, Yippee, Cup Noodles and Mug Noodles.
Packaged Fruit Juices
Packaged fruit juices are new in the RTE food segment, relative to noodles. However, brands like Real and Tropicana have had the taste of success in the segment.
Breakfast Mixes
Oats upma from MTR, oats idli, multigrain dosa etc.
Main-course Mixes
Dal makhani, paneer butter masala, vegetable pulao, sambhar rice
Sweet Mixes
Kulfi kesar badam, gulab jamun, etc.
Snack Mixes
It includes khaman dhokla, muruku etc.
Challenges of RTE Food Industry
Despite the several factors favouring the RTE food industry, there are some serious issues that are to be addressed in order to exploit the full potential of this market. Such factors areHealth Concerns; Nutrient concerns; Householder’s desire to have control over cooking process; Taste variations over geography; and Price.
Of the above listed issues, the perceptions that lead to health and nutrient concerns are the ones with maximum implication on the success of RTE industry. This is mainly because of the fact that there is lack of awareness about the technology involved in preserving the nutrient content of the food product. Also, there is an apprehension among the Indian consumers that the packaged products contain heavy doses of chemical preservatives which might pose health hazard for them.
Type of Group
Bachelor; Working Women; Children
Targetting classes of customers who are health-conscious
• Choosy/Old - Good for health; Easy to digest; Natural ingredients; Less on Spices and additives
• Price-Conscious - Value for money; Smaller packaging; Long storage life; No loss of flavour
• Busy / Young - Tasty; Variety of flavour; Trendy packaging; Quick preparation
Food additive is defined as "any substance not normally consumed as a food in itself and not normally used as a characteristic ingredient of food, whether or not it has nutritive value." Food additives have gained growing level of importance over the years owing to the diverse requirements of the food industry, end-consumers, and regulatory bodies across the globe. Food additives are basically used for imparting specific desired properties to food products, enhancing food palatability in terms of food appearance & appeal, ensuring food safety through prevention of contamination, and through extended shelf-life of products.
The applicationof food additives is projected to witness strong demand from bakery & confectionery, beverages, and convenience foods segments. However, the health hazards associated with the consumption of synthetic additives, growing consumer demand for “no additive” food products or products with natural additives, limited availability & high cost of naturally sourced additives, and the rising consumer shift to organic foods have resulted in restrained market growth since the past few years.
The food additives market is segmented as mentioned below:
By type- Acidulants; - Anti-caking agents; - Colours; - Emulsifiers; - Enzymes; - Flavours; - Hydrocolloids; - Preservatives; - Sweeteners
By source - Natural; - Synthetic
By application - Bakery & confectionery; - Beverages; - Convenience foods; - Dairy & frozen desserts; - Spices, condiments, sauces & dressings; - Others.
By region- North America; - Europe; - Asia-Pacific; - Rest of the World (RoW)
The rising population of India & the increasing calorie intake per capita is leading to substantial increase in the global food production. Growing urbanisation and changing lifestyles are driving demand for convenience and packaged foods. The packaged food industry recorded US$2.4 trillion in retail sales for the year 2014. In the processed and packaged foods, ensuring food safety and quality starting from transportation to farm to fork and storage facilities is a major concern. To meet this demand, food additives are used. Food additives are used to enhance the taste, colour, texture of food, and at the same time maintaining the freshness and nutritional content. India’s CAGR is expected to grow at XX% during the forecasted period of 2015-2020.
As economies rise and emerge, food demand will continue to shift towards India in the near future. The increasing disposable incomes of the burgeoning middle-class are driving the shift towards convenience and processed foods, thus escalating the need for food, thereby need for food additives. Increasing exposure to packaged food and beverages majorly drives consumers. Growing urbanisation of the rural population and rising organised market in rural segments of developing economies of India support this. One more major driver in the food additives market is the growing supply chain complexities/inefficiencies in the food and beverage industry - transportation costs, last mile reach for food products, storage facilities, as a part of companies’ expansion strategies are growing, which is increasing the complexities in the farm to fork value chain. This emphasised on the use of food additives to reduce the spoilage and wastage costs.
Indian food additives market is also pushed by the flavour segment due to their regular use in beverages,savoury items and cereals. With rising situations of health problems like diabetes, consumers are shifting towards low calorie sweeteners such as stevia.As a result of the increasing demand, the sweeteners market can see a faster growth in the forecasted period.
Acceptance of convenience and packaged foods in India is seeing demand, for food and beverage additives. Thus, making India the fastest-growing food additives market. The strategies being adopted in the food additives industry are in the iInnovation category under the development of natural food additives and functional food ingredients to meet the customer demand.
References
1) www.irjcjournls.Org/ijmssr/may 2013/10.pdf
2) www.reserchandmarkets.com/reserch/f74v8p/india food
3)http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/industry-reports/98797971/ready-to-cook-brands-storm-indian-kitchens-customised-flavours-health-tag
4)http://www.slideshare.net/ridhima28/ready-to-eat-market-in-india
5)http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/india-food-additives-market-is-segmented-by-type-preservatives-sweeteners-hydrocolloids-colorants-others-application-dairy--frozen-bakery-meat-products-beverages-confectionery-others-300140205.html
6)Catering Science and Food Safety – Dr. Asmit Thaokar & Susmitr Deshmukh
(The author is food consultant. She can be contacted at priyapkhetan@yahoo.com)
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