FFOODSSpectrum June 2022

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4 EDITORIAL NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

One Authority One Regulator

Dr Milind Kokje The answer, probably, lies in some developments
in 2003 when a Joint Parliamentary Committee
Chief Editor (JPC) found that the standards laid down for bottled
water till then by a Food Product Order (FPO) were
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India not proper. The BIS was thus mandated under
(FSSAI) has asked state food commissioners Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFAA) to
to check whether the packaged bottled lay down the standards. But, with the enactment
waters and mineral water companies have Bureau of comprehensive food law, the Food Safety and
of Indian Standards (BIS) certification or not. Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA 2006), the picture
should have changed since the Act was made
The Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and to ‘consolidate the laws relating to food and to
Restriction on Sales) Regulations 2011 prohibits establish’ FSSAI to lay down science-based standards
manufacture and sale of packaged drinking water for food. With the Act coming into effect, several
and mineral water without the BIS certification mark. food related laws, including PFAA were automatically
Thus, in March 2021, the Food Safety and Standards repealed and the responsibility to set standards and
Authority of India (FSSAI) made it mandatory for regulate the activities under it were vested with the
manufacturers to obtain BIS certification for securing FSSAI.
license or registration from the FSSAI.
Still, even in the initial phase of FSSAI, the
So, acting perfectly within the frame of the law, required BIS certificate was okay since the former did
the food regulator initiated the drive to catch the not have all the facilities to set the standards. But, in
malpractitioners following complaints received at the last few years FSSAI has become a full-fledged
a meeting with Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) organisation having most of the infrastructural
Manufacturers’ Association that bottled water and requirements and experts to decide the standards
mineral water bottles were being sold without a and to ensure compliance. As it stands now, the
BIS certificate. Bottled water manufacturers, unable FSSAI is more than adequate and a ‘competent
to furnish the BIS certificate will lose their FSSAI authority’, making the BIS certification redundant.
license/registration as BIS certificate or application
for certificate is a precondition for issuing FSSAI One window clearance has been a buzzword
license/registration. Hence, BIS certificate shall be in the country for the last several years to facilitate
mandatory for renewal of license. ease of doing business, something the present
government takes special pride in. Still, in the case
However, in several cases, manufacturers apply of a very simple product like bottled water, it is not
for FSSAI license with information that they have willing to depend on the clearance of one authority,
applied for BSI certificate. FSSAI license is issued on lengthening the procedure and unnecessarily
the basis of their information of application for BIS making the scenario ‘difficult’ for manufacturers.
certificate. On obtaining the certificate they have to
upload the details of the BIS certificate on the FSSAI The government must do away with this
website. But some manufacturers seem to be going redundancy, not only in case of bottled and mineral
ahead with the sales without a BIS certificate and water, but any other food product, vesting complete
thus have been inviting FSSAI’s attention. authority only with the FSSAI for setting and
enforcing standards.
Although the food regulator’s drive is totally
justified and according to the law, it raises a basic
question regarding involvement of two authorities.
Why is redundancy compelled upon manufacturers?
Why, for a particular food product licence/
certification is required from two different agencies,
particularly when one agency was specially created
only for that purpose.

Volume 9  |  Issue 10  |  June 2022 www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

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Editor: Narayan Kulkarni food as
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Digital Intell & Growth artefact.
Executive Editor: Dr Manbeena Chawla Ankit Kankar
[email protected] [email protected]

Sub Editor: Nitesh Pillai Operations and HR
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Content Team
Singapore: Hithaishi C. Bhaskar Circulation, Subscription and
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6 INSIDE NNUUFFFOOOODDSSSPSEPCETCRTURMUM | | MJaurcnhe 20220 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

19COVER

What’s Stirring-up

Dairy Sector

For Indians, milk and milk-related products have always been one of the wholesome
sources of nutrition. More and more consumers expect value-added product categories
from dairy players as the work-from-home culture takes root in urban India. Convenient

and nutritious food options like ready-to-consume dairy products, functional foods,
or healthy snacks have become 'the trend'. In such a scenario, certain emerging Indian
dairy startups are riding high on innovations and expanding nutrition-focused product

portfolios. Let's explore further.

23

Leveraging
Value- Addition
As Cash Cow

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in INSIDE 7

Carbon Credit Malnutrition & TB

26 36

Putting Brakes on GHG Emissions Weaponising
Diet Against TB
Dark Chocolate
Dr Ginpreet Kaur,
29
Assistant Professor, Shobhaben Pratapbhai
Dark Choco Fever Catches On Patel School of Pharmacy and Technology
Management, SVKM's NMIMS
Eggs Vs Diabetes (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies)

32 Alternative Seafood

Can Egg Consumption Lead to Diabetes? 38

Speaking With Innovative Doubletake
of Seafood
34
Amod Ashok Salgaonkar,
“ We’ll introduce more
products to the Indian Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer,
HORECA and retail market” A2S2 Enterprises

Harry Hakuei Kosato, Supply Chain

Director and India Representative, 41
Kikkoman India
Why Food Startups Must
Address Supply Challenges

Srirama Chaitanya Manyam,

Senior Manager-
Food Processing and Retail,
Sathguru Management Consultants

REGULARS

Editorial 04

Video Snippets 08

Regulatory News 09

Finance News 11

Start-Up News 13

Company News 15

World News 18

People News 44

Ingredients News 45

R&D News 47

Supplier News 49

Let’s Talk Food 50

8 VIDEO SNIPPETS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Priya Kataria, Acknowledgements
Head- Clinical Thank you so much nuFFooDS Spectrum for making
Nutritionist, CARER me a part of the cover story in the May edition, on
talks about the adolescent nutrition. The story is very well done.
need for nutritional Nutrition education needs to be added as a part of
guidelines for cancer school curriculum to all students starting at a very
patients and how the young age.
government can play
a role here. - Manjari Chandra, New Delhi

Scan the QR Code » Thank you for featuring expert views on food
innovation and adolescent nutrition in the cover story
Sanish Sadanandan, of the May issue of the magazine. Dr Seema Puri,
Central Buyer, Associate Professor at the Department of Nutrition,
Lulu International Institute of Home Economics, Delhi University rightly
Shopping Mall says that food innovation can come even at the home
informs about level.
brand listing in
international markets - Bhavani Giddu, New Delhi
for coconut product
manufacturers. Thanks a lot for featuring the 'video byte' by Sonam
Motwani, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at
Scan the QR Code » Karkhana.io in your magazine.

Dr Prabhu Pingali, - Megha Gowda, Bengaluru
Director, Tata-
Cornell Institute Thanks for your feedback. We have taken note of
for Agriculture your suggestions and will surely try to incorporate
and Nutrition the content accordingly in coming issues. Please
emphasises on keep sending us your feedback and updating us
the lessons learnt on your views about the issue and keep giving
from the Green your opinions on the content.
Revolution.
– Editor
Scan the QR Code »
Please send your feedback to
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in REGULATORY NEWS 9

APEDA launches MoFPI virtually
gluten-free millet products inaugurates
at affordable prices 75 food
processing
In a move aimed at providing a global platform for millet products, the projects
Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority
(APEDA) launched a variety of millet products for all age groups at To commemorate 75 years
affordable prices ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 15 at the AAHAR 2022 food fair, of India's independence,
which is Asia’s biggest B2B international food and hospitality fair. The the Government of India is
event was held from 26th to 30th April 2022 in New Delhi. All the millet celebrating the 'Azadi Ka Amrit
products launched by APEDA are gluten-free, 100 per cent natural and Mahotsav.' As a part of the
patented. The launched products are cream biscuits, salt biscuits, milk celebration, Ministry of Food
biscuits, ragi peanut butter, jowar peanut butter, jowar upma, pongal, Processing Industries (MoFPI)
khichadi and millet malts (jowar, ragi, bajra). APEDA also launched a organised ‘Food Processing
variety of ‘Millet in Minutes’ products under the category of Ready-to-Eat Week 2.0’ from 25th to 30th April,
(RTE) such as Upma, Pongal, Khichadi, Noodles, Biryani, etc, which is a 2022 under ‘Kisan Bhagidari,
breakthrough in the food sector as it’s the first RTE millet product in the Prathmikta Hamari’ Campaign by
market to cater fast-paced world at their convenience in a healthy way. All Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers
the RTE products are vacuum processed without any additives, fillers and Welfare under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit
preservatives. Nutrition value is retained as original with a shelf-life of 12 Mahotsav'. In this direction, Union
months in ambient temperature. APEDA is also working in collaboration Minister for Food Processing
with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to increase Industries, Pashupati Kumar Paras
cultivation area, production and productivity of millets, including bajra, virtually inaugurated 75 food
jowar and ragi. processing projects of Central
Sector Scheme - Pradhan Mantri
PM lays foundation stone of Kisan SAMPADA Yojana in New
multiple projects in Gujarat Delhi. The total cost of these
projects is about Rs 1238 crore,
The Prime Minister (PM) milk (Khoya) and 6 tonnes of and the ministry has provided
Narendra Modi has dedicated to chocolate daily. The potato financial support through grants
the nation a new dairy complex processing plant will produce of Rs 309 crore. These projects
and potato processing plant at different types of processed will provide direct and indirect
Diyodar, Banaskantha district, potato products like french employment to about 36,000
Gujarat built at a cost of over fries, potato chips, aloo tikki, people and benefit about
Rs 600 crore. The new dairy patties etc, many of which will 4,63,000 farmers.
complex is a greenfield project. be exported in other countries.
It will enable the processing The PM dedicated to the nation
of about 30 lakh litres of milk, the expanded facilities for the
produce about 80 tonnes of production of cheese products
butter, one lakh litres of ice and whey powder at the Banas
cream, 20 tonnes of condensed dairy plant in Palanpur.

10 REGCUOLMAPTAONRY NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | JAupnreil 20221 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Govt NIFTEM inks MoU with
announces Hexagon Nutrition for setting
new initiatives up rice fortification unit
in Ayush sector
The Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification (CEFF) at the National
Many new initiatives in the Institute of Food Technology and Entrepreneurship Management (NIFTEM),
Ayush sector have been an institute under Ministry of Food Processing Industries, has added
announced by the Prime another milestone as NIFTEM signed a Memorandum of Understanding
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi
during the recently held (MoU) with Mumbai-based Hexagon Nutrition for the
Global Ayush Investment & setting up of a Rice Fortification Unit. Another
Innovation Summit 2022 at feather in the cap is the commencement of
Gandhinagar, Gujarat, first capacity building programmes for Health
being a special Ayush mark for Supplements and Nutraceuticals in partnership
Ayush products. This will give with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
people all over the world the (through Resource Centre for Health Supplements
confidence of quality for Ayush and Nutraceuticals i.e. ReCHaN) under the
products. The government aegis of CEFF. The CEFF was inaugurated at the
will develop a network of NIFTEM Kundli campus. The primary objective
Ayush parks to encourage of establishing this centre of excellence is
the promotion, research and to bolster the practical know-how of the
manufacturing of Ayush staple food fortification process along with this
products across the country.
A new category named 'Ayush theoretical knowledge via classroom training and on-
Aahar' was announced which site demonstrations. CEFF has been set up at NIFTEM in partnership with
will greatly facilitate the Hexagon Nutrition and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
producers of herbal nutritional
supplements. Further, another Rajasthan launches learning
major initiative for foreign app to make school meals safe
nationals who want to come
to India to take advantage of The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government
Ayush therapy was announced. of Rajasthan handed over free tablets to women school Cook-Cum-
India will soon introduce a Helpers (CCHs), marking the launch of a mobile learning application to
special Ayush visa category. strengthen the functioning of the PM-POSHAN Scheme formerly known
Other than international as the Mid-Day Meal scheme. The application, Food Safety for Mid-day
exchanges, a Memorandum Meals (FoSafMDM), developed by WFP, was unveiled in Jaipur by Dr Bulaki
of Understanding (MoU) was Das Kalla, Minister of Education, Government of Rajasthan. The event
signed between the Ministry of marked the commencement of the programme in 186 schools in the
Ayush and Ministry of Defence Viratnagar block. Training of CCHs, who play a critical role in preparing and
to start Ayush facilities in over providing hot-cooked meals to school children, is an important aspect of
35 cantonment areas across the scheme. Safe and hygienic meals contribute to providing
India. During the event, the better and safe nutrition for our children. The Tablets
ministry also exchanged an and the training on how to use this application will
association with the Ministry deliver insights for scaling this initiative. Nutritional
of Science and Technology to improvement is inextricably linked with food safety.
promote cross collaboration Unsafe food served in the schools has the potential
with Council of Scientific and to create a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition,
Industrial Research (CSIR) for impacting school children partaking in these day
joint PhD programmes and for meals. The app aims to fill a critical knowledge gap
mechanistic studies in Ayush. among CCHs by providing an easy, accessible, and
understandable mobile learning platform.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in FINANCE NEWS 11

Mumbai's Good Flippin' HCCB invests
Burgers raises $1M for expansion
Rs 1K Cr to set-
Mumbai-based Good Flippin’ Burgers has announced a fresh round of
funding that amounts to $1 million, in its quest to become India’s most up second plant
loved burger brand. The new round of seed funding is led by Nikhil
Bharadwaj, Director, Kerala Blasters Football Club; Karan Bhagat, Founder, in Telangana
MD & CEO, IIFL Wealth & Asset Management; Yatin Shah, Co-Founder
and Joint CEO, Wealth Management business at IIFL Wealth & Asset Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages
Management. Manish Hathiramani, Index Trader (HCCB) has announced that it will
Deen Dayal Investments along with Respected set up a second factory in Telangana
names from the Mumbai entertainment industry with an investment of Rs 1000 crore.
also participated in this round. These included The company will be investing Rs
Kiran Desai (General Council, Netflix India), Vikram 600 crore in the plant in the first
Malhotra, Mamta Anand and Vedant Bali. The phase and another Rs 400 crore in
fresh round of funding brings the tally up to $1.1 the subsequent phases to take the
million raised via CCD (Compulsory Convertible total investment to Rs 1,000 crore
Debenture) along with adding respected names in the next five years. The plant for
from the investment community and credibility carbonated beverages, juices, and
for the brand. With the additional funds, the startup will look at expanding water will come up at the Food
in multiple formats such as cloud, hybrid, dine in, malls and airports across Processing Park at Bandathimmapur
multiple cities along with strengthening its supply chain. The Good Flippin’ in Siddipet district. This will
Burgers team currently has 7 outlets in Mumbai and a Central Kitchen be the second bottling plant
with a head count of 100 and growing. Their menu includes 12 burgers, 13 for HCCB in Telangana. This is
sides and 3 shakes for vegetarians, non-vegetarians and vegans. The dine expected to double the company's
in outlets serve an entire coffee and shake menu as well. manufacturing capacity to
cater to the sales in the region
Aurobindo Pharma, for the next 10 years. HCCB has
Hare Krishna Movement to set also signed a Memorandum of
up centralised kitchen in AP Understanding (MoU) with the
Telangana government for a long-
Aurobindo Pharma Foundation equipment and operational costs term strategic partnership. Under
(APF), the philanthropic of the kitchen for a period of 4 the MoU, HCCB will help other
arm of Hyderabad-based years from now. The kitchen which industries in the state with water
Aurobindo Pharma, has is being constructed will have a resource management, better
signed a Memorandum of built-up area of 5,500 sq. ft. and management of solid waste, and
Understanding (MoU) with Hare will be situated on 2 acres of SEZ building skills among youth. To
Krishna Movement Charitable land in Perumallapuram village. begin with, the company will train
Foundation (HKMCF) to set up a It will provide hot, nutritious 10,000 youth in partnership with
centralised kitchen at SEZ area breakfast in all 40 government the Telangana Academy of Skills and
in Perumallapuram, Kakinada in schools within a radius of 25- Knowledge (TASK).
Andhra Pradesh. The kitchen will 30 km through dedicated and
have a capacity of producing 5,000 modern food transportation
breakfasts per day, with capacity vehicles benefitting around 6,300
to expand further in future. The children. This kitchen will be
project, with an outlay of Rs equipped to run solely on solar
9.63 crore will cover the cost of energy, the first-of-its-kind out of
construction of the kitchen, along many kitchens previously built by
with the required infrastructure/ HKMCF in India.

12 FINANCE NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Rebel Foods Nutra startup Laurik
buys majority raises Rs 37 million
stake in
chocolate Hyderabad-based startup Laurik has raised a funding amount of Rs 37
brand Smoor million while just in its ideation stage. Founded in 2020, Laurik produces
the world's first Lauric enhanced coconut shots. It extracts this element
Mumbai-based Rebel Foods from the premium quality coconuts and combines it with over 26 whole-
has invested an undisclosed food-sourced vitamins, minerals, superfoods, and probiotics in one shot.
amount in acquiring a These shots are made employing
majority stake in luxury an age-old Ayurvedic concept
chocolate brand Smoor. The developed after 24 months of
investment is in line with the extensive scientific research by top
company’s plans to invest scientists from across the globe.
$150 million across food The startup has also filed for over
brands as it scales its portfolio 12 formulation patents this year.
of food services brands in The funding round was led by
India. The investment values marquee investors like Murthy
Smoor at over $50 million. Aradhi, Co-Founder at FastCollab
Smoor, set up in 2015, sells and Lakshmikant PB, Director of Finance at Antler, an early-stage venture
chocolates, signature cakes, capital firm. Laurik’s unique product has also received recognition from the
gift hampers, desserts, and Telangana government and T-Hub as they recently provided the startup with
beverages. Its products are a fund through the T-Fund programme. The startup aims to use these funds
available across its stores, primarily to strengthen research and development, expand the team size
cafes, and kiosks, apart and scale its go-to-market operations. It will also use the funds for marketing
from the brand’s direct- its products and launching new product categories in the coming months.
to-consumer channel and
online aggregator platforms. Kota-based startup
According to Rebel Foods, Eeki Foods secures $6.5M
Smoor will continue to build
its omnichannel distribution Eeki Foods, a Kota-based startup, has raised Series A funding of $6.5 million led
strategy by expanding its by General Catalyst (GC). Other key investors participating in this round include
physical customer experience Avaana Capital; Better Capital; Irving Fain, CEO & Founder of Bowery Farming
centres across Tier 1 cities (a GC portfolio company with $2.3 billion in valuation); Subbu Palaniappan,
in India and accelerating Director & Head of Amazon Prime India; Srinivas Narayanan, former VP Engg
its online presence across
digital platforms. The at Facebook; Akhil Gupta, and Amit Kumar
future expansion will also Agarwal, Co-founders of NoBroker.com. Eeki
include strengthening its Foods’ vision is a world in which nutritious
physical presence in 9 cities residue-free vegetables are affordable and
(Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, accessible to everyone - a world free from
Chennai, Bangalore, New malnutrition and deficiencies. So, they are
Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, setting up large-scale, climate-proof farms
Faridabad) and a fast-growing equipped with proprietary growing chambers
omnichannel presence. that allow low-cost production of high-quality
vegetables. The fresh funds will be used to scale
Eeki to hundreds of acres. The startup will focus
on building the team, technology and organisational scale. Eeki is actively
looking to establish partnerships with corporates, HNIs, and other retail farmers
in Rajasthan, Delhi-NCR, and Maharashtra to build farms across the country.
Eeki Foods technology enables the farm's climate to be controlled, allowing
vegetables to be grown all year without being affected by seasonal variations.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in STARTUPS NEWS 13

Blend For Supplement Sack
eyes 3x growth in
Food App goes peanut butter segment

live in Bengaluru With a focus on zero trans-fat and zero cholesterol, New Delhi-
based startup Supplement Sack has now launched its own
Blend For Food (BFF) is a super-app that is Peanut Butter in the FMCG segment. The product has been
a one-stop destination for all things food - introduced under its sub-brand Muscle Fibre. It is currently
choicest restaurants, curated home chefs, D2C available in two flavours: chocolate and classic. The company
food brands for kitchen needs, favourite food is anticipating a threefold increase in revenue due to the
Influencers and much more. BFF will cater to rising demand for peanut butter in India. The Peanut Butter
foodies in Bengaluru during this launch phase. contains 26g of protein, no trans-fat, and no cholesterol per
The app has been designed keeping the food 100 gm serving, making it a very healthy vegetarian option.
business in mind which has witnessed a massive Peanut butter is expected to overtake sales of sweet spreads
change through the course of the pandemic. such as jam. Globally, it is expected to reach $5.3 billion by
BFF wants to play an active role in this evolution 2027, at a CAGR of 5.7 per cent during 2022-2027. As part
of the food industry and strongly believes that of its expansion strategy, Supplement Sack will also launch
food is an emotion and not a commodity. In natural mayonnaise, ketchup, and sauces this year. All of the
addition, the aim is to help businesses generate company's products are now manufactured in-house.
community-driven demand and discoverability.
BFF will also actively partner with Food Creators
and Influencers to convey impactful brand
and consumer stories. Blend For Food has also
launched its WebMenu offerings to Restaurants
in Bangalore to support hassle-free, digital-first
food ordering solutions. This product allows
restaurants to take their restaurant online within
5 minutes through the 'order direct' model. BFF’s
WebMenu is India's first one of its kind Food
Commerce platform that is bringing this offering
to the Indian F&B industry.

Wellbeing Nutrition develops first ever
time-conscious range of nutraceuticals

Mumbai-based startup Wellbeing the SLOW technology uses as well as functional health
Nutrition has announced the launch sustained release coated pellets benefits for prevention of diseases.
of SLOW - the first ever time- in a capsule, that ensure the Mumbai-based pharma firm ACG
conscious range of nutraceuticals timely assimilation of vitamins has co-created the time conscious
for men and women. Comprising and nutrients by the human body range of nutraceuticals – SLOW that
13 supplements, each formulation throughout the day. This new range was ideated and conceptualised
has been specifically designed for a is designed to address consumer by Wellbeing Nutrition to solve for
host of unique health and wellness needs for boosting energy, physical the customer's need of immediate
needs such as fertility support, endurance and mental alertness,
bone health, weight nutrients into the body.
loss, to everyday
multi-vitamins and
nutrition, among
many others.
Introduced for the first
time in nutraceuticals,

14 STARTUPS NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Sleepy Owl, MuscleXP unveils healthy
NOTO release munch category NourishVitals
limited edition
of ‘Chocolate Panchkula-based startup brand bring a healthy change in everyone's
Coffee MuscleXP, owned by Emmbros life. All the products are backed by
Fudgsicles' Overseas, has announced the launch science and enhanced by nature.
of NourishVitals, a whole new With the launch of NourishVitals,
Sleepy Owl, New Delhi-based product category to bring a range the main aim of the startup is to
startup, in collaboration with of products to support a healthy diversify MuscleXP into a whole new
NOTO has announced the lifestyle. NourishVitals has superior category, wherein it could provide
launch of the limited edition quality products that are low in products and ingredients that could
‘Chocolate Coffee Fudgsicles’. sugar and cholesterol and are easy support and lead towards healthy
With NOTO’s trademark, to carry and use. With offerings like eating. The startup plans to expand
Granola Snack Bar, Seeds & Mix, Dry the line with products in the coming
low-calorie ice fruits, Peanut butters, Healthy juices, months, to make this a Rs 50 crore
cream infused and Edible oils, NourishVitals aims to brand within 1 year.
with Sleepy
Owl’s signature Ayurveda nutrition brand Kapiva
premium launches operations in UAE, US
instant coffee,
the new Kapiva, a Mumbai-based D2C Ayurvedic nutrition startup has announced
limited edition that it is eyeing global expansion, starting with UAE and US. With this
Chocolate international expansion, the brand has set a target to reach Rs 100 crore
Coffee Fudgsicle global revenue by end of FY 2024-25. Kapiva’s expansion strategy is centred
has got the best around and driven by market-specific consumer insights and behaviour. As
of both worlds. per Kapiva’s market research, the US market showed increasing interest in
Made with
ZERO added Ayurveda with the popularity of preventative
sugar and only healthcare in the aftermath of the pandemic which
98 calories, this the brand aims to leverage. Similarly, with Indians
fudgsicle has accounting for over 50 per cent of expats
no artificial in Dubai, Kapiva believes that the
flavours, initial adoption and awareness
colours, or preservatives, can be driven at a rapid scale. The
making it the collaboration company plans to double down
of the season. This creamy, on its growth strategy by parallel
caffeinated, and chocolatey driving tech-enabled customised
Fudgesicle is a perfect treat offerings in the near future.
that is refreshing and also
energising. ‘Chocolate Coffee
Fudgsicles’ is NOTO’s first-ever
co-branded product and is
perfect for their audience to
indulge in guilt-free, according
to Ashni Shah, Co-founder
& Director, NOTO. Priced at
Rs 105, the limited-edition
Sleepy Owl X NOTO Chocolate
Coffee Fudgsicle is available in
Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COMPANY NEWS 15

GOPIZZA to open 500 Sona Group
new outlets by 2025 in India
sets up new
Korea-headquartered pizza brand GOPIZZA has recently opened its 15th
outlet in HSR Layout, Bengaluru and has announced massive expansion mushroom
plans in the Indian market. GOPIZZA, is known for its one-person, oval
shape, fire baked pizza with quick serving speed and affordable price. facility in Salem
The brand which opened its first outlet in India in Bengaluru in 2019 aims
to expand to 500 outlets by the end of 2025. At a GOPIZZA outlet, every Bengaluru-based Sona Group
step of ‘pizza making’ is redesigned to enable a one-manned operation has forged a 50:50 joint venture
in a small kitchen. The GOVEN is a patented oven that bakes six single (JV) with Australia's Mycelium
serving pizzas to perfection in three minutes. This oven improves efficiency Biotechnology Group to set
and allows employees to spend time on less tedious work. The 'GOBOT' up a state-of-the art Mycelium
is a cooperative robot that cuts pizza, sprinkles the proper sauce, and research and production
even manages it so that it doesn't cool down, and 'AI Smart Topping facility in Salem. As a global
Table' tracks and monitors the toppings on a pizza real time through AI mushroom biotechnology
technology developed in-house. This ensures the same quality and service group, Mycelium Biotechnology
to customers around the world. The Korean brand, with its unique take on is engaged in mushroom
pizza, now aims to make people consider it a single-serving dish, with a growing, global distribution
goal to expand to more than 300 locations in the next 2 years. and offering biotechnology and
nutraceuticals solutions through
Kikkoman brings 100% vegetarian global partners. The JV named
oyster flavoured sauce in India Mycelium Sona Biotech (MSB)
has set up a research facility
Japanese producer of naturally brewed soy sauce, Kikkoman Corp has at Salem to focus on nanotech
announced the launch of Kikkoman Oyster Flavoured Sauce, which is research, IP development,
100 per cent vegetarian, suitable for both vegetarians and non- extract manufacturing, milling,
vegetarians, for the first time in India. Kikkoman bottling and e-commerce. Billed
Oyster Flavoured Sauce is the result of two years as one of the largest mushroom
of intensive development to bring a new laboratories in India at Salem
purpose-designed product to the Indian with best Global Manufacturing
market. It is backed by years of experience Practices, MSB laboratory will
arising from Kikkoman's history spanning research and grow high end
over 350 years. The R&D teams spread mushrooms, extract Mushroom
across Japan, Singapore and India began and Mycelium compounds,
their work in early 2020, around the time and produce nutraceuticals
of the onset of the pandemic. The team was that conform to FSSAI and FDA
able to successfully develop a product tailor- certification. The launch of the
made for India. Kikkoman recently launched first MSB facility in Salem comes
its Honjozo Authentic Soy Sauce Experience at the most opportune time soon
throughout India, which has been much after signing of the Free Trade
talked about in the food industry and Agreement between Australia
the restaurant business. The addition of and India.

Kikkoman Oyster Flavoured Sauce, the second product after Kikkoman Soy
Sauce, is the start of an exciting range of products for India.

16 COMPANY NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Vasant Masala Bira 91 targets to be India's first
unveils net zero beer company by 2025
'Kashmiri
Rangat' red Bira 91 has announced ‘Mission To Zero’, its ambition to become India’s first
chilli powder Net Zero beer company by 2025. More than seven pints of Bira 91 are enjoyed
every second and as the company scales up, Bira 91 aims to brew not only the
Vasant Masala, a mega spice most flavourful beers on the planet, but also the greenest beers for the planet.
brand from Gujarat, has The company is doubling down on its sustainability efforts with initiatives that
launched 'Vasant Kashmiri will help create real, measurable impact. By 2025, every Bira 91 brewery will
Rangat', red chilli powder. This have zero carbon emissions. Last year, Kirin Holdings invested in B9 beverages
is yet another new addition to for a minority stake. Subsequently both the companies partnered to form B9
their range of quintessential - Kirin Centre for Sustainable Growth, focused on environment sustainability
products. Vasant Masala and other business synergies. As a result, the centre kicked off its Net Zero
is established as a leading project last year to create an aggressive roadmap to become carbon neutral
packaged spice brand in by 2025, nearly 5 years ahead of other global beer makers. As a part of its to-
Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya do list for the planet, Bira 91 has laid out four key areas to accomplish Mission
Pradesh. Vasant Kashmiri To Zero: Shift to 100 per cent Clean Energy; Consume 60 per cent Less Energy;
Rangat - Red Chilli Powder Use 50 per cent Less Water; and Send Zero Waste to Landfill.
is made from scientifically
selected red chilies from the LT Foods introduces biryani
finest farms of Karnataka. After kit in 3 regional variants
being procured from the farm,
they are processed in a clean Gurugram-based LT Foods has launched Daawat Biryani Kit for consumers to
production center and packed cook authentic Biryani at home with utmost convenience. It will be available
in hygienic packing, which in three most popular regional variants i.e. Hyderabadi, Kolkata, and Lucknowi.
retains their fresh taste. Vasant Over the years LT Foods has been growing and solidifying its position in India,
Kashmiri Rangat Chilli Powder North America, Europe, Middle East, while expanding its reach to consumers
is marketed through a strong in more than 60 countries across all channels. At the same time, LT Foods has
distribution network of 200+ been expanding its product portfolio through innovation to meet evolving and
distributors and 40,000 retailers emerging consumer trends globally by focusing on convenience and health
across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and platforms - consistent with its growth strategy. In the past, the company has
Madhya Pradesh. The company witnessed phenomenal success with new product launches with breakthrough
is planning to launch new innovation such as the launch of Daawat Quick Cooking Brown Rice on health
varieties of branded spices and and convenience platform. The company has been continuously expanding
expand into new categories in its product portfolio in India and International markets such as Daawat Cuppa
the coming days, with increased Rice, Kari Kari Rice cracker Japanese snacks, Royal Ready to Heat Rice products
production capacity and (Royal being the leading rice brand in North America).
modern facilities.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COMPANY NEWS 17

US-based whey protein Hindustan Unilever steps
brand Isopure initiates
manufacturing in India into gummies segment

Isopure, US-based whey protein isolate brand, will Horlicks India, one of the leading brands in the
now be manufactured in India in collaboration with health food drink category by Hindustan Unilever, is
Tirupati Lifesciences. This will be the only international foraying into the gummies segment. Horlicks Nutri
production facility of the global brand, outside the Gummies have been scientifically designed to meet
US, given the growing demand in India for Isopure. the demands of children who are 2 years and above.
While majority of the ingredients will still be imported, Packed with 12 key vitamins and minerals such as
including the Whey Protein Isolate that comes from vitamins A, B1, B5, B6, B7, B12, C, D, E, iodine, iron, and
Europe, the blending will now be done at a world zinc, Nutri Gummies contains essential nutrients to
class facility in India which boasts of quality and safety support kids nutritional requirements. It is available
certifications like NSF, FSSC 22000 and OHSAS 18001. in strawberry flavour. One pack of Horlicks Nutri
India is Isopure’s third largest market, after the USA Gummies contains 45 gummies.
and Mexico and growing. Manufacturing in India will Horlicks Nutri Gummies is free
allow Glanbia Performance Nutrition, Isopure’s parent of preservatives and has no
company, to be quicker in reacting to demand surge, added sucrose, no artificial
ensure better availability of products on shelf and colours or artificial flavours,
innovate further, keeping the local preferences in mind. and no gelatin. According to
HUL, investing in the health
and nutrition of children’s
future is more critical than ever,
and Horlicks is committed to
supplying the next generation, i.e. the children with
vitamins and minerals that support their developing
bodies and brains.

VKC Nuts launches pasteurised
dried fruits under brand name Nutraj

Noida-based VKC Nuts has a growth of 25 -35 per cent year- network (for directly covered
announced the launch of on-year and is aiming to touch a outlets), targeting approximately
‘Bactopure’, India’s first and only Rs 1500 crore turnover by the year 1 lakh counters pan India, by end
range of pasteurised nuts and 2023. In FY 2021, the company of FY 22-23. These would cover
dried fruits, under its signature saw a revenue of Rs 742 crore and the markets in North, West, and
brand Nutraj. This becomes the recorded a 25 per cent growth South regions in the 1st phase,
only brand in the Indian market to in revenue to Rs 900 crore in the and East in Q4. VKC Nuts, presently
adhere to international standards year ending March 31, 2022. With has 7 units - 1 in Bengaluru, 2 in
of hygiene and purity for nuts the launch of Bactopure, VKC Nuts Delhi NCR, 1 in Mumbai, and 3 in
and dried fruits. Nutraj Bactopure plans to expand its distribution Jammu and Kashmir. The company
claims to offer 99.99 per
cent bacteria and plans to open 8 more
pathogen-free manufacturing units
products which each with a capacity of
is possible due
to the science 10,000 metric tonnes,
and technological by 2024. They also
advancements in aim to have a total
space. VKC Nuts of 25 company-
has been recording owned stores and 50
franchise stores by
the end of 2023.

18 WORLD NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

WHO reveals US FDA takes steps to
extent of exploitative limit 'lead levels' in juices
formula milk marketing
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued
A new World Health Organisation (WHO) report titled draft action levels for lead in single-strength (ready
Scope and impact of digital marketing strategies to drink) apple juice and other single-strength juices
for promoting breast-milk substitutes has outlined and juice blends. This action is intended to reduce
the digital marketing techniques designed to the potential for negative health effects from dietary
influence the decisions new families make on how exposure to lead, and supports the agency's Closer to
to feed their babies. Through tools like apps, virtual Zero action plan that sets forth the FDA's science-based
support groups or ‘baby-clubs’, paid social media approach to reducing exposure to toxic elements in
foods. The draft guidance
influencers, promotions and outlines action levels, which
competitions and advice are recommended limits
forums or services, formula milk of lead in juice that can be
companies can buy or collect achieved by industry and
personal information and send progressively lowered as
personalised promotions to appropriate. In particular,
new pregnant women and Action Levels for Lead in
mothers. The report summarises Juice: Draft Guidance for
findings of new research that Industry, provides draft
sampled and analysed 4 million action levels of 10 parts per
social media posts about infant billion (ppb) for lead in single-
feeding published between strength apple juice and of
January and June 2021 using 20 ppb for lead in all other single-strength juice types,
a commercial social listening platform. These posts including juice blends that contain apple juice. The FDA
reached 2.47 billion people and generated more estimates that establishing a 10 ppb action level could
than 12 million likes, shares or comments. WHO has result in as much as a 46 per cent reduction in exposure
called on the baby food industry to end exploitative to lead from apple juice in children. For all other fruit and
formula milk marketing, and on governments to vegetable juices, establishment of an action level of 20
protect new children and families by enacting, ppb is estimated to result in a reduction of 19 per cent in
monitoring and enforcing laws to end all advertising exposure to lead from all other juices in children.
or other promotion of formula milk products.

Acute food insecurity hits new highs globally

The number of people facing acute report focuses on those countries document reveals that around
food insecurity and requiring urgent and territories where the magnitude 193 million people in 53 countries
life-saving food assistance and and severity of the food crisis or territories experienced acute
livelihood support continues to exceed the local resources and food insecurity at crisis or worse
grow at an alarming rate. This makes capacities. In these situations, the levels in 2021. This represents an
it more urgent than ever to tackle mobilisation of the international increase of nearly 40 million people
the root causes of food crises rather community is necessary. The compared with the already record
than just responding after they numbers of 2020. Of these, over
occur. This is a key takeaway from half a million people in Ethiopia,
an annual report launched by the southern Madagascar, South Sudan
Global Network Against Food Crises and Yemen were classified in the
(GNAFC), an international alliance most severe phase of acute food
of the United Nations, the European insecurity Catastrophe and required
Union, governmental and non- urgent action to avert widespread
governmental agencies working collapse of livelihoods, starvation
to tackle food crises together. The and death.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER 19

What’s Stirring-up

Dairy Sector

For Indians, milk and milk-related products have always been one of the wholesome sources of
nutrition. More and more consumers expect value-added product categories from dairy players
as the work-from-home culture takes root in urban India. Convenient and nutritious food options
like ready-to-consume dairy products, functional foods, or healthy snacks have become 'the trend'.
In such a scenario, certain emerging Indian dairy startups are riding high on innovations and
expanding nutrition-focused product portfolios. Let's explore further.

In the past few years, in line with the growth of the perfect platform to recognise and promote the growth
startup ecosystem in India, the number of food of outstanding startups that add value to the economy
startups has also increased. In fact, the growth of via innovative solution-based practices and boosting
the internet, mobile usage, and e-commerce have employment.
contributed immensely to the growth of food startups
in India. Amongst others, dairy startups are also increasing
gradually in number in our country. According to
Adding to it, first launched in Sathguru Management Consultants, milk products are
2020 by the Department for the second-largest category to gain investments into
Promotion of Industry and startups in the last five years. These dairy startups are
Internal Trade (DPIIT) under
the Startup India initiative, inventing ideas and bringing fresh offerings into the
the National Startup market every month, as per the changing environment.
Awards has come up as the
While adapting to the changing dynamics,
entrepreneurs are observing the market

20 COVER NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

“We have asked the Plant transformations and exploring the evolving business
Based Foods Industry opportunities in the field. One such recent change is the
preference towards plant-based options.
Association to submit
Plant-based milk users in India claim that they will
a proposal on effective continue using both animal-derived and plant-based
milk in the future. In fact, 90 per cent of them (plant-
measures to help with based milk users) have also consumed animal-derived
dairy milk in the past 12 months. This clearly shows the
training programmes for plant- potential for plant-based dairy to grow alongside animal-
derived dairy consumption and not instead of it.
based startups.”
- Arun Singhal, Within plant-based milks, approximately 40 per
cent of users have used more than one type of plant-
Chief Executive Officer, based milk in the past few months showcasing the
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India consumers' need for variety and the potential of the
plant-based dairy category in offering the same. With
“Since the vegan standard specific drivers of purchase, usage patterns and growth
would be new, we must potential, plant-based milks are emerging as a great
opportunity for the packaged milk industry and an
train and handhold exciting area of innovation for both the industry and
the consumers.
plant-based startup
“Dairy is a major economic engine for India. With
entrepreneurs to build a groundswell of entrepreneurship, research from
eminent Indian universities in plant-based dairy foods
the capacity to fully comply utilising our indigenous crops such as millets, and
growing demand for these products, plant-based dairy
with the requirements of the foods show promise to be a high-growth portion of
that portfolio and benefit farmers and consumers alike”,
standard." says Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, Good Food
- Sanjay Sethi, Institute India.

Executive Director, Plant-based dairy startups making their moves
Plant Based Foods Industry Association According to the survey data from a UK-based

“The launch of the first marketing research and data analysis firm, YouGov,
prebiotic milkshake in almost 65 per cent of Indians are willing to go vegan in
India is a part of our 2022. Thus dairy startups in India are trying to make a
vision to transform move by looking at the trends and market opportunities
healthy indulgences in the space.
for kids and adults. Our
For example, Delhi-based MilkinOats has launched
market research indicated a dairy-free oat milk products and oat milk chocolates, for
the first time in India. The startup aims to shift animal
significant opportunity in the product habits to sustainable plant-based food and
beverages by providing nutritious, high-value products
breakfast segment, especially to create a better future.

in beverages.” Alt Foods, also based in Delhi, has launched two
flavours of dairy-free milk- original and chocolate. Both
- Harshavardhan S, are made from sprouted sorghum, sprouted finger
millets, amaranth, and oats. The move away from
Founder, Lil’ Goodness traditional ingredients such as almonds means these are
the first kinds of milk to be produced using such grains.
“Donkey Milk has been The company plans on launching more plant-based milk
identified as a beneficial flavours in 2022.
ingredient for skincare.
It also has antimicrobial “We decided to start with plant-based milk as
properties such as India has the largest dairy consumption in the world
lysozyme and lactoferrin,

which help in maintaining a

healthy gut.”

- Hitesh Rathi,

Founder, Aadvik Foods

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER 21

combined with tremendous market scope for plant- “Plant-based dairy foods
based alternatives. What we also understand is that to show promise to be a
develop a breakthrough plant-based milk, we cannot high-growth portion
just keep creating more oat/almond/soy milks without of that portfolio and
addressing the pain points of consumers. We need to benefit farmers and
work backwards and look at the ingredients, their flavour consumers alike.”
profile, nutritional information, environmental impact
and affordability”, shares Sweta Khandelwal, Co-founder, - Varun Deshpande,
Alt Foods. Managing Director, Good Food Institute India

Bengaluru-based Goodmylk is another player in “To develop a
this space to come up with innovations such as plant- breakthrough plant-
based paneer and plant-based nutrition drink. The based milk, we cannot
company launched the products with back-to-back just keep creating
announcements on social media over a period of three more oat/almond/soy
days in 2021. milks without addressing the
pain points of consumers.”
While Goodmylk’s plant-based paneer is soy-free and
is made of ingredients such as almonds, cashews, walnut - Sweta Khandelwal,
oil, amongst others, its plant-based meal replacement Co-founder, Alt Foods
drink Thunder is made of ingredients such as wheat,
soy protein isolate, oats, sugar, sunflower seeds, finger In response to this appeal, Arun Singhal, Chief
millet, melon seeds, and pumpkin seeds. The startup Executive Officer, FSSAI, says “As a regulatory body, we
is also working on launching its vegan cheese product want to raise awareness about plant-based foods and
this year. Its line of products includes cashew-oat mylk, support training programmes. In this regard, we seek
peanut curd, plant-based butter, spreads, dips and vegan support from the Plant Based Foods Industry Association
mayonnaise. and have asked them to submit a proposal on effective
measures to help increase awareness and effective
SAIN and Just Amazin are a few more dairy- training programmes.”
alternative startups that are offering dairy-free almond
milk and related products. Further adding to the While building an ecosystem for plant-based
emerging ideas by these startups, a few of them are products will benefit the entrepreneurs, there is an
developing dairy free skin care products as well. For urgent need of mentoring, assistance with quality
instance, MilkinOats has introduced its own range research, and better infrastructure for such startups in
of oat milk-based skincare products, and GoodMylk the future.
has partnered with The Switch Fix (TSF), a clean and
conscious personal care brand to introduce two new Going ‘beyond traditional’
skincare products to extend its plant milk-based Riding high on ideas, alongside the plant-based
personal care range.
dairy startups, many entrepreneurs are developing
While supporting the initiatives of plant-based new animal dairy products with a ‘beyond traditional’
startups, including dairy, the Plant Based Foods Industry approach.
Association (PBFIA), a CEO-led body formed to support
and help develop India's nascent plant-based food New Delhi-based Aadvik Foods is one such dairy
ecosystem, has urged the Food Safety and Standards startup that has precisely captured the consumers’
Authority of India (FSSAI) to come up with an effective demand for nutrition through its unique offering of
training programme to help plant-based food startups camel, goat and donkey milk and powders.
climb the high bar set by FSSAI to safeguard consumer
interest. Camel milk has emerged as a nutritious alternative
to traditional dairy and is popular for its medicinal
According to Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director, PBFIA, benefits. It’s high in calcium and four times less in fat
“We have appealed to FSSAI and other stakeholders as compared to cow’s milk. Moreover, it is suitable for
to handhold food startups so that they adhere to the lactose-intolerant dairy consumers. Although camel milk
highest food quality standards as already achieved by is entirely a new niche in the Indian dairy sector, Aadvik
big food FMCG companies. Since the vegan standard Foods, the very first Indian brand to process camel
would be new, we must train and handhold plant-based milk, has been gaining considerable attention owing
startup entrepreneurs to build the capacity to fully
comply with the requirements of the standard."

22 COVER NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Dairy and dairy-alternative products launched by Indian startups

Startups Products
Sid’s Farm, Telangana
Rooted Peepul, Delhi Cow and buffalo butter (salted and unsalted), Cow and buffalo curd cups
Aadvik Foods, New Delhi
Lil’ Goodness, Bengaluru Spiced milk lattes
MilkinOats, Delhi
Flavoured camel milk, donkey milk powder, camel milk chocolates
Alt Foods, Delhi
Prebiotic milkshake
GoodMylk, Bengaluru
Oat milk chocolates, Range of oat milk-based skincare products

Plant-based original milk and chocolate flavoured milk made from sprouted sorghum,
sprouted finger millets, amaranth, and oats

Plant-based paneer, vegan cheese, cashew-oat mylk, peanut curd, plant-based butter,
spreads, dips and vegan mayonnaise

Plant based dairy consumption trends turmeric, which the startup sources from Meghalaya and
other premium spices like Sri Lankan Cinnamon, Green
Source- Good Food Institute Report 2021 Cardamom, Nutmeg, Clove, etc.

to its innovative camel milk-based launches. Donkey Another interesting variety has been recently added
milk powder and camel milk chocolates are the recent by Bengaluru-based kids’ food and nutrition startup,
additions to its portfolio. Lil’ Goodness in the form of India’s first ready-to-serve
prebiotic milkshake called Prebiotic Break Shake. The
“Donkey Milk has been identified as a beneficial startup had previously launched India’s first ‘prebiotic’
ingredient for skincare. It possesses powerful anti-aging chocolate which claimed to be promoting better
and healing properties that help in reducing wrinkling immunity and good health.
and the presence of vitamin D keeps the skin healthy,
hydrated, and soft. Besides skincare, it has antimicrobial “The launch of the first prebiotic milkshake in India
properties such as lysozyme and lactoferrin, which is a part of our vision to transform healthy indulgences
help in maintaining a healthy gut. It also contains for kids and adults through healthier, better-for-you
high amounts of calcium and has four times less fat options while minimising the use of artificial ingredients.
than cow’s milk that is good for human consumption”, Gut health and micronutrient fortification at affordable
explains Hitesh Rathi, Founder, Aadvik Foods. price points are of prime importance to us. Our market
research indicated a significant opportunity in the
Hye Foods, a brand launched by Aadvik Foods, breakfast segment, especially in beverages. We wanted
has recently launched Milky Dunes, a range of to create a product that met the need for a healthy,
flavoured camel milk. This healthy range of flavoured convenient on-the-go beverage snack. We leveraged
drinks consists of ayurvedic blend of turmeric and market insights to identify the most preferred flavours
ashwagandha. Hye Foods has added these to its unique and the ideal price points," shares Harshavardhan S,
line of products which include camel milk powder, goat Founder, Lil’ Goodness.
milk powder, soy milk powder, coconut milk powder.
Down south, Hyderabad-based startup Sid's Farm is
Rooted Peepul, another Delhi-based brand, has satisfying its existing customers and attracting new ones
launched a range of healthy milk lattes with Lakadong with the recent launch of cow and buffalo curd cups, and
unaltered cow and buffalo butter that are available in
salted and unsalted options.

It is definitely clear that the recent consumer trends
are driving the innovations in the Indian dairy sector,
and no wonder, startups are experiencing a boost in
their growth owing to the unique offerings in a highly
fertile market. As we go ahead with 2022, the market is
expected to encounter more such health-conscious and
nutrition demanding trends, with the dairy and vegan-
dairy startups gearing up to tackle each of them.

Mansi Jamsudkar
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER 23

Leveraging Value-
Addition As Cash Cow

Value addition in the dairy sector, as in any other, is proving to be a veritable ‘money churner’. Value-
added products (VAPs) have been a win-win asset for both dairy producers and farmers in India. As
compared to liquid milk, VAPs are helping dairy companies gain more profits which in turn allows
them to offer higher profitability to farmers through milk procurement prices. Let’s explore the on-the-
go consumption of dairy products - such as yoghurt, cheese and flavoured milk as a source of instant
nutrition - that is driving the modern value-added dairy products market.

India has been the leading producer and consumer On an expansion spree
of dairy products worldwide with a sustained Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable, a wholly owned
growth in the availability of milk and milk products.
Nearly all of the dairy produce in India is consumed subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB),
domestically, with the majority of it being sold as fluid has embarked upon a journey to strengthen its presence
milk. On account of this, the Indian dairy industry holds and visibility in the state of West Bengal, aimed at growing
tremendous potential for value-addition and overall its value-added dairy products portfolio with a CAGR of
development. Despite the fall in demand for modern over 30 per cent in the next 5 years. The company has
dairy products in 2021 due to the pandemic, the value- sketched a plan for its value-added portfolio to achieve a
added dairy products segment is expected to witness a cumulative turnover contribution of around Rs 500 crore,
CAGR of 16 per cent during 2021-25. in the next 5 years (FY 2026-27) from the Eastern market.

Two main factors driving this growth could be the Sharing his views on this development, Sanjay
increased purchasing power and health-conscious Sharma, Business Head – Dairy Products, Mother Dairy
millennial mind set which resulted in demand revival Fruit & Vegetable says, “Over the years, we have tried
for value-added products (VAPs) post-pandemic. to build upon the requisite infrastructure including
Functional snacking is gaining significant attention manufacturing and distribution capacities to cater to
from millennials, no wonder they prefer Chhaas, our consumers in the east. Today, Eastern market is one
skimmed milk, and even value-added probiotic of the fastest growing markets for our value-added
beverages over classic sugar milk. This shift paves the dairy products portfolio after North, clocking a CAGR of
way for dairy producers to innovate their offerings in around 35 per cent in the last 5 years. We are thankful to
the VAP segment. consumers of Kolkata and West Bengal as our Mishti Doi
has received immense traction from the audience here.”
“The traditional mental block, which emphasises
the need for state-of-the-art and expensive technology Stepping up its focus on the ghee segment, Mother
in order to produce value-added milk products, has Dairy plans to expand the category eyeing a growth
been overcome. Funding from major companies in of 20 per cent in the next three years. As a first step,
order to set up the divergence from the production of the company plans to expand its distribution in the
only liquid milk to the value-added products has been country, aiming to cover a greater number of towns and
of great help in the development of the value-added consumer touchpoints.
products sector. Companies that go along with the
recent changes and go on to upgrade themselves have Next in the list, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing
borne the rewards for these. Tailoring in the DNA of a Federation, which markets the popular Amul brand of
dairy products’ company has vitalised their output and milk and dairy products, has forayed into expanding its
hence, the economy of the firm and the industry at portfolio of protein products, starting with the recently-
large”, says Samarth Setia, Chief Executive Officer & Co- launched Amul Protein Lassi and Amul Protein Buttermilk
Founder, Mr. Milkman by EverAg. or chaas. Over the next few months, Amul envisages a
complete range of protein products including shakes,
yoghurt, cookies, ice cream and chocolate.

24 COVER NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

“ Funding from major “Our move into the
companies to set up dairy business is

the divergence from certainly going to

the production of help us explore new

only liquid milk to opportunities in this

the value-added products segment.”
- Shrenik Ghodawat,
has been of great help in the
Managing Director, Sanjay Ghodawat Group
development of the value-added products
According to Dr R S Sodhi, Managing Director, Amul,
sector.” “As the food processing industry is shifting from the
- Samarth Setia, unorganised to the organised space, opportunities are
increasing in terms of technology, supply chain, value
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, addition etc. with the dairy sector being in the lead.
Mr. Milkman by EverAg The real purpose of value addition is to provide better
processing, shelf life, packaging to the product so that
“Today, Eastern market the consumer is satisfied with the end result.”
is one of the fastest
The expansion of the value-added product portfolio
growing markets for has been a key strategy for Hyderabad-based Heritage
Foods during FY 21-22. The company introduced
our value-added dairy Shrikhand and Amrakhand variants in Hyderabad and
Mumbai regions, and Malai Paneer in Mumbai; Premium
products portfolio after Badam Milk with real almond bits in Hyderabad; new
pack formats of frozen dessert in vanilla, butterscotch
North, clocking a CAGR of and chocolate flavours; 'easy-to-digest' A2 Fresh milk;
and Natural French probiotic yoghurts, to name a few.
around 35 per cent in the last 5
“Heritage Foods has continued to deliver strong top-
years.” line growth riding on its value-added product portfolio
- Sanjay Sharma, expansion, widening its distribution network. VAP
contributed 25.1 per cent to the overall dairy revenue of
Business Head – Dairy Products, the company during Q3 FY2022 as against 23.1 per cent
Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable in Q3 FY2021”, says Brahmani Nara, Executive Director,
Heritage Foods.
“The real purpose of value
addition is to provide Mumbai-based Parag Milk Foods is another major
better processing, shelf dairy player enhancing its product portfolio with the
life and packaging to launch of a range of milkshakes - GO Milkshake. The
the product so that the company has been the pioneer of various product
consumer is satisfied with the formats with its core positioning around cow’s milk and
has already established a strong dominance in cheese
end result.” with a near 35 per cent market share and ghee.

- Dr R S Sodhi, Adding on, Chennai-based dairy firm Hatsun Agro
Product (HAP) is investing about Rs 450 crore in business
Managing Director, Gujarat Cooperative across new manufacturing facilities to expand capacities
in ice cream, milk, curd, milk products. The company
Milk Marketing Federation, Ltd., (AMUL), Amul has recently inaugurated 'HAP Daily' outlets in Indore,
Madhya Pradesh and Kharagpur, West Bengal to mark its
“Value-added products presence in these states. Besides the entire range of Arun
contributed 25.1 per ice creams, these outlets will also retail other products
from Hatsun such as ghee, skimmed milk powder and
cent to the overall dairy whitener. A few international dairy players are also
rubbing shoulders with the domestic ones by launching
dairy revenue of the new varieties of yoghurts in the market. For example,

company during Q3

FY2022, against 23.1 per cent in

Q3 FY2021.”
- Brahmani Nara,
Executive Director,
Heritage Foods

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER 25

Lactalis India, part of France’s Lactalis Group, has forayed CAGR of Dairy Products Market in India
into the yoghurt category in India by launching Lactel (2021-2025)
Turbo Yoghurt Drink in Chennai. Novandie Foods, yet
another French yoghurt maker (a subsidiary of Andros, Source- Sathguru Management Consultants
France), has recently announced its entry into India
through a joint venture with Heritage Foods. Leading dairy companies in India

Foray of FMCG giants  Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation
Though the competition in the domestic dairy
Ltd (AMUL)
market is high with leading companies increasing their
presence in the value-added dairy products segment,  Mother Dairy  Kwality Limited
a tough fight is being put up by the FMCG giants that
have recently stepped in. For instance, Dabur India has  Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation
announced its foray into the ghee category with the
launch of ‘Dabur 100 per cent Pure Cow Ghee’, India’s first  Andhra Pradesh Dairy Development Cooperative
traceable Ghee. It is prepared from milk sourced from
indigenous cows bred in Rajasthan. Federation Ltd.

Beverage company Parle Agro has announced its  Karnataka Co-Operative Milk Producers
diversification into the dairy category with the launch
of a range of flavoured milk products named Smoodh. Federation Ltd (Nandini)
According to the brand, it is the only flavoured milk
beverage in the market globally to be available in 85 ml  Tamil Nadu Milk Producer’s Federation Limited
Tetra Pak cartons and priced at Rs 10. With this offering,
Parle Agro aims to grow the branded flavoured milk (AAVIN)
market in India from the present Rs 800 crore to Rs 5,000
crore in the next four years.  Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation

India’s ethnic snack-food giant Haldiram’s Nagpur (MILMA)
is on a growth track, opening its own manufacturing
facility for long shelf-life dairy products. Setting up a  Mehsana District Co-operative Milk Producers
massive dairy facility, with an investment of over Rs 100
crore, Haldiram’s Nagpur is clearly looking to expand Union Ltd (Dudhsagar Dairy)
its footprint from its existing markets of Maharashtra,
Goa and Chhatisgarh. The product offerings will include  Heritage Foods  Parag Milk Foods
buttermilk under the name Matka Jhatka, sold in 200 ml
combiblocXSlim carton packs, a variety of lassi products,  Hatsun Agro Products  Dynamix Dairy
and many more innovations in the pipeline.
 Creamline Dairy Products
Adding on, Kolhapur-based Ghodawat Consumer has
recently expanded its product portfolio by introducing Milk, Cadbury Bournvita, Oreo etc., is currently exploring
flavoured milk products under its popular brand 'Star' the milk food drink category with the recent launch of an
to diversify its dairy business and further strengthen its all-new Cadbury Oreo Milkshake Mix.
position in the dairy segment.
Betting big on the Indian dairy segment is another
“The Indian dairy food market is flourishing at an FMCG major CavinKare that has announced the launch of
unprecedented pace and is expected to grow at a CAGR protein-rich cheese under its flagship dairy brand Cavin’s
of around 16 per cent during 2020-2025. Our move in the Tamil Nadu market to start with.
into the dairy business is certainly going to help us to
explore new opportunities in this segment,” says Shrenik There’s a constant influx of new and innovative
Ghodawat, Managing Director, Sanjay Ghodawat Group. value-added dairy products into the market by both
public and private players. With product differentiation
On the other hand, the dairy business of diversified as a key strategy, the industry is, indeed, playing its cards
conglomerate ITC will focus on east India, particularly wisely going by the pace of new value-addition, offering
West Bengal and Bihar, for the next few years, following promising opportunities in the future.
the recent launch of lactose-free milk by the company.
Mansi Jamsudkar
Mondelez India, the makers and bakers of some of [email protected]
India’s favourite snacking brands such as Cadbury Dairy

26 CARBON CREDIT NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Putting Brakes
on GHG Emissions

Meat and dairy are leading greenhouse gas emitters in food production. While they contribute less in
transport, retail and packaging, they require a vast amount of land use, farm resources and animal feed.
On the other hand, plant-based foods fall much lower on the list and companies that specialise in those
products may have a higher chance at achieving carbon neutrality in the years to come. As carbon emissions
and Climate Change become buzzwords, many companies and organisations are becoming increasingly
sensitive to the inevitable carbon footprint. While independent research indicates that a 1 degree increase in
global temperatures is affected in a 1000 years, reducing greenhouse gases is, nonetheless, a crucial step.

According to a new study led by the UN agriculture side alone, the food sector via agriculture consumes
agency, presented at the COP26 climate conference roughly 200 exajoule of energy per year globally.
in Glasgow recently, food processing, packaging, Furthermore, the food system is the largest user of land
transport, household consumption and waste disposal on the planet, with vineyards alone occupying about 7.5
are pushing the food supply chain to the top of the million hectares of land, and cereals cultivated across
greenhouse gas emitters list. Many brands are working 700 million hectares of land.
towards reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs)
in a bid to be conscientious about the environmental At present, many global F&B companies are pledging
impact. A brand’s carbon footprint initiative may soon to go carbon neutral by 2050. Their approach utilises
become an important point of differentiation. ‘Science Based Techniques’, an initiative that helps
corporations set their own climate change goals aligned
In its analysis, the Food and Agriculture Organisation to the Paris agreement (a legally binding international
(FAO) maintains that the food supply chain in many treaty on climate change), predominantly to ensure the
countries is on course to overtake farming and land use reduction in GHG emissions.
as the largest contributor to greenhouse gases from the
agri-food system. For instance, Nestle is pledging to halve greenhouse
gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
Moreover, unrelated farm activities and land-use A few of the ways the company is achieving this
changes currently account for more than half of the includes supporting farmers and suppliers to advance
carbon dioxide (CO2) produced from agri-food systems regenerative agriculture, planting 20 million trees for
in some regions while in developing countries over the the next 10 years, and transitioning to 100 per cent
past three decades, it has more than doubled. renewable electricity by 2025.

“The most important trend since 1990, highlighted On the other side, Coca-Cola is pledging to reduce
by our analysis, is the increasingly important role of food- GHG emissions by 25 per cent across its entire value
related emissions generated outside of agricultural land, chain by 2030, as well as to achieve net zero carbon
in pre and post-production processes along food supply emissions by 2050. Furthermore, PepsiCo plans to reduce
chains, at all scales. This has important repercussions for absolute GHG emissions across its direct operations by
food-relevant national mitigation strategies, considering 75 per cent and its indirect value chain by 40 per cent by
that until recently these have focused mainly on 2030. This action is expected to result in the reduction of
reductions of non-CO2 within the farm gate, and on more than 26 million metric tonnes of GHG emissions or
CO2 from land use change”, says Maximo Torero, Chief the equivalent of taking more than five million cars off
Economist, FAO. the road for a full year.

Carbon neutrality for F&B industry While on one hand, multiple companies are pledging
The need for a more sustainable food and beverage for carbon neutrality in the years to come, there are a
few global players that have already achieved this goal.
(F&B) sector is highly evident and urgent. On the supply Canada-based Maple Leaf Foods became the world’s first

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in CARBON CREDIT 27

major carbon neutral food company in 2019. Despite “The most important trend
being an animal protein company, it has reduced around since 1990, highlighted
86 million kilowatt hours of electricity and over 4.3 by our analysis, is the
million cubic metres of natural gas since 2015. It has increasingly important
avoided carbon-intensive activities, such as building new role of food-related
processing plants in areas with little access to renewable emissions generated outside of
resources, invested in renewable energy and natural
gas and found other ways to embrace a more circular agricultural land.”
economy approach.
- Maximo Torero,
Owned by Taylors of Harrogate, Yorkshire Tea became
carbon neutral after five years of supply chain projects Chief Economist, Food & Agriculture Organisation
in 2020. The top-selling UK tea brand produces over five
billion tea bags per year and exports to 28 countries. “Among food and drink
In addition, US-based Bread Alone has been working processing activities,
towards carbon neutrality since it was founded in energy and related
1983, and in 2019, it partnered with Climate Neutral to greenhouse gas
purchase carbon credits to offset its footprint. emissions are very
heterogeneous.”
“Among food and drink processing activities,
energy and related greenhouse gas emissions are very - Dr Benjamin K. Sovacool,
heterogeneous. Food canning is very steam intensive, Professor of Energy Policy, Science Policy Research
with boilers using 70 per cent of the activity energy;
baking requires large ovens using 60 per cent of the Unit, University of Sussex Business School
activity energy; frozen and chilled foods have large
refrigeration loads using 60 per cent of the activity “We are investing in our
energy; and flour milling plants have large electrical manufacturing and
loads using 80 per cent of the activity energy. Chilling supply chain to ensure
and freezing uses a monumental amount of energy. It that our breweries reach
has been estimated that although only 40 per cent of zero carbon emissions
foods require refrigeration, refrigerators and freezers by 2025 - 5 years ahead of other
consume roughly 15 per cent of global electricity”,
mentions Dr Benjamin K. Sovacool, Professor of Energy global beer makers.”
Policy, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex
Business School. - Ankur Jain,

India lights the way to carbon neutrality Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Bira 91
India has been one of the primary signatories
“With the ability to be
of the Paris Agreement. In November 2020, 24 top produced from a wide
private companies including Adani, Reliance, TATA, variety of renewable
Mahindra, Ambuja Cements, Sun Pharma, etc. signed a feedstocks, methanol
declaration on climate change pledging to voluntarily offers significant
move towards carbon neutrality. In fact, Infosys was the greenhouse gas emissions
first Indian company to adopt carbon neutrality while
recently Mumbai became the first South-Asian city to reduction.”
devise a climate action plan to become carbon neutral
by 2050. - Prakriti Sethi,

Amongst food companies, ITC is a significant player Chief Indian Representative, Methanol Institute
proclaiming climate goals while aiming for clean energy
usage. It aims to achieve a 50 per cent reduction “Given the growing
in specific emissions and a 30 per cent reduction in concerns around wellness
specific energy consumption by 2030. The company & sustainability, India
plans to implement large-scale digitalisation, and enter has the potential to
into cross-sectoral collaborations and partnerships to emerge as a large market
decarbonise its energy consumption. for plant-based alternatives.”

- Hemant Malik,
Divisional Chief Executive - Foods, ITC

28 CARBON CREDIT NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Estimated carbon and are hopeful that our Mission To Zero will spark
intensity for various food products a revolution- one in which every beer made in the
country is carbon neutral. To do so, we are shifting
Food Product Carbon to 100 per cent clean energy; consuming 60 per cent
intensity less energy; using 50 per cent less water; and sending
(in kg CO2-e zero waste to landfill.”
per dollar)
In this fight to considerably reduce the carbon
Beef, pork and other red meat 2.58 footprint, India has a vast potential and can exploit
methanol to support this objective. Methanol has
Cheese 2.01 several advantages as a carbon-neutral fuel and can be
produced using only renewable resources.
Fluid, milk, milk products, and butter 1.88
“With the ability to be produced from a wide variety
Flours and rice 1.79 of renewable feedstocks, methanol offers significant
greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Compared
Dry, condensed and evaporated dairy 1.77 to conventional fuels, renewable methanol can cut
carbon dioxide emissions by up to 95 per cent on a
Eggs 1.21 carbon lifecycle assessment (LCA) basis. Additionally,
methanol is commonly used as a fuel for industrial
Frozen food 1.02 boilers to generate heat and steam in the processes
of manufacturing, food production, pharmaceutical
Ice cream and frozen desserts 1 production, and heating industrial as well as residential
buildings”, says Prakriti Sethi, Chief Indian Representative,
Poultry 0.98 Methanol Institute.

Fats and oil 0.92 Another strategy that is currently being explored
by the Indian food industry to achieve carbon
all other foods 0.83 neutrality is the shift towards plant based diet.
Reports have revealed that the Indian plant-based
Canned foods 0.8 market is expected to grow to $650-700 million by
2025. 54 per cent of the early adopters in India are
Sugar and coinfectionery products 0.77 familiar with plant-based meats, and nearly 80 per
cent are willing to try them.
Seasonings and dressings 0.77
This development perfectly fits with a recent multi-
Cookies, crackers, pats and tortillas 0.76 institutional study that plant-based diets can reduce
carbon emissions by 61 per cent. A dietary shift from
Fresh vegetables and melons 0.73 animal-based foods to plant-based foods in high-income
nations could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
Breakfast cereal 0.67 direct agricultural production and increase carbon
sequestration if the resulting spared land was restored to
Snack foods 0.62 its antecedent natural vegetation.

Soft drinks, bottled water and ice 0.62 Hemant Malik, Divisional Chief Executive - Foods, ITC
points out “Given the growing concerns around wellness
Bread and bakery products 0.61 and sustainability, India has the potential to emerge as a
large market for plant-based alternatives.”
Breweries 0.59
The change that needs to be adopted across the
Seafood 0.57 country has already begun. Undoubtedly, the industrial
sector being the primary contributor to carbon
Coffee and tea 0.57 emissions, adoption of climate-sensitive methods
is paramount but that should not imply a complete
Fruits and tree nuts 0.54 transference of responsibility to corporations and the
government. We must realise a lot of the responsibility
Wineries 0.37 lies with individuals as well. Small changes go a long way
in an attempt to save our world.
Distilleries 0.34
Sakura Koner
Source- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306919217310552

Recently, Bira 91, an Indian craft beer brand
manufactured by New Delhi-based B9 Beverages, has
announced ‘Mission To Zero’, its ambition to become
India’s first Net Zero beer company by 2025.

On this development, Ankur Jain, Founder
and Chief Executive Officer, Bira 91, says, “We are
investing in our manufacturing and supply chain
to ensure that our breweries reach zero carbon
emissions by 2025 - 5 years ahead of other global
beer makers. We believe that carbon emissions are
the greatest challenge being faced by this generation

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in DARK CHOCOLATE 29

DARK
CHOCO

FEVER
CATCHES

ON

With the country currently representing one of the world’s fastest growing markets for chocolates, the Indian
chocolate market reached a value of $1.9 billion in 2020. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market
to grow at a CAGR of 11.3 per cent during 2021-2026. Let's explore this healthier 'sweet tooth' trend.

The dark chocolate market is rising and is still to will reach an estimated Rs 28,390 crore in 2022 from Rs
realise its full potential in India. With the presence 17,200 crore in 2019 and is pegged to grow at a CAGR of
of several small and large players in the Indian close to 10 per cent between 2019-2023.”
chocolate market, the industry is highly fragmented
and the vendors are distinguishing their offerings “In a world that is becoming more health-conscious,
through their unique selling point (USP). A trend in dark chocolate doesn’t have to be labelled as indulgent
chocolate is growing, as people pay more attention to and can extend well beyond by incorporating health
health and sugar reduction now. benefits like reduced trans-fat, reduced sugar and
relaxation benefits. Sugar reduction has become ‘the
Today, the demand for organic, sugar free and gluten need of the hour’ and, albeit at a lower base, chocolate
free chocolates in India is rising, for which industry confectionery launches with the no-added sugar
players like Nestle India Limited, Amul, Whole Truth claim are gaining traction. Furthermore, as more and
Foods, Hershey India Private Limited, Mondelez are more consumers prioritise functional food and drink,
working towards unique varieties of dark chocolate. chocolate with added benefits will allow brands to
stand out from the competition. Along these lines,
Switching to dark chocolate there is an opportunity to introduce more energy-
There have been many reasons that are propelling specific claims to garner interest. Brands can look at
incorporating ingredients such as guarana, coffee and
the demand for dark chocolates. Nowadays, people pay protein, which are gaining popularity for their energy-
more attention towards health and prefer low sugar providing properties,” explains Natasha Kumar, Food &
content in chocolates. According to a research from Drink Analyst, India, at Mintel.
Mintel, “The total value of the chocolate market in India

30 DARK CHOCOLATE NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

“As more and more “We see a major
consumers prioritise opportunity in
functional food and developing a new
drink, chocolate, with taste experience in
added benefits, will the chocolate category
allow brands to stand out. and Cadbury Dark Milk gives
Along these lines, there is an us the first mover advantage of
opportunity to introduce more energy-specific becoming the category innovator. Cadbury Dark
claims to garner interest. Brands can look at Milk is a unique product that offers a heightened
incorporating ingredients such as guarana, delight of a grown-up chocolate.”
coffee and protein, which are gaining popularity
for their 'energy' properties.” - Anil Viswanathan,
Director, Marketing (Chocolates), Mondelez India
- Natasha Kumar,
Food & Drink Analyst, India, Mintel

Unique dark varieties primarily because of the substantial price gap between
Industry players and manufacturers are now milk chocolate and dark chocolate, which has in turn
meant that dark chocolate, despite its many health
incorporating organic ingredients and natural benefits, has been reserved for the elites.
sweeteners to make this dark chocolate category
an attractive alternative to heavy sugar milk-based Further, Nestlé announced that it has created a
chocolates. unique chocolate made entirely from the cocoa fruit,
using the beans and pulp as the only ingredients and
India's first 100 per cent Clean Label brand, The therefore not adding any refined sugar. Nestlé has
Whole Truth Foods (TWT), recently presented India's first developed a natural approach, which allows it to extract
chocolate range, sweetened only with dates and without the pulp and use it in chocolate with no compromise on
any added sugar or artificial sweeteners. With this new taste, texture and quality. Nestlé has launched Incoa, a
category launch, TWT brought a range of premium, 70 per cent dark chocolate bar under its Les Recettes de
decadent, yet 100 per cent clean chocolate made from L’Atelier brand.
just two ingredients - the finest locally-sourced, single-
origin cocoa from Idukki (district in Kerala), and imported Patrice Bula, Head of Strategic Business Units,
high-quality, non-GMO dates. Marketing and Sales at Nestlé, said, "We’re proud to
bring chocolate lovers a new chocolate made entirely
Shashank Mehta, Founder and CEO, The Whole from the cocoa fruit without adding refined sugar. This
Truth Foods said, "It was about 18 months ago when is a real innovation which uses the natural sweetness
we decided to create a chocolate that was sweetened of the cocoa pulp to provide a pure, novel chocolate
only with dates. No added sugar or sweeteners. experience."
However, dates are quite fibrous so achieving that
perfectly smooth texture of rich chocolate called for Louise Barrett, Head of the Nestlé Confectionery
4X longer conch-time. That meant that every batch of Product Technology Center in York, said, "This
this chocolate had to be continuously ground for up to breakthrough innovation allows us to deliver a great-
22 hours. For us, owning every part of the bean-to-bar
journey was critical and so we set up our own chocolate
factory in Mumbai.”

He added, "Consumers are not only becoming
more aware of the benefits of real chocolate, but are
developing a palate that moves away from the sugar-
laden dessert we call chocolate. Yet they get completely
priced out of the dark chocolate market. We're breaking
this trend by offering a 100 per cent clean, truly
decadent and naturally sweetened chocolate at a much
better price."

Despite growing at 30 per cent year-on-year, dark
chocolate constitutes a miniscule (Rs 600 crore) part
of the larger Rs 14000 crore chocolate market. This is

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in DARK CHOCOLATE 31

“We bring chocolate lovers “Consumers are not only
a new chocolate made becoming more aware
entirely from cocoa of the benefits of real
fruit without adding chocolate, but are
refined sugar. This is developing a palate that
a real innovation which uses moves away from the sugar-

the natural sweetness of the laden dessert we call chocolate.

cocoa pulp to provide a pure, novel chocolate Yet they get completely priced out of the dark

experience." chocolate market. We're breaking this trend by

- Patrice Bula, offering a 100 per cent clean, truly decadent and

Head of Strategic Business Units, naturally sweetened chocolate at a much better

Marketing and Sales, Nestlé price."

- Shashank Mehta,

Founder and CEO, The Whole Truth Foods

tasting dark chocolate, while also integrating agricultural fermentation, produced similar aromas in beans as
side-streams into our value chain, a key priority for our fermentation, with some differences.
sustainability agenda."
The researchers made chocolate bars using moist
Moreover, Mondelez India has introduced an addition incubated or fermented dried cocoa beans, as well as
to its bouquet of premium chocolates with Cadbury Dark unfermented beans as a control. Sensory panellists said
Milk. the moist incubated sample had higher intensities of
fruity, flowery, malty and caramel-like aromas, whereas
Anil Viswanathan, Director, Marketing (Chocolates), the fermented one had higher roasty aroma notes, and
Mondelez India, said, “Mondelez India sees a major the bar made from unfermented beans had a primarily
opportunity in developing a new taste experience in green aroma. The researchers concluded that moist
the chocolate category and Cadbury Dark Milk gives us incubation produces a chocolate with a pleasant aroma
the first mover advantage of becoming the category and taste and could, therefore, serve as an alternative
innovator. Our brands play a special role in people’s lives. postharvest treatment.
Increasingly consumers want products that reflect their
lifestyle and we have always been at the forefront of Health-conscious consumers
creating distinctive products and platforms to address With increasingly health-conscious consumers
this need. Cadbury Dark Milk is a unique product that
offers a heightened delight of a grown-up chocolate.” coming, the world’s biggest chocolate makers are
looking for ways to add more options into the market.
In another unique trend, recently the scientists from
Switzerland developed an alternative, non-microbial Sales of mainstream milk chocolate bars have
approach called moist incubation, in which dried, stagnated as consumers are becoming more health-
unfermented cocoa nibs are rehydrated in an acidic conscious and are worried about lifestyle. The shift
solution, heated for 72 hours and then re-dried. The in attitudes is forcing global firms from Mondelez
method, which is faster and more easily controlled than International to Nestle to rebrand their mass-market
chocolates to create a healthier image, or sell a more
expensive premium experience.

To answer consumer demands for healthier and
higher-quality bars, companies are going for smoother
dark chocolates, protein bars, chocolate bars and
sugar free chocolates. One such development is a
Mumbai based organic chocolates brand Pascati that
has developed at least 14 different types of products.
The cocoa beans are sourced from collectives in Kerala,
impacting the livelihoods of over 2000 farmers.

India is one of the fastest-growing markets for
the impulsive and indulgent industry of chocolate
confectionery with plenty of room for growth.

Pooja Yadav
[email protected]

32 EGGS VS DIABETES NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Can Egg Consumption
Lead to Diabetes?

Scrambled, poached or boiled, eggs are the most popular, yet controversial foods all over the world. Eggs
are the best bioavailable source of protein. The World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United States (FAO) and American Diabetes Association have recommended eggs as a
nutritional choice for individuals with diabetes. However, multiple recent reports and studies indicate a link
between consumption of eggs and diabetes. We shall examine this contention at length.

China ranked the highest in egg consumption inconsistent. Studies have also found that consuming
per capita with 20.8 kg followed by Mexico and eggs for breakfast is known to control the blood sugar
Japan, based on a comparison of 161 countries in levels of diabetes patients throughout the day.
2019, according to the Helgi Library. Besides China is the
country with the highest number of diabetics worldwide, A study undertaken by Cambridge University in
with around 141 million people suffering from the 2020 - The association between egg consumption and
disease. By the year 2045, it is predicted that China will diabetes was also inconclusive. The University aimed
have around 174 million people with diabetes, according to examine the association between long-term egg
to the Statista December 2021 report. consumption and its trajectory with diabetes in Chinese
adults. A total of 8545 adults aged ≥18 years old who
According to worldpopulationreview.com, 11 per attended the China Health and Nutrition Survey from
cent of the population of 1.448 billion in China are 1991 to 2009 were included in this analysis. Diabetes was
suffering from Diabetes as of 2021 against 8.8 per cent in diagnosed based on fasting blood glucose in 2009.
2011. Hence there is a lot of interest among researchers
to understand if there is any relation between egg Logistic regression was used to examine the
consumption and diabetes among the Chinese association. The mean age of the study population was
population. Multiple studies are being taken up each 50·9 years. About 11·1 per cent had diabetes in 2009.
year to know the correlation. Egg consumption nearly doubled in 2009 from 16 g/d
in 1991. Three trajectory groups of egg consumption
As per recent studies egg consumption has been were identified. Compared with group 1 (30·7 per cent,
recognised as a possible risk factor for Type 2 diabetes low baseline intake and slight increase), both group 2
mellitus (T2DM). The observational studies have reported (62·2 per cent, medium baseline intake and increase) and
the associations between egg consumption and risk group 3 (7·1 per cent, high baseline intake and decrease)
of type 2 diabetes, but the findings have remained were associated with an increase or for diabetes.
The results of the study suggested that higher egg
consumption was positively associated with the risk of
diabetes in Chinese adults.

Sharing her contradictory views on the study,
Subhasree Ray, Doctoral Scholar in Food Science and
Nutrition, Certified Diabetes Educator from International
Diabetes Federation, Clinical and Public Health Nutrition
Specialist said, “First, the study is longitudinal and
not a randomised control trial to prove a cause-and-
effect relationship between eggs and increased risk of
diabetes. Second, the study used a 3-day-24-hour dietary
recall method to collect data that often-produced
misleading conclusions as respondents might provide
incomplete information. Third, the transition in dietary
habits of the Chinese cohort from 1991 to 2009 didn’t

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in EGGS VS DIABETES 33

account for consumption of other foods including “The study in question is
refined carbs, ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, longitudinal and not a
etc., which are directly linked to insulin resistance and randomised control
elevated risk of type 2 diabetes.” trial to prove a cause-
and-effect relationship
She added, “A Japanese prospective study found no between eggs and increased
association between egg intake and type 2 diabetes
risk among 27, 248 men and 36, 218 women. Similarly, risk of diabetes. ”
a Swedish study in 2016 found no elevated risk of type
2 diabetes in 39,610 men who consumed 1 to 5 or more - Subhasree Ray,
eggs/week for 15 years. Well-designed intervention
studies are limited to associated egg consumption with Doctoral Scholar of the Ketogenic Diet and
increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Most of the studies
that reported an increased risk of diabetes in long- Refractory Epilepsy, Certified Diabetes Educator
term consumption of eggs are either epidemiological,
population-based prospective studies or longitudinal from International Diabetes Federation, Clinical
studies that failed to include the contribution of other
food groups on the manifestation of type 2 diabetes.” and Public Health Nutrition Specialist

Growing concern many health problems like higher risk of heart disease,
Rise of diabetes is a growing concern in the world, risk of colon, rectal and prostate etc. We need to find
out ways in which these egg-related controversies do
where many Universities, companies are trying to not affect out health, for which eating one egg a day is
analyse the increased risk of developing diabetes. Since recommended by the American Heart Association.
type 2 diabetes is highly prevalent and is associated
with high healthcare costs, therefore, it is important to As concluded by Subhasree, “Eggs can be included
identify modifiable risk factors that may help reduce the in a healthy, balanced diet plan designed for people
risk of type 2 diabetes. living with diabetes. However, moderation is the key. The
amount of egg per day or per meal is individual specific,
Study led by the University of South Australia shows aligned to total protein need, and best to be determined
that excess egg consumption can increase your risk by a nutrition expert.”
of diabetes. Conducted in partnership with the China
Medical University, and Qatar University, the longitudinal Promotion of appropriate dietary intake and
study (1991 to 2009) led by the University of South lifestyles for the prevention and management of
Australia is the first to assess egg consumption in a large diabetes should be taken care of. Adding to it, Dr C
sample of Chinese adults. Balachandran, Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Veterinary
and Animal Sciences University, in a recent workshop
The study found that people who regularly stated, "Per capita consumption in India is far lower
consumed one or more eggs per day (equivalent to 50 than the recommendations of the ICMR. The council has
grams) increased their risk of diabetes by 60 per cent. recommended consuming 10.5 kilos of poultry meat
and 180 eggs per annum. Each person consumes just 3.5
Epidemiologist and public health expert, Dr Ming kilos of meat and 30 eggs. This needs to be improved."
Li, Research fellow, University of South Australia,
commented, “The rise of diabetes is a growing concern, Some findings suggest that high levels of egg
especially in China where changes to the traditional consumption (daily) may be associated with a risk of type
Chinese diet are impacting health.” "Diet is a known and 2 diabetes. However, there are no national guidelines
modifiable factor that contributes to the onset of Type 2 that can add credibility to these findings. Thereby,
diabetes, so understanding the range of dietary factors there is a need for scientifically sound guidelines from
that might impact the growing prevalence of the disease the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, The Indian
is important," Dr Li says. Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute of
Nutrition in India.
She added, "While the association between eating
eggs and diabetes is often debated, this study has aimed Many studies conducted so far on healthy people
to assess people's long-term egg consumption of eggs showed no effect of daily egg intake on blood
and their risk of developing diabetes, as determined by cholesterol levels. The National Health & Medical
fasting blood glucose.” Research Council’s Australian Dietary Guidelines advise
that consumption of eggs every day is not associated
What needs to be done? with increased risk of coronary heart disease. It’s far more
As excessive egg consumption has been linked to important to ensure you’re eating a diet low in saturated
fats.

Pooja Yadav
[email protected]

34 SPEAKING WITH NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Harry Hakuei Kosato, “ We’ll introduce
more products to
Director and India Representative, the Indian HORECA
Kikkoman India and retail market”

With a history spanning over 350 years and based Who are your competitors and what are your
in Japan, the current Kikkoman corporate entity marketing strategies?
was established through the merger of eight
families in 1917. The company's internationalisation Our sales volume is currently 516.4 billion yen,
strategy began some 60 years ago, with its entry into the and the brand has an over 350 years old history of
United States market. Kikkoman has become a global producing soyasauce. Given these facts, there are no real
business, expanding to over 100 countries, with 11 competitors as Kikkoman SoyaSauce is truly unique, and
soyasauce production sites worldwide that distribute is different from chemically produced soyasauces.
its products all over the world to millions of consumers.
Observing the recent entry of the company into the First, we are hoping to become the most authentic
Indian market, nuFFooDS Spectrum got into a detailed brand amongst the Indian Chinese category in India's
conversation with Harry Hakuei Kosato – Director and food service sector. With the growing popularity of
India Representative, Kikkoman India, to know more Indian Chinese cuisine, there will be a greater chance
about the company’s growth plans in India. for our product to further penetrate the market and
Edited excerpts; Indian households. We strongly hope that Kikkoman
will become the most preferred soyasauce brand in
What is so unique about your recently launched Soya the food service industry that would also be a strong
Sauce product and how do you foresee its growth in appeal to end-customers in households and help market
the coming months? penetration - this is our marketing strategy in India.

Kikkoman SoyaSauce from Japan is a naturally Second, we will utilise digital and other platforms
brewed all-purpose seasoning, made with the traditional to convey our marketing message to both chefs and
authentic Honjozo method, and is Japan’s number consumers in India for more people
1 soyasauce brand, sold in over 100 countries, with to realise the difference between
millions of customers using our soyasauce every day. our SoyaSauce and all the others
Our sales volume is currently 516.4 billion yen, and the available in India.
brand has an over 350 years old history of producing
soyasauce. We expect to grow every year for the next 100 How do you plan to promote
years in India, in the same way that India’s economy has your latest product- Oyster
been growing rapidly. We expect more HORECA outlets Sauce in the Indian market?
and retail outlets to start stocking and using Kikkoman Are you
soyasauce in the coming months. planning to
collaborate
It is a versatile product, which can be used in with domestic
multiple cuisines around the world. Our growth will also companies for
be contributed by the growth of the Indian Chinese and production?
Pan-Asian category of cuisines in India. Dining at Indian
Chinese and Pan-Asian restaurants would encourage Our
people to cook these dishes on their own at home, using Kikkoman
Kikkoman SoyaSauce. Oyster
Flavoured
Sauce
is a new

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SPEAKING WITH 35

product produced for the Indian market. We have spent Kikkoman aims to be No 1 in the Asian Sauces
two years in the research and development of this
new sauce while using Kikkoman SoyaSauce as a base category of the culinary sauces market
sauce. We encourage all our customers to use Kikkoman
Oyster Flavored sauce together with our main product, in India, and we already have seen early
Kikkoman SoyaSauce. Adding these two sauces would
make any dish even more tasty and flavourful. acceptance of Kikkoman SoyaSauce as a

We have reached out to our distributors and directly seasoning of choice amongst the top 500 plus
visited hundreds of restaurants across India for chefs
to try our Oyster Flavored Sauce product. In fact, many chefs in India. We continue to grow and shall
chefs have been so excited to see a vegetarian Oyster
Flavored Sauce product from us. Some chefs used introduce more products to boost our market
Kikkoman Oyster Flavored Sauce during our sales visit,
and immediately decided to switch to using our product, share both in the HORECA and the retail
which was very encouraging.
market. The growth of E-commerce is also
The product is currently produced outside of India,
but in the future, we may consider locally producing in expected, and we shall increase our presence
India.
here too. This year we will further increase
Are you planning to launch more products in India
our physical presence in retail stores across
this year?
Yes, we are. We currently sell four SKUs of naturally the key metropolitan cities of India, and in

brewed all-purpose Kikkoman SoyaSauce made with the the many cities that we are already selling
traditional authentic Honjozo method, and two SKUs
of Kikkoman Oyster Flavoured Sauce which we recently Kikkoman SoyaSauce.
launched in the Indian market.
also been remarkable over the last few months as the
It is difficult to unveil the details of our future plan at sales to hotels, restaurants, and cloud kitchens recorded
this point, but we plan to introduce more products to the double-digit growth.
HORECA and the retail market in India. We are hoping to
gradually expand the range of products in India. Kikkoman aims to be No 1 in the Asian Sauces
category of the culinary sauces market in India, and
What is the current size of the culinary sauces market we already have seen early acceptance of Kikkoman
SoyaSauce as a seasoning of choice amongst the
in India? top 500 plus chefs in India. We continue to grow and
shall introduce more products to boost our market
There are various ways of estimating the size of share both in the HORECA and the retail market. The
growth of E-commerce is also expected, and we shall
the culinary sauces market in India. Some have said it increase our presence here too. This year we will
further increase our physical presence in retail stores
is around $3.70 billion, and growing rapidly, with an across the key metropolitan cities of India, and in
the many cities that we are already selling Kikkoman
annual growth of 6 per cent. However, in response to the SoyaSauce.

pandemic, more households started In comparison with other countries, is the culinary
sauces market in India facing any major challenges?
to cook on their own at home.
First of all, we shall deploy marketing and product
In that sense, we expect development technical know-how and practices that we
have learned in the US, European, and Japanese markets
further in the growing Indian market. All future products in India
will thus benefit from our proprietary craftsmanship
growth developed in our other key markets.

in the One challenge is that not many customers are, as
yet, aware of the difference between naturally brewed
household Kikkoman SoyaSauce and all other chemically produced
soyasauces readily available in the market. We are
market. On hoping to change the customer perception of naturally
brewed SoyaSauce through the aforementioned
the other marketing activities.

hand, the Dr Manbeena Chawla
[email protected]
recovery

of sales in

the food

service

sector

has

36 MALNUTRITION &TB NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Dr Ginpreet Kaur, Weaponising
Diet Against TB
Assistant Professor, Shobhaben
Pratapbhai Patel School of Pharmacy Tuberculosis (TB) and malnutrition have often been reported to coexist with
and Technology Management, SVKM's each other. It has also been found that nutritional support with anti-TB therapy
NMIMS (Narsee Monjee Institute of (ATT) helps faster recovery of lean tissue and helps to boost the chances of
survival in TB patients. Many studies have reported that malnutrition is a critical
Management Studies) risk factor for increased susceptibility to the TB bacterium by reducing cell-
mediated immunity. Thus, the industry and the government should be investing
in developing and providing food specific for TB treatment to the patients as
providing free meals or high-energy nutritional supplements may result in an
incremental improvement in the body mass index (BMI) during active TB therapy.

Multiple studies have been conducted A similar study was conducted for the administration
investigating the role malnutrition has to play of vitamin A and zinc which led to an increase in the
in increasing the risk of early mortality in TB number of patients testing negative for the bacilli on
patients. For instance, a study has reported a high risk sputum survey as well as a reduction in the number of
of relapse of the disease among underweight people lesion areas in the lungs. When nutrients like retinol,
(19.1 per cent). The reason why malnutrition is linked to vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, C, E, niacin, folic acid, and
higher severity and relapse of the infection is that there selenium were administered to HIV-infected patients,
is impairment of the cytokine response, thereby blunting it resulted in a reduction of TB relapses even without
the acute phase reaction to the antigen. ATT. In HIV-negative patients, the supplements
helped to boost the T-cell levels. Thus, the results of
Malnutrition is caused due to the deficiency of this study indicate that nutritional support will prove
certain micronutrients like vitamins B6, E, C, A and folic advantageous and improve the therapeutic outcomes
acid, and minerals iron, selenium, copper, and zinc. These for TB patients, during the period of the anti-tubercular
micronutrients play important roles in the metabolic therapy as well as after.
processes in the body like cellular functions and the
immune system. Vitamin A is necessary for the B and Multiple studies have shown that supplements
T lymphocytes to function normally, as well as for the of zinc act beneficially on the vitamin A metabolism
activity of the macrophages. and may also prevent membrane damage due to free
radicals during the inflammatory period. Furthermore,
Low levels of vitamin A have been reported in TB TB patients most commonly suffer from anaemia as
patients, hence highlighting the importance of vitamin confirmed by multiple studies. Anaemia could be a result
A supplementation to boost the body’s immunogenic of iron, carotenoid, retinol or selenium deficiency and
response and reverse the infection. hence external supplements of these nutrients could
correct the inflammation caused by oxidative stress and
Additionally, in patients suffering from TB, levels of help to reverse anaemia.
pulmonary antioxidants like vitamin E, glutathione, and
vitamin C are largely depleted. Furthermore, deficiency of selenium has also been
reported as a risk factor in HIV patients for developing
Supplementation of nutrients can reduce relapse diseases caused by mycobacteria.
and improve the outcomes of anti-tuberculosis therapy. Lastly, nutrients like iron,
Including nutritional supplements helps to increase the selenium, zinc,
energy intake which results in a noteworthy increase in and copper
the body weight of patients, lean tissue mass, and ability
to perform physical functions in a duration of 6 weeks
after the initiation of the ATT.

Multiple studies have been conducted in humans
to demonstrate the beneficial effects of nutritional
supplements. It has been observed that when vitamins
, C and E were administered as adjuvants to the ATT,
significant improvements in the immune response of
patients were seen.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in MALNUTRITION &TB 37

play an important role in the metabolic pathways and Studies conducted on TB patients
the immune system of the body; the deficiency of which to highlight their malnourished state
may significantly alter the defence of the host against TB.
S. No. Nutrient under investigation Country
Antitubercular medication therapy might result in
side effects such as peripheral neuropathy and pellagra. 1. Vitamin A India
Co-administration of vitamin B6 or a multivitamin (in the
treatment of pellagra) can help to prevent these adverse 2. Vitamins C, E, A Ethiopia
effects. Multivitamin fortification of meals may be
done, and these foods can be provided at hospitals and 3. Retinol, zinc, hemoglobin, albumin Indonesia
healthcare centres for TB and HIV therapy.
4. Vitamin C, E India
It was also found that deficiency of vitamin D was
associated with increased susceptibility to the TB 5. Vitamin D England
infection and its severity. Vitamin D is considered critical
for the activation of macrophages as well as down- Malnutrition, Osteoporosis and weight loss
regulating the transcription of a factor necessary for the are the most common problems seen with
TB bacterium to survive in human macrophages. TB and HIV patients. Soya protein isolates,
for example, may provide significant health
In another study, it was found that adult TB patients advantages to these people. Soya is a
had critically low vitamin D levels when compared with readily accessible crop in India and may be
the control group. Hence, giving vitamin D supplements substituted for cow milk and egg. This can be
will help to halt the disease progression. economically beneficial and readily available.
A recent study was conducted in TB patients
Vitamin D levels in children with TB and latent TB for amelioration of anaemia. These patients
infections have been shown to be extremely low. Vitamin were given beetroot juice in combination
D deficiency in children might damage their immunity with a high protein high calorie diet. There
and cause other immune-related problems. Therefore, was significant improvement in the mean
supplementation with Vitamin D is important in children haemoglobin levels. Such nutritional foods
infected with TB. Infant and Child food fortified with can be given to the TB patients undergoing
Vitamin D must be provided in the hospitals and anti-tubercular therapy.
information about its benefits must be given to the
caretaker of those children. To have a better reach of patients were given beetroot juice in combination with
these fortified foods in the community, a survey must be a high protein high calorie diet. There was significant
conducted for tallying up the total number of children improvement in the mean haemoglobin levels. Such
and adults infected with TB. Social development and nutritional foods can be given to the TB patients
child welfare communities must come forward for undergoing anti-tubercular therapy.
distribution of these fortified food and other nutritional
supplements at individual level. These steps may help in Nutrient supplements play a very important role in
eradicating the TB and combating its untoward effects. preventing the progression of TB as well as boosting
the immune response of patients. This article highlights
Malnutrition, Osteoporosis and weight loss are the need for additional awareness in the patient group
the most common problems seen with TB and HIV about how nutritional supplements can help for them to
patients. Soya protein isolates, for example, may provide be added as valid adjuvants in anti-tubercular therapy.
significant health advantages to these people. Soya is a Moreover, India should be investing in developing and
readily accessible crop in India and may be substituted providing food specific for TB treatment to the patients
for cow milk and egg. This can be economically as providing free meals or high- energy nutritional
beneficial and readily available. A recent study was supplements may result in an incremental improvement
in BMI during active TB therapy. The nutritional
conducted in TB patients for amelioration supplement approach holds promise as it will provide
of anaemia. These the malnourished patients with critical micro and
macronutrients thereby halting the disease progression,
strengthening the immune system, and preventing TB
relapses.

38 ALTERNATIVESEAFOOD NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Amod Ashok Salgaonkar, Innovative
Doubletake
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, of Seafood
A2S2 Enterprises

“Alternative Seafood” as a segment is developing very fast Good Catch uses a blend of peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy,
throughout the world and gaining momentum majorly fava beans and navy beans, with umami flavour from
in the USA and Europe with high focus and also started seaweed and algae extracts to make a product that
concentrating in Asia. Singapore is leading the way through looks, tastes and behaves like tuna fish. Omni is based in
giving all support in every possible way to the “Alternative Hong Kong and is involved in the business of production
Food” sector. The cell-based seafood sub-segment and distribution of various alternative seafood products
may take more years to see the products commercially to restaurants & retail segments. Israel-based startup
available. However plant-based seafood is already present Plantish is developing a novel, scalable technology for
on shelves in few markets of the world and fermentation plant-based seafood products, beginning with salmon.
derived seafood may become visible widely in some
markets in a year or two. India may play a crucial role in Alternative Food Production Techniques
developing this segment considering the large availability Texturisation of proteins is the process of creating
of various resources, best brains, availability of best class
infrastructure and most important is the need of feeding 3 dimensional structures that match the texture,
the million mouths in the next 30 years. mouthfeel, and appearance of animal-based meat. This
process can form protein fibers that resemble muscle
Global fish production has grown virtually non-stop tissue. Extrusion is a process that transforms biopolymer
in the last 65 years reaching an all-time high of ingredients like proteins and polysaccharides into semi-
177.8 million tonnes in 2019. That’s more than a solids. Low-moisture extrusion is useful for producing
nine-fold increase since 1950. The average person eats restructured meat products like patties, as high moisture
about 20.5 kilos of fish every year. So, the demand will extrusion is better for producing whole muscle type
keep growing and considering the immense pressure products e.g fillets. Shear cell technology allows for
on oceans & water systems; it shall be worth to look at independently controlled shear rate, temperature, and
the innovative alternate ways of producing the seafood
which in general can be called as “Alternative Seafood”.

Alternative seafood, which is emerging as a new
source of food with potential to augment future food
supplies, mainly comprises all plant-based, fermentation-
derived & cell-based seafood alternatives that mimic the
taste, texture, appearance and/or nutritional properties
of conventional seafood.

There are many companies successfully doing
business in the plant-based seafood segment. The
product “coconut shrimp” of US-based The Plant Based
Seafood Co has gained attraction in the market. Tuna
giant Bumble Bee Foods has partnered with plant-based
seafood brand Good Catch in the US to help bring
plant-based fish to consumers globally. In January 2020;
Good Catch raised $32 million from various investors.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in ALTERNATIVESEAFOOD 39

residence time, unlike extrusion where these three last year i.e. 2021 in the month of December.
parameters are coupled.
Total Investment in Alternative Seafood
Gas fermentation is a technology that uses The first half of 2021 saw record investments,
microorganisms to convert all kinds of gas feedstocks
such as, carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), into already exceeding total investment in 2020. Through
chemicals, fuels, polymers, etc. The same technology can June 2021, there has been $116 million of invested
be used in the food and alternative protein sector. This capital (excluding liquidity events) across seven deals
is what Air Protein (Meat made from Air) – the company with disclosed deal sizes. In total, there have been
based in the US is doing, they are using microbial eleven disclosed deals; the sizes of four deals were not
fermentation to produce human-grade protein directly disclosed.
from CO2 for applications in alternative protein products.
The inspiration is from the work of NASA in the 1960s that Alternative Seafood Scenario in India
explored this concept as a way to feed astronauts and to The Alternative Food category as a whole is at a
generate a closed loop carbon cycle; the astronauts exhale
CO2 which the microbes consume and, in the process, very niche stage presently in India. As per study from
produce food which the astronauts consume. Good Food Institute India; the smart protein investment
in India attracted a capital of $ 10.34 million in 2021.
Major Developments Though slowly developing but there is a presence
Among one of the major developments in of plant-based meat products in various formats like
Amazon India, Flipkart Wholesale, Big Basket, Swiggy,
the cultivated alt seafood industry; Blue Nalu is Urban Platter, Godrej’s Nature’s Basket & include the
showing consistent growth over the years and brands like GoodDot, Blue Tribe Foods, Imagine Meats,
besides announcing setting up of the facility; Beyond Meat, Shaka Harry, Vezley, Greenest Foods etc.
they are systematically signing MoUs with various Couple of brands mentioned have few SKUs which
organisations and announcing a partnership with a include plant-based seafood but its negligible and
Japanese company is the latest update in 2022. Blue momentum yet to geared up.
Nalu has also been represented as a panel member
at Seafood Expo North America in March 2022. Avant
Meat announced the pilot manufacturing facility plan
in 2021 & also tied up with SENA (Seafood Expo North
America) in March 2022. Avant Meat announced the
pilot manufacturing facility plan in 2021 & also tied
up with A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology And
Research) to speed up the process of scale up. Shiok
Meats became the first company to officially launch
the first mini plant for Cultivated Seafood in Singapore

Source: Good Food Institute India

Alternative Seafood Companies in India
The India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge (ISPIC)

by Good Food Institute India (GFI India) has brought out
amazing startups in the smart protein space. The 2021
Edition of ISPIC witnessed participation from over 750
candidates across 250+ universities and organisations in
India. Among the winners of this challenge in 2021; there
were five startups who expressed the vision to build the
products in the “Alternative Seafood” category and we
will understand the status as time passes.

Presently, Sea Spire has been working dedicatedly
over a year in the Alternative Seafood space in India . It
was founded by Varun Gadodia and Shantanu Dhangar.
SeaSpire is a technology startup aiming to disrupt

40 ADULTERATION NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

the rising seafood demand with seafood alternatives with little shift in direction; it may help feeding billions in
developed by novel technologies. Focusing on tech-play a year to come.
and a vision for a more secure, forward and future-proof
food production, the company is currently growing its Regulatory Framework
capabilities to bring the best of both worlds in India As per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
and New Zealand to commercialise their fresh whole-
cut seafood alternatives. The founders share a vision (FSSAI) - Novel food is a food that may not have a history
to unleash a carbon neutral food system by unlocking of human consumption; or may have any ingredient
technological innovations to thrive Bio-economy. The used in it which or the source from which it is derived,
company is aiming to bring the products in the Indian may not have a history of human consumption; or a
market soon with focus on HoReCa and retail segment. food or ingredient obtained by new technology with
innovative engineering process, where the process may
Creating the Ecosystem for “Alternative Seafood” give rise to significant change in the composition or
The ecosystem for “Alternative Seafood” shall be structure or size of the food or food ingredients which
may alter the nutritional value, metabolism or level of
possible with robust efforts from all the stakeholders. undesirable substances.
Basic steps need to be taken first through various
attempts. FAO’s work for Cell-based Food
 Creating awareness about this category through The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United

the events like GFI’s India Smart Protein Innovation Nations (FAO) has released a report in 2022 namely
Challenge “Thinking about the Future of Food Safety: A Foresight
 Probable formation of “Centre of Excellence” for Report” in which the “Cell-based Food” segment also got
“Alternative Seafood” by the lead universities in included. Under the sub-segment “Cell-based Food” –
fisheries and related streams major points noted are 1) Various terminologies used for
 Connecting to traditional seafood industry to make cell-based food products 2) An overview of Cell-based
them aware about the pure scientific techniques food products & 3) FAO initiatives for Cell-based food
involved in the production of this category; production.
understanding their concerns and provide solutions
to overcome without impacting their livelihood While aquatic cell-based food production may
 Workshop arrangements through peers for the open the door for aquatic resource-poor countries, this
passionate professionals for this segment specific sector has an additional terminology-related
 Promotion of scientific events involving fish cell consideration. Aquaculture products are usually referred
line techniques, fermentation derived methods, to as “farmed” or “cultured” fish/seafood in order to be
scaffolding distinguished from wild-catches. Therefore, the terms
 Following up with Government authorities to used for cell-based food production of aquatic products
understand and promote “Smart Protein Mission” may need different words to clearly differentiate
There is no doubt that the segment has not yet aquaculture products from cell-based aquatic products.
emerged properly but there is vast potential and many
startups from other geographies have proved the A long haul
worthiness of it. The Government of India is largely “Alternative Seafood” as a segment is developing
promoting the utilisation of seaweed and this is one of
the main ingredients among many of the plant-based very fast throughout the world and gaining momentum
seafood products. Besides seaweed, the fungi, algae majorly in the USA and Europe with high focus and also
are also playing a role to produce various muscle cuts started concentrating in Asia. Singapore is leading the
of mimicked seafoods. Seaweed is available abundantly way through giving all support in every possible way
and with detailed research and experimentation, it to the “Alternative Food” sector. The cell-based seafood
shall lead to finding the alternative sources of making sub-segment may take more years to see the products
the mimicked seafood products without impacting on commercially available however plant-based seafood is
the environment thus helping everyone by supporting already present on shelves in few markets of the world
through reduction of carbon emissions. Spirulina has a and fermentation derived seafood may become visible
very high percentage of protein and there is evidence widely in some markets in a year or two. India may play
that few of the companies (out of India) are utilising it for a crucial role in developing this segment considering
making the alternative food products. In India, enough the large availability of various resources, best brains,
research has already been done on Spirulina however availability of best class infrastructure and most
important is the need of feeding the million mouths in
the next 30 years.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SUPPLY CHAIN 41

Why Food Startups Srirama Chaitanya Manyam,
Must Address
Senior Manager-
Supply Challenges Food Processing and Retail,
Sathguru Management Consultants

Feeding over a billion people is not simple. The collective In the developed western countries, food processing
effort of actors in the food value chain in India, right from has been at an advanced stage with mega factories in
farmers, governments, processing companies, and supply the 1980s itself, compared to India. Agriculture in India
chain actors, has been feeding the country for a long time. has a deep-rooted traditional and cultural connection,
While comparing global statistics, one may argue that which defined the slow path of industrialisation in food
the Indian food value chain is inefficient and challenged processing. With the growth in the economy, purchasing
with many problems. On the contrary, India has addressed power, and nuclear families, the demand for processed
many challenges in food production, food security, and food and eating out has increased. Coupling this with
malnutrition, among others. At the same time, there is rapid urbanisation, the rising participation of women
a long way ahead in tackling the existing and emerging in the workforce, the steady increase in demand for
challenges. Let's explore further. processed food has led to the sector's growth, though
still dominated by traditional businesses, whether on a
Businesses have played an essential role in large scale or an artisanal scale.
addressing challenges that helped shape the
evolution of the food processing ecosystem in In the later part of the 2000 decade, especially after
India. Processing and consumption have evolved from the 2008 economic crisis, the interest in setting up small-
simple primary processed cereals, pulses, and oilseeds scale food businesses has increased. Low entry barriers,
to highly processed food products today. In parallel, relatively low capital requirements, and the ability to
the Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation pilot at a small scale have become attractive factors for
(LPG) policy in the 1990s had paved the way for new starting small-scale food processing businesses. After
businesses and can be considered as the embryonic witnessing processed products in the western world,
step for the Indian startup ecosystem. Most companies many people who have returned from abroad have
were conceived in this timeframe, started by boomers realised the lack of options in the domestic market and
who returned from abroad, in the IT and services started food businesses with surplus funds at a time
sector. Supported by an economical and well-qualified when venture capitalist (VC) and Private Equity (PE)
workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering, and fundings are not a known thing. Very few businesses
Mathematics (STEM) streams, these companies have have succeeded in this approach. Those with partial
recorded steady growth and laid a strong foundation success have re-oriented themselves to suit Indian
for the startup ecosystem we witness in India consumer needs for long-term sustainability.
today. With the access of the internet to
the public in 1995 and introduction In the last decade, in line with the growth of the
of broadband to the masses in startup ecosystem in India, the number of food startups
2003, internet-led businesses were
conceived. Unlike in the IT and has also increased. The growth of the internet,
services industry, there is no clear mobile usage, and e-commerce have
indicator to pinpoint the rise contributed to the growth of food
of small businesses in the food startups in India as well. However,
sector in India. the internet and e-commerce
dominated startup ecosystem
has skewed the focus of both
entrepreneurs and investors
dominantly on addressing demand-

42 SUPPLY CHAIN NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

side challenges like consumer reach and retail solutions. Figure 3: Category wise investments in food start-
In fact, the definition of "food technology" is now ups in last five years in USD million (Sathguru analysis)

misconstrued to the application of IT technology in the Among the categories of food products,
food sector as against the traditional definition of using significant investments were made in startups like
science and engineering solutions to solve food value Wing Green and Veeba Foods in the Dip, Sauces,
chain problems. Few companies, which started based and Dressings Category in the last five years. Milk
on conventional food processing in this timeframe to products, inclusive of ice creams, are the second-
address core consumer problems, successfully scaled up largest category to gain investments into startups
and became full-fledged businesses. like Country Delight, Milk Mantra, Native milk, Milk
Lane, Osam Dairy and VilFresh. Companies operating
Though many companies register as food companies in novel categories like plant proteins like Proeon
across the country, there is no standard metric to measure and other companies operating in plant-based
them as per the startup definition. As per the Start-up foods have seen investors' participation, signifying
India Initiative by the Government of India, there are investors' growing interest in the emerging sectors.
8000 startups involved in the food processing and food Startups that secured a higher range of investments
technology sectors. Of these, 31 per cent are in ideation in the recent past are depicted in the below table.
stage, 28 per cent are in validation stage, 27 per cent are in Categories like Coffee, Tea, Beverages, and Healthy
early traction stage and 11 per cent are in scale-up stage. snacks have seen active participation of startups in
There is a high possibility that the number of startups recent years.
can be more, as many companies might be operating
at an Individual scale. In the last five years, with more 2021 $ M 2022 (Q1) $M
participation and active lookout by VC and PE funds for Wingreens Farms 17.0 Eekifoods 8.5
startups addressing core challenges, an encouraging Lahori 15.0 Slurrp Farm 7.0
funding scenario was witnessed in the food sector. Happilo 13.7 Dogseechew 6.7
Troo Good 7.4 Blue Tokai Coffee 2.8
In the last five years, the trend of PE investments Sleepy Owl Coffee 7.0 Jimmys Cocktails 1.8
has been cyclical, and on a growth path if adjusted for Dogseechew 7.0 WickedGud 1.0
COVID dip in 2020. $415 million has been invested in Storia Foods 6.0
the food startups by PE and VC funds between 2017 The Whole Truth 5.8
and 2022 (Q1). The median investment range is about Walko Food
$1.84 million, and the highest investment recorded is Company 4.8
approximately $40 million. Majority of startups secured Eggoz
investment in the range of $0.45 to 6.5 million. 3.5

Figure 1: Distribution of PE investments in Indian Table 1: Start-ups secured highest investments
Food Start-Ups from 2017 to 2022 (USD m) in the Food sector in 2021 and 2022 (Q1)

Source: Sathguru Analysis Opportunities and Outlook
Startups should find opportunities to solve
Figure 2: Year wise PE investments in food Start-ups
from 2017-2022 (Q1) consumer issues in terms of food availability, quality,

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SUPPLY CHAIN 43

food safety, convenience, pricing, and nutrition, while The application of fundamental science
novelty can be another minor driving force. Novelty
on its own is not a sustainable driver unless backed by and innovation quotient in the field of
any of the primary needs addressed above. Until now,
food startups are mainly focusing on product formats food processing is unfortunately very
or marketing-driven trends, with only very few players
trying to address the core issues. While low entry limited, especially with small and medium
barriers create opportunities for many new players,
most entrepreneurs don't strive to understand the companies. Unlike startups in other sectors
core value chain challenges that originate at the
grass-root level, and most solutions/ offerings are only like Biotechnology, Healthcare, and
topical.
Information Technology, the emphasis on
The application of fundamental science and
innovation quotient in the field of food processing creating new technologies, IP generation,
is unfortunately very limited, especially with
small and medium companies. Unlike startups in and technology transfer in food processing
other sectors like Biotechnology, Healthcare, and
Information Technology, the emphasis on creating startups is minimal. It can also be attributed
new technologies, IP generation, and technology
transfer in food processing startups is minimal. It can to the possibility of difficulty in justifying the
also be attributed to the possibility of difficulty in
justifying the premium in food processing compared premium in food processing compared to low
to low volume high-value sectors like Biotechnology
or Healthcare. volume high-value sectors like Biotechnology

Unlike these sectors supported with well- or Healthcare.
developed ecosystems like Biotechnology Industry
Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and Department mainstream, with food-biotechnological processes
of Biotechnology (DBT), there is no holistic ecosystem gaining perfection. Production of protein sources,
to guide and drive the food startups to solve the value other food and specialty ingredients will occur
chain problems in food processing. Though there are through fermentation, culturing, or other closed-loop
sizable incubators specific to food, most facilities are systems.
limited to standard unit operations and focused on
creating only product formats. The complex nature Sustainable packaging solutions: Packaging is
of problems, the underlying science, and market an undeniable part of the processed food industry.
dynamics in food processing calls for a broader Owing to growing concerns about the usage of
approach to building long-lasting and scalable food plastics and the seepage of micro-plastics into the
startups. food chain, opportunities exist for creating safer and
sustainable packaging solutions that can be scaled up
With looming threats of decreasing agricultural and adopted for a wider range of food products.
land, growing population, climate change, and
complex world dynamics, the food value chain's Supply chain challenges: The food production in
challenges will only become complex while also India, unlike in western countries, is not centralised.
presenting new opportunities. The areas that hold The food production systems and supply chains are
potential for food startups in the future are- highly fragmented. One needs to press ears to the
ground to understand the grass-root level challenges.
Food Valorisation: While India is a leading India needs the adoption of localised solutions, and
producer of many commodities, we also face mimicking western trends will not yield any lasting
significant losses along the supply chain. Valorisation results. Supply chain solutions to connect the actors
of food wastes and by-product utilisation will become and material hold a lot of hidden opportunities, with
a focal element while being threatened with resource traditional trading systems ready to be disrupted
crunch and population growth. Many commodities with modern localised solutions for procurement,
like fruits and vegetables, cereal, oilseed by-products, warehousing, and logistics.
etc., hold untapped value-add potential. Alternate
food production methods: Lean processes and mass- The funding and investor ecosystem in the food
scale production of nutrient sources will become sector should also realise that while market trend
driven ideas/ products gain traction in the short-term,
most will fizzle out for not solving any underlying
real-world problem. The ecosystem should open up
and listen to deglamorised ideas as well. The startups
in food should focus on deploying technology,
innovation-backed solutions, and novel business
models in solving supply-side challenges also, as
that's where the worthy opportunities exist in the
Indian food sector.

44 PEOPLE NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Pernod Ricard appoints Richa Singh as
Chief Financial Officer for South Asia & India

Pernod Ricard India (PRI), a global key business processes to drive
leader in the wine and spirit industry, business growth. With over two
has announced the appointment of decades of experience, Richa has
Richa Singh, as Chief Financial Officer led finance teams across functions
(CFO), Pernod Ricard South Asia and for large multinational companies
India. Joining the leadership team, such as P&G, Johnson & Johnson
Richa will report directly to Thibault Medical, Coca Cola and Philips at
Cuny, Managing Director & Chief their offices in India and Singapore.
Executive Officer, Pernod Ricard She has also led Philips Home
South Asia and India. In this new role, Healthcare and feminine hygiene
Richa will steer the finance function and baby care sector startup Niine
for the South Asia region, including successfully. She was most recently
India, and will be responsible for working for Mars Wrigley India as
strategic financial planning and the CFO.

Food-tech startup Yakult Danone India names
Hiroshi Hamada as MD
Pluckk picks Nelson
Yakult Danone India has appointed Hiroshi Hamada as
D’Souza as CFO managing director. The appointment came into effect on
April 4, 2022. Hamada took charge from Minoru Shimada who
Fresh produce food-tech venture Pluckk, had led the company for over 10 years. Based in New Delhi at
a brand owned by Fruveegie Tech, has Yakult India’s head office, Hamada will be leading the business
appointed Nelson D’Souza as the Chief operations for the Indian market, in his new role. With more
Financial Officer (CFO). Prior to joining Pluckk, than 33 years of experience in the corporate world, Hamada
D’Souza was working with Origa Lease Finance had a career in different verticals such as accounts, corporate
planning, sales and marketing, giving him an edge to steer
as its CFO, having in the company into its next phase of growth, as a probiotic food
the past worked with company. During his tenure at Yakult Honsha,
Avendus Capital and Japan, he helped in the establishment of
Tata Capital to name the Yakult European Research Institute
a few. He has an all- in Belgium and played a critical role for
round experience of joint clinical trials with National Institute
setting up the finance of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED),
function, fundraising Kolkata. Additionally, he played a pivotal
and leveraging role in building a home delivery business
technology to help model in Yakult Indonesia, before moving
companies achieve to Yakult Malaysia as marketing director.
leadership positions His insights in marketing for eight
in their respective years led him to take reins of
domains. Mumbai- the Malaysian market as
based Pluckk recently raised $5 million seed managing director for
capital funding from Exponentia Ventures, a six years. For Hamada,
fund focused on emerging business ideas in the company is guided
both B2C and B2B space. Pluckk’s proposition by the core philosophy
is centred on global food trends ranging to pursue and provide
from vegan, carb alternatives, gut health, and good health to all.
immunity to plant-forward eating to prevent
diabetes and mental health.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in INGREDIENTS NEWS 45

BENEO injects €50 M in pulse- PIPA and Mars
processing plant in Germany accelerate
discovery of
BENEO has announced a €50 million investment in a new pulse processing new plant-based
site in Offstein, Germany. The site will produce protein rich pulse ingredients ingredients
for food and animal feed. It will focus initially on protein concentrate, starch using AI
rich flour and hulls from Faba bean, with the option to process other pulses in
the future. The new production site further strengthens the company’s plant- US-based PIPA LLC has entered
based protein portfolio and enables BENEO to meet growing demand for plant- into a multi-year agreement
based food and feed ingredients. Work has already begun on constructing with Mars, Inc to accelerate the
the plant and is expected to be completed within the second half of 2024, discovery of new plant-based
creating up to 25 jobs at the Offstein site. However, to ensure that food and ingredients. PIPA's Artificial
feed customers can benefit as soon as possible from Faba bean ingredients, Intelligence (AI) platform,
BENEO will process the raw ingredients in intermediate production facilities, LEAP, will leverage biomedical
until the new plant is fully operational. This means that first quantities of databases and innovation
BENEO’s Faba bean ingredients will be available from the start of June 2022 pipelines to provide Mars with
onwards. BENEO’s Faba bean protein concentrate and starch rich flour will unique capabilities for designing
be used for protein-enrichment and texture improvement in meat and dairy new products to address growing
alternatives, as well as (gluten-free) bakery and cereals. Faba bean hulls and consumer demand for health
starch rich flour will be used in feed as a vegetal protein or fibre source for benefits from foods, beverages
sustainable pet food, aquafeed and livestock nutrition. and dietary supplements.
Mars Associates will have the
Symega Food Ingredients opportunity to use LEAP, thereby
launches premium 'Cuisinary’range accelerating discovery compared
with traditional ingredient-
Symega Food Ingredients has restaurants. Symega is engaged identification methods of
launched ‘Cuisinary’, a range of in developing, manufacturing, randomised, high-throughput
premium quality food solutions, and marketing sensory solutions screening. LEAP combines state-
including seasonings, sauces, for food, beverage, and allied of-the-art AI and bioinformatics
coatings and flavour enhancers industries. Headquartered near to integrate biomedical
for professional kitchens. Kochi in Kerala, India, Symega databases, scientific publications,
The Cuisinary range includes caters to the whole spectrum clinical trials and omics datasets
seasonings, breaders and coatings, of the food and beverage to highlight associations among
sprinklers, flavour burst, spice industry, right from processing, molecular and food-related
blends and powders, marinades, manufacturing, retail and food entities with microbes and
cooking sauces, mayonnaise and service, with a comprehensive diseases. This helps predict
dressings. All products are crafted basket of solutions that include connections that can accelerate
with high-quality ingredients natural colours, flavours, new product development.
and are aimed at providing food spice blends and seasonings, PIPA and MARI will roll out LEAP
solutions for hotels, restaurants, culinary products, and specialty to science, technology and
caterers and quick service ingredients. innovation teams at Mars over
the next two years.

46 INGARCEADIEMNTICS NEWS NUNFUFFOFODOSDSSPSEPCETCRTURMUM | | MJaurcnhe 20221 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

NUTRIS opens ADM invests $300M
into alternative protein
first European production in the US

fava bean ADM will invest approximately $300 million to significantly expand
its alternative protein production in the US, as the company
protein isolate continues to add capacity to meet strong demand growth. ADM
will further enhance its alternative protein capabilities by opening
manufacturing a new, state-of-the-art Protein Innovation Centre, in Decatur.
The production increase represents a significant expansion
facility of ADM’s alternative protein capabilities. The project, which is
expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025, subject to
NUTRIS Group has opened the first all applicable approvals and permits, will significantly strengthen
European hybrid factory for the ADM’s ability to meet growing global demand by increasing
production of premium plant-based soy protein concentrate capacity and nearly doubling extrusion
ingredients from fava beans and capacity at ADM’s Decatur complex. The enhancements will
potatoes in Novi Senkovac, Croatia. improve production capabilities by utilising the latest cutting-
With this investment, worth 30 million edge technologies and processes, including best-available control
EUR, NUTRIS positioned Croatia as technology in line with ADM’s commitments to environmentally
one of the first countries to invest in sustainable operations. The Protein Innovation Centre will further
the plant-based food industry, which expand ADM’s cutting edge Decatur-based innovation complex,
is one of the world's fastest growing joining the company’s Food Application Centre and Animal
industries. The global plant-based Nutrition Technology Centre and enhancing the company’s ability
food market is expected to reach to work closely with customers to develop custom solutions to
$77.8 billion in 2025. The investment meet their needs.
is a joint venture with the Danish
SiccaDania, one of the top companies
providing engineering solutions for the
plant-based industry. The factory uses
groundbreaking technology that the
University of Copenhagen (UCPH) had
been developing for over a decade, and
that SiccaDania and NUTRIS.tech have
intensively tested and further improved,
at the same time proving its application
in an industrial environment.

Cargill expands RadiPure pea protein into Indian market

As more consumers aim to add for a wide range of applications, based meat alternatives, vegan, and
plant-based foods to their diets, including dairy and dairy vegetarian solutions. Nutritionally,
Cargill is expanding RadiPure pea alternatives, snacks, bakery, plant- pea protein is highly regarded for
protein in the Middle East, Turkey, its superior amino acid profile and
Africa (META) & India, a move high digestibility. Cargill's offering
that will help food and beverage provides a minimum of 80 per cent
manufacturers in the region protein with the RadiPure brand.
respond to evolving marketplace It can be combined with other
trends. RadiPure pea protein offers plant-based proteins to deliver
the solubility and flavour profile a complete protein profile. Pea
that customers need for food protein also packs plenty of label
application development. Those appeal. The ingredient is familiar to
benefits, alongside its emulsifying, consumers and enables valuable
viscosifying and gelation properties, product claims such as non-GMO,
make pea protein a good choice dairy-free, and gluten-free.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in R&D NEWS 47

New cocoa processing Solar nanowire-
method produces more
flowery-tasting dark chocolate nanotube filter

After cocoa beans are harvested, they are traditionally covered in banana offers easy
leaves and left for a few days to ferment. During this time, microbes in
the environment degrade the pulp surrounding the beans, heating and access to clean
acidifying them. This causes biochemical changes in the beans that reduce
bitterness and astringency, while developing the pleasing flavours and drinking water
aromas associated with chocolate. Recently, scientists from Switzerland
have developed an alternative, non-microbial approach called moist A team of scientists at École
incubation, in which dried, unfermented cocoa nibs are rehydrated in an polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
acidic solution, heated for 72 hours and then re-dried. The method, which in Switzerland has developed
is faster and more easily controlled than fermentation, produced similar a new water purification filter
aromas in beans as fermentation, with some differences. The researchers that combines titanium dioxide
made chocolate bars using moist incubated or fermented dried cocoa (TiO2) nanowires and carbon
beans, as well as unfermented beans as a control. Sensory panelists said nanotubes powered by nothing
the moist incubated sample had higher intensities of fruity, flowery, malty but sunlight. The scientists have
and caramel-like aromas, whereas the fermented one had higher roasty shown that the TiO2 nanowires by
aroma notes, and the bar made from unfermented beans had a primarily themselves can efficiently purify
green aroma. The researchers concluded that moist incubation produces water in the presence of sunlight.
a chocolate with a pleasant aroma and taste and could, therefore, serve as But interweaving the nanowires
an alternative postharvest treatment. with carbon nanotubes forms a
composite material that adds an
PAU develops new premium quality extra layer of decontamination
wheat variety to give soft chapatis by pasteurising the water, killing
off human pathogens such as
Researchers at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have developed bacteria and large viruses. The
a wheat variety, with excellent baking quality having soft and sweet idea is that when UV light from the
chapatis. The wheat variety called ‘PBW1Chapati’ has been released at visible spectrum of sunlight hits
state level in Punjab for cultivation under timely the filter, it causes it to produce a
sown irrigated conditions. Despite being part of group of molecules called Reactive
their daily diet, the modern wheat cultivars do Oxygen Species (ROS). These
not possess chapati quality traits. Tall traditional include hydrogen peroxide (H2O2),
wheat variety C 306 has been the golden standard hydroxide (OH), and oxygen (O2-),
for chapati quality. Later, PBW 175 variety was and are known to be effective
developed by PAU and had good chapati quality. pathogen killers. The researchers
However, both these have become susceptible tested their device with E. Coli,
to stripe and brown rusts. The challenge now bacteria, the “gold-standard” for
is to combine high yield potential and disease bacterial survival studies, but it
resistance and retains the actual chapati quality. should work with other bacteria
Taking up the challenge, the wheat breeding team pathogens.
from Punjab Agricultural University have developed a new variety using
marker assisted selection for a linked stripe rust and leaf rust gene Lr57/
Yr40 in the PBW175 background. They have retained the chapati making
parameters by testing the segregating materials using various biochemical
tests during development of the variety. The variety ‘PBW1Chapati’ aims
to fill a void at commercial level owing to good chapati quality, sweet in
taste and soft in texture. The colour of the chapati is comparably white
and it remains soft even after hours of baking.

48 ACADERM&IDC NEWS NUNFUFFOFODOSDSSPSEPCETCRTURMUM | | MJaurcnhe 20221 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Automated Robot chef learns
nutrition app to to check salt in food
help people follow
healthier diet Working in collaboration with domestic appliances manufacturer
Beko, researchers from the University of Cambridge, UK have trained
A recent study shows how the eNutri their robot chef to assess the saltiness of a dish at different stages
app developed by researchers in human of the chewing process, imitating a similar process in humans.
nutrition and biomedical engineering Their results could be useful in the development of automated
at the University of Reading, UK or semi-automated food preparation by helping robots to learn
helped people to eat more healthily. what tastes good and what doesn’t, making them better cooks.
Participants who were given automated The robot chef, which has already been trained to make omelettes
personalised nutrition advice improved based on human taster’s feedback, tasted nine different variations
their healthy diet score by 6 per cent of a simple dish of scrambled eggs and tomatoes at three different
compared to a control group who were stages of the chewing process, and produced ‘taste maps’ of the
given general healthy eating guidance. different dishes. The researchers found that this ‘taste as you go’
The research demonstrates that the approach significantly improved the robot’s ability to quickly and
eNutri technology is effective in helping accurately assess the saltiness of the dish over other electronic
users to improve their healthy food tasting technologies, which only test a single homogeneous sample.
intake, with a significant improvement In future, the researchers are looking to improve the robot chef so it
in diet quality for the group who had can taste different types of food and improve sensing capabilities so
access to automated, personalised it can taste sweet or oily food, for example.
nutrition advice. While having a
registered nutritionist or dietitian giving
personalised dietary advice is ideal, this
is often only available to those with
health concerns or with the financial
resources to pay. There is also growing
interest in nutrition apps and web
services, but many commercial apps
tend to focus on weight loss or calorie
counting rather than healthy eating.

Designing perfect piece of chocolate using 3D technology

Researchers from the University of They did this by very carefully the base material always had the
Amsterdam, Delft University, and heating it up, adding some cold same properties. The first shape of
Unilever, have demonstrated that chocolate, cooling it down again, edible material that the scientists
the mouthfeel of an edible substance and then putting it in a 3D printer. experimented with was an S-shaped
can be designed, just like properties This allowed them to print essentially chocolate with many twists. The goal
of many other materials can. The any shape of chocolate material they was to test how this material would
team has created metamaterials, wanted, while guaranteeing that break and how that breaking would
materials that are not found in nature be experienced in the mouth. The
but that are carefully constructed design of edible metamaterials had
in the lab using chocolate. Simply not been studied before. The new
heating it up and cooling it down research opens the door to ways
can turn soft chocolate into much to design foods that are enjoyable
more brittle tempered chocolate, or to eat, and more generally to
vice versa. Therefore, the challenge design materials that optimise the
for the researchers was to get their interaction between humans and
building material under control. matter.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SUPPLIER NEWS 49

Thermo Fisher introduces new
workflow solution for food safety analysis

Thermo Fisher Scientific is providing chemicals are notoriously IonPac CS21 and Thermo
laboratories performing food challenging to analyse, Scientific TSQ Altis
safety analysis with a new ion and have, until now, Plus triple quadrupole
chromatography tandem mass required complex mass spectrometer
spectrometry (IC-MS/MS) workflow workflows that are complement the existing
solution for regulatory compliant, prone to quantitation Anionic Pesticide Explorer
cost-effective and reliable analysis errors. When coupled (APX) solution from Thermo
of quaternary ammonium pesticides with the TSQ Altis Plus Fisher Scientific, providing
(Quats). The new Thermo Scientific triple quadrupole total coverage for all polar, highly
Dionex IonPac CS21-Fast-4µm ion mass spectrometer, polar, ionic and ionizable food
exchange column enables scientists food safety testing contaminants in one IC-MS/MS
to easily and accurately determine laboratories will benefit system. Together, the system and
and quantify the four cationic from reliable and robust Quat new column can determine and
pesticides: diquat, paraquat, analysis that confidently meets quantify not only Quats, but also
mepiquat and chlormequat. These regulatory requirements, while glyphosate and its metabolites, and
highly polar, permanently charged improving laboratory productivity. related compounds.

Aseptic carton major SIG Siegwerk
enhances operations in India announces further
expansion in India
Swiss firm SIG, which is looking to enhance its operations in India,
is considering strategic investment in a new packaging plant. SIG Germany headquartered Siegwerk,
is on a strong growth track and earlier this year announced annual one of the leading global providers of
results for the year 2021, showing core revenue of €2.05 billion with printing inks and coatings for packaging
6.6 per cent like-for-like growth at constant currency. The company applications including F&B sector, has
is also strategically investing in broadening its packaging portfolio announced the commissioning of a new
with the planned acquisition of Scholle IPN, which increases SIG’s warehouse and colour matching centre
capabilities to include bag-in-box and spouted pouch solutions. in Tauru (Near Sohna), Haryana. This
SIG entered the Indian market four years ago and presently India move follows the recent inauguration of
is one of the fastest growing markets in the SIG world. SIG India’s the specialised solvent-based blending
journey started with two iconic customers, ITC and Coca Cola India, facility in Siegwerk’s Bhiwadi site in
as it set up its local headquarters in Gurgaon in November 2017. Rajasthan. The new centre in Tauru, a
Its exponential growth journey in the country has seen the aseptic facility spread across 36,000 Sq Ft, will
packaging major gain entry into most leading dairy and juice position Siegwerk for further growth in
brands in India, including Coca-Cola, Amul, Dabur, Varun Beverages the northern market. The company builds
(PepsiCo bottler), ITC, Haldirams, Milky Mist, and Godrej Creamline. on experience, innovative technology
Today, with a base of 17 high-speed filling machines across the and the adoption of global best practices
country and a full-fledged, experienced local team, SIG is looking to in ink manufacturing. With an investment
further accelerate its growth trajectory in India. of Rs 40 million, the facility boasts a
warehousing capacity of 1,000 tonnes
and colour matching for the north zone
customers. This new matching centre is
equipped with an ultra-modern quality
control lab in line with global standards.
The facility was inaugurated by Ashish
Pradhan, President, Siegwerk Asia.

50 LET’S TALK FOOD NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | June 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Milk Causes Cancer = Preposterous?
Cancer was responsible for around three
million deaths in China in 2020. Though (20 per cent) of the participants consumed
it is difficult to determine an individual’s dairy products regularly (primarily milk), 11 per
cancer risks, it is now clear that certain elements cent consumed dairy products monthly, and
can increase the probability of developing 69 per cent were non-consumers. The average
the disease. In China, nearly half of the deaths consumption was 38g per day overall in the
from cancer were caused by risk factors that whole study population and 81g per day among
are preventable. These include smoking, lack regular dairy consumers (compared with an
of physical activities, unhealthy diet, alcohol average consumption of around 300g per day in
consumption, obesity, diabetes, infectious participants from the UK Biobank).
diseases, and environmental factors like air
pollution. Smoking has long been one of the During the study period 29,277 new cancer
most eminent causes of cancer deaths in China, cases were recorded, with the highest rate
according to the Statista May 2022 report. being for lung cancer (6,282 cases), followed
by female breast (2,582 cases), stomach (3,577
In a first major study to investigate cancer cases), colorectal (3,350 cases) and liver cancer
risk and dairy consumption in Chinese adults, (3,191 cases). People who consumed dairy
researchers from Oxford Population Health, products regularly had significantly greater
Peking University, and the Chinese Academy risks of developing liver and breast cancer. For
of Medical Sciences, Beijing have found that each 50g/day intake, the risk increased by 12
greater intake was associated with higher risks per cent and 17 per cent respectively. Regular
of liver cancer and female breast cancer. dairy consumption was associated with an
increased risk of lymphoma (though this was
Published on May 6, 2022 the results of a not statistically significant).
new large-scale study in BMC Medicine found
that both liver and breast cancer are among This study has gained significance as we
the most common types of cancer in China, found out that the demand for dairy products
accounting for around 393,000 and 368,000 new among the Chinese population has grown at
cancer cases each year respectively. While these an average rate of 3.6 per cent over the past 10
study results do not prove causation, there are years. Household dairy consumption jumped in
several plausible biological mechanisms that the past two years, with per capita consumption
may explain these associations, according to the rising 11.8 per cent year on year to 42.3 kg in
researchers. The study has collected data from 2021.
over 510,000 participants in the China Kadoorie
Biobank Study. India, which has around 2.25 million people
living with cancer and every year, over 11,57,294
Greater dairy consumption, for instance, new cancer patients registered and cancer-
may increase levels of insulin-like growth related deaths totalling to 7,84,821 (2018 data).
factor-I (IGF-I), which promotes cell proliferation Cancers of oral cavity and lungs account for
and has been associated with higher risks for over 25 per cent of cancer deaths in males
several types of cancer. Potentially, female and cancer of breast and oral cavity account
sex hormones present in cow’s milk (such as for 25 per cent cancers in females, according
oestrogen and progesterone) may have a role to CancerIndia.org. And India’s per capita milk
in the increased risk of breast cancer, whilst consumption at 406 grams (g)/day (2019-2020),
saturated and trans-fatty acids from dairy already exceeds the world average of 305 g/day
products may increase the risk of liver cancer. (2020), according to USDA’s report.
For the majority of Chinese people who do
not produce enough lactase, a key enzyme Taking cue from the Chinese study, India
for breaking down the milk sugar lactose and should also take up a similar approach in
dairy products may also be broken down into understanding whether dairy products affect
products that affect cancer risk. the risk of cancer differently among Indians.

The study noted that overall, around a fifth Narayan Kulkarni
Editor

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