FFOODSSpectrum Dec 2022

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

Reducing Edible Oil Import

Dr Milind Kokje canola oil is largely made from Genetically Modified
canola seeds and 2.8 lakh MT of imported soyabean oil is
Chief Editor also largely derived from GM crops.

Exactly a year back, Food Safety and Standards The consistent rise in edible oil imports and its
Authority of India (FSSAI) released draft guidelines growing cost has probably compelled the government
for genetically modified (GM) foods. The intention to stand firmly in favour of GM mustard despite stiff
was to bring regulatory clarity on GM foods. The draft opposition from several organisations, including even
regulations laid out the procedure for prior approval to some RSS affiliated. The country has to import 65 per
produce or sell GM foods, their safety assessment and cent of its requirement of edible oil. Its import bill has
labelling norms. The regulations prohibited manufacture sharply grown from Rs 60,000 crore to Rs 1,60,000 crore
or sale of any food product or food ingredient without in just two years.
prior approval.
Whatever may be the reasons, the government’s
As expected, the draft regulations were met with position in the court is assuring to the supporters of GM
opposition citing safety issues, and that the draft would foods that now at least the government will not relent to
allow seamless entry of transgenic foods which allegedly the anti-GMO groups. Commercialisation of GM mustard
pose severe health consequences. could open up approvals for more crops in future. Bt
Brijal, introduced in 2002, is still awaiting approval from
The issue has come to the fore again, as the Genetic the environment ministry despite the GEAC giving
Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), a regulatory its okay in 2010. But in the case of GM food crops the
body under the environment ministry, has once again authorities had adopted a very cautious approach for
given its green signal for the release of GM mustard approval.
(hybrid DMH - 11 variety) paving way for its commercial
cultivation. Of course, the GEAC approval is just the first Mustard is cultivated in 7 million hectare, but the
step. Following this, the Indian Council of Agricultural average productivity is as low as 1,260 kg per hectare
Research (ICAR) will conduct field trials. It is only after while the global average is 2,000 kg per hectare. With
the successful field trials and final approval from the the GM variety the average productivity of mustard
government that the commercial cultivation would will increase making more mustard available to make
commence. If all these procedures are followed without mustard oil.
a hitch, in two years, farmers will receive the seeds for
planting. With this development, the FSSAI’s GM food draft
regulations have suddenly received relevance. The
This is the second time that the GEAC has given its regulations will be applicable to Genetically Modified
environmental approval to GM mustard. A few years Organisms (GMOs) or Genetically Engineered Organisms
back, when the GEAC’s approval was met with stiff (GEOs) or Living Modified Organism (LMOs) intended
resistance, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and for direct use as food or for processing. The final
Climate Change postponed its approval, conceding to guidelines after considering the state holders objections
the demand that more time should be given for its study. and suggestions are yet to be published. But with GM
But, this time, the government appears to be firm on the mustard getting technical approval and government
approval. support, the process may expedite and the final
guidelines may be published soon.
The environment ministry, in an affidavit filed
before the court, said that increased domestic
production of mustard oil due to use of GM mustard
will reduce dependence on imports of mustard oil
and will contribute to India’s self-sustenance in edible
oil production. The government also pointed out that
imported oil already uses GM seeds and it is already
being consumed here. About 55,000 MT of imported

Volume 10  |  Issue 4  |  December 2022 www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Publisher & Managing Editor Social Media Communications: Poonam Bhosale TOP STORIES
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Scan the Singapore uses
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Chief Editor MEDIA VISION, Pune methods to
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[email protected] Cover Design of vegetable
Dominix Strategic Design Pvt. Ltd. oils.
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6 INSIDE NUFFNOUOFDFOSOSDPSESCPTERCUTMRUM| |DecMemarbcehr 20220 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

19COVER STORY

FLOURISHING

Functional Foods &
Supplements Sector

While illnesses concern only the affected

population, wellness needs are universal. Some

of the top wellness concerns that have witnessed

D AVITAMIN traction in India this year relate to nutrition,

MINERAL VITAMIN immunity, digestion and weight management,

K creating innumerable growth avenues for food

VITAMIN companies. Incorporating immunity-boosting

B2 ingredients in familiar food items and

customising by cohorts, such as added protein

VITAMIN MINERAL for young consumers and vitamins
for those pursuing fitness, has
C Mn helped food brands to tap a

VITAMIN VITAMIN MINERAL

B3 B5 P health-conscious audience, by
encouraging them to try new

NERAL MINERAL things. Hence, like in 2021, it can

Fe MINERAL Mg be said that the trend in favour
of dietary supplements continued to
Ca KVITAMIN climb in 2022.
MINERAL VITAMIN

Se B1

MINERAL

Na

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

Opportunities Good food

24 38

Indian Brands- Testing Waters Overseas Food Literacy for Good Food

28 Pawan Agarwal,

Is the grass always greener Founder and Chief Executive of
for F&B job aspirants? Food Future Foundation and
Former Chief Executive Officer,
Speaking With Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI)
31
Probiotics
“India has the potential to
become an exporter of edible oil” 40

Gokaran Singh Pawar, Intensify Research
on Emerging
General Manager - Sales & Concepts of Probiotics
Operations, M K Agrotech
Dr Satyanarayana Kandukuri,
33
Food Processing Practice Lead,
“We expect the sports Sathguru Management Consultants
nutrition category to reach
Rs 4000 Cr in India by 2026” Innovation

Soumava Sengupta, 42

Chief Executive Officer, Was 2022
Pursuit of Wellness challenging for
food innovation?
35
Lokendra Tomar,
“Alt protein startup founders
need to timely understand the Diet Educator & Founder, Diabexy
shortfalls and adopt the
necessary changes” REGULARS

Amod Ashok Salgaonkar, Editorial 04

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Video Snippets 08
Officer, A2S2 Enterprises
Regulatory News 09

Finance News 11

Start-Up News 13

Company News 15

World News 17

People News 44

Ingredients News 45

Supplier News 47

Let’s Talk Food 50

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

Christian Philippsen, Acknowledgements/ Feedback
Managing Director, Thank you nuFFooDS Spectrum for the great feature
BENEO Asia-Pacific on alternative proteins in your November edition and
tells us not only how for shedding light on such an integral aspect of Good
the sports nutrition Food Institute's mandate.
market is developing
globally but also - Mansi Virmani, Mumbai
the challenges
associated with it. Thanks for the feature on the Indian food processing
sector in the November edition.
Scan the QR Code »
- Deepak Sanghavi, Pune
Prashant Nagre,
Managing Director, Thank you nuFFooDS Spectrum for the coverage on
Fermenta Biotech Health Foods and Dietary Supplements Association’s
talks about the growth annual conference on "Stimulating Nutraceutical
of the vitamin D Markets - Strategies & Actions" held on October 14,
market in India. 2022 at Mumbai.

Scan the QR Code » - Vaibhav Kulkarni, Mumbai

Dr Babu Sudhakar, An interview with Varun Chaudhary, Managing
Chairman & Managing Director, CG Foods India has come out very well.
Director, Serene Thank you.
Envirotech Solutions
is of the view that - Sakshi Garg, Faridabad
we need to go
beyond nutraceutical Thanks for your feedback. We have taken note of
development to counter your suggestions and will surely try to incorporate
oxidative stress as a the content accordingly in coming issues. Please
health issue. keep sending us your feedback and updating us
on your views about the issue and keep giving
Scan the QR Code » your opinions on the content.

– Editor

Please send your feedback to
[email protected]

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

Piyush Goyal urges tea Indian Sellers
industry to promote organic Collective
and GI tea through branding opposes
FSSAI’s Front of
While addressing the Indian Tea Association’s (ITA) International Small Pack Nutrition
Tea Grower’s Convention on November 11, Union Minister of Commerce Labelling
and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, regulation
Piyush Goyal stated that small tea growers will have the biggest role to
play in shaping the future of the tea sector in India. ITA has played an Indian Sellers Collective,
instrumental role in the development of the tea industry, since its inception an umbrella body of trade
associations and sellers across the
in 1881, 141 years ago. ITA and Solidaridad Asia country, has strongly opposed
have made considerable efforts to strengthen the Food Safety and Standards
the small tea growers for ensuring a safe source Authority of India’s (FSSAI)
of supply to the factories and to boost exports. proposal of FOPNL (INR) – Front
Darjeeling Tea was the first GI (Geographical of Pack Nutrition Labelling (Indian
Indication) Tag product. Now two other Nutrition Rating) regulation. Under
variants of it- Green & White, also hold GI Tags. FOPNL, packaged items will be
Development of Chai Sahyog mobile app is given star ratings like ‘one-star
another landmark of the Indian tea ecosystem. food’, ‘two-star food’, and therefore
In order to make the tea sector profitable, ‘good-food’, ‘not-good food’, etc.
viable and sustainable, the government has suggested to enhance the based on their salt, sugar, and
‘AROMA’ of tea (an acronym); i.e. Assistance: Support small growers to fat content. The representative
improve quality with sustainability, Increase production to meet domestic body has claimed that FOPNL will
and international demand; Re-energise: Create infrastructure to augment lead to ethnic Indian foods being
exports and focus on high value markets such as EU, Canada, South classified as unhealthy, cause
America & Middle East; Organic: Promote organic and GI tea through brand severe loss of business to MSME
promotion and marketing; Modernisation: To enable tea farmers to become packaged food manufacturers and
self-reliant and strengthen local supply chains; and Adaptability: Focus on sellers and open the floodgates
the importance of a risk proof ecosystem, that is, the need for sustainable for western packaged food to
solutions to make tea plantations meet the challenges of climate change. capture the Indian markets. They
fear the proposed regulation will
Centre formulates action also make Indian cuisine fall prey
plan to promote exports of millets to the designs of MNCs and will
be a big setback to Prime Minister
To promote shipment of nutri-cereals, the Ministry of Commerce and Narendra Modi’s vision of Atma
Industry through its apex agricultural export promotion body, Agricultural Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA),
has prepared a comprehensive strategy to promote export of Indian
millets across the globe, commencing from December 2022. The central
government plans to facilitate participation of exporters, farmers and
traders in 16 international trade expos and Buyer Seller Meets (BSMs). In
addition, ambassadors of foreign missions in India of the targeted countries
and potential importers would also be invited to showcase various millet-
based products, including ready to eat millet products and to facilitate B2B
meetings. APEDA has planned to organise millet promotional activities in
South Africa, Dubai, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Sydney,
Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States of America, by
facilitating participation of different stakeholders from India in some of the
significant food shows, BSMs and Road Shows.

10 REGCUOLMAPTAONRY NEWS NUFFONOUDFFSOSOPDESCTSRPUECMTRU|M De|cemAbperirl 20221 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

IIT India promotes millets
Gandhinagar during 2nd BIMSTEC
bags Agriculture Ministers meet
‘Eat Right
Campus India hosted the Second Agriculture Ministerial-level meeting of the Bay
Award’ of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
from FSSAI (BIMSTEC) on November 10 under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for

The Indian Institute of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra
Technology Gandhinagar Singh Tomar. Agriculture ministers of
(IITGN) has recently bagged Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri
the Eat Right Campus Lanka and Thailand participated in the
Award with a five-star rating meeting. Tomar urged the member countries
from the Food Safety and to cooperate in developing a comprehensive
Standards Authority of India regional strategy to strengthen cooperation
(FSSAI), creating a hat-trick for the transformation of agriculture.
by winning the award for Referring to the importance of millet as a
the third consecutive time. nutritious food and the efforts made by
As part of the Eat Right India to promote millet and its products
Campus initiative taken by during the International Year of Millets -
IITGN, the menu served in 2023, he urged the member countries to adopt a conducive agricultural food
the mess is tailored every system and a healthy diet for all. He asked participating countries to actively
month by the student mess participate in India's initiative to promote millet as a food.
council for a balanced diet
that provides the body with India’s export of processed fruits &
essential nutrition. IITGN vegetables rises 42% in Q2 FY 22-23
also promotes local and
seasonal foods by inclusion Exports of Indian agricultural and processed food products rose by 25 per cent
of such vegetables and fruit within six months of the current financial year 2022-23 (April-September) in
items in the monthly menu. comparison to the corresponding period of FY 2021-22. The overall export
FSSAI has certified IITGN of Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA)
as the ‘Eat Right Campus’ products increased to $13.771 billion in April-September 2022 from $11.056
with a five-star rating for billion over the same period in the last fiscal. The initiatives taken by the
a period of two years, i.e. Ministry of Commerce and Industry through APEDA have helped the country
till November 2024. The achieve 58 per cent of its total export
certificate is awarded after target for the year 2022-23 within six
third-party auditing of all months of the current fiscal. For the
its messes and eateries. The year 2022-23, an export target of $23.56
audit is done based on five billion has been fixed by APEDA for the
parameters: a) Compliance to agricultural and processed food products
food safety and hygiene; b) basket and an export of $13.77 billion has
Healthy diets; c) Food waste already been achieved in these six months
management; d) Promotion of the current fiscal. As per the Directorate
of local and seasonal foods General of Commercial Intelligence and
on campus; and e) Promotion Statistics (DGCI&S) provisional data,
and awareness on food processed fruits and vegetables recorded a significant growth of 42.42 per
safety and healthy diets in cent (April-September 2022), while fresh fruits registered 4 per cent growth as
and around campus. opposed to corresponding months of the previous year. Also, processed food
products like cereals and miscellaneous processed items reported a growth of
29.36 per cent compared to the first six months of the previous year.

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

Phyx44 raises $1.2M to Ahmedabad-
develop animal-free
milk proteins and fats based On2Cook

Bengaluru-based Phyx44 has raised $1.2 million in a seed round of secures
funding to develop animal-free milk proteins and fats. Phyx44 is using
precision fermentation of microbes to create the full stack, whey and seed funding
casein proteins and fatty acids, to recreate dairy. These components are
identical to the ones found in traditional dairy, but they are animal-free, over $2M
lactose-free and planet-friendly. The team at Phyx44 has already made
whey and casein proteins at lab scale and are in the process of scaling Inventor and entrepreneur
them up. Fermentation is a key pillar of smart protein, globally known as Sanandan Sudhir, who created
alternative protein. Building a full stack enables Phyx44’s products to be quite a stir in Shark Tank with the
used in a host of applications, including ice-cream, cheese, baked goods, world’s fastest cooking device, has
and more, advancing the alternative dairy sector across dimensions of declared that his venture On2Cook
taste, functionality, and accessibility. The biotech-enabled food science India has secured seed funding
company has also received backing from Big Idea Ventures and Humane of over $2 million. The funding
Society International, among others. The company’s first product is round was led by angel investor
expected to launch in 2024 in Singapore and India. Dr Mayur Desai, who infused the
first tranche of Rs 16 crore for 16
ITC launches Rs 200 Cr per cent equity, reaffirming the
spices processing plant in AP company’s valuation at $12.5
million. The round also saw the
ITC has launched its internationally benchmarked spices plant in Palnadu, participation of NRI investor
Andhra Pradesh, with an investment of Rs 200 crore. The plant was Nirbhay Gandhi. On2Cook is
inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan currently making an appearance
Reddy. The state-of-the-art mega facility will have processing lines for at GulfHost 2022, at the World
turmeric, chilli, and blended spices, with an annual capacity of 20,400 Trade Centre in Dubai. On2Cook
MT of spices. It will have the capability to produce over 15 organic spices works on the combination cooking
and will boost ITC’s food exports globally. The target global markets are technology with induction or
Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and China, among other countries. flame acting on the food from
The world-class ‘Make in India’ plant will cater to all processing needs, outside and microwaves from
including storage, cleaning, processing, sterilisation, packing, quality inside. Engineered to disrupt
testing, leading to an end-to-end custody of quality assurance. The unit the food industry, the product is
will also anchor a sustainable spices value chain that will extend support designed to help both domestic as
to farmers through a robust crop development programme ensuring well as commercial kitchens save
traceability. More than 5,500 farmer families and over 2,200 livelihoods up to 70 per cent on time and 50
will be supported across the value chain. The facility will be powered by per cent on energy. Additionally,
high-tech energy efficient equipment and will have rooftop solar panels the food cooked retains water-
to ensure clean energy consumption. soluble nutrients while preserving
colour, texture and consistency.
After being granted patents across
India, US and UK, this invention
stands to create a new product
category in the kitchen space.
The brand is in talks with other
strategic investors to raise another
Rs 3 crore as part of the round.

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

Lotus Food colour & ingredient player
Herbals Roha Dyechem buys Saraf Foods
acquires
20% stake in Mumbai-based Roha Dyechem, one of the largest players in the food colour
Yogic Secrets and ingredients industry, has acquired Saraf Foods, a Vadodara-based freeze-
Healthcare drying specialist food processing company having a significant presence in
global markets like the US, Europe, and Latin America. Having started as a
Gurugram-based Yogic Freeze Drying company, Saraf Foods
Secrets Healthcare, engaged has done backward integration
in the business of research- into Individual Quick Freezing (IQF),
based nutraceutical diversified into Air Drying and also
products, has raised strategic launched its own brand of vacuum
funding from the family freeze-dried snacks (HALO). Niche
office of Lotus Herbals. names such as Singapore-based
The Lotus Herbals family Private Equity fund DSG Consumer
office will infuse capital into Partners, Danish Agri-business Fund
Yogic Secrets and acquire IFU, and UK-based Pedoria Group
a strategic stake of 20 per have been investors in Saraf Foods. With its exclusive focus on freeze drying
cent in the company. This for nearly three decades, Saraf Foods is a strategic acquisition for Roha and
infusion of capital will propel will help it further expand its product portfolio of dehydrated vegetables
Yogic Secrets to scale up and fruits which includes Air Dried technology with manufacturing in New
its operations in India, and Foods. Hailing from Italy, New Foods is Roha’s range of high quality natural
also expand its horizons in dehydrated ingredients sourced from fruits, vegetables & herbs.
international markets such
as the US, UK, Australia, and Dabur picks 51% stake in
other mature markets. Yogic Badshah Masala for Rs 587.52 Cr
Secrets Healthcare, founded
by Dr Anil Khandelwal in Dabur India has signed definitive transaction agreements to acquire 51 per
2018, offers a preventive
and remedial approach to cent shareholding of Badshah Masala, which is engaged in the business of
the prevalence of modern
illnesses driven by lifestyle, manufacturing, marketing and export of ground spices, blended spices and
behaviour, and choices.
Its offerings are research- seasonings. This acquisition is in line with Dabur’s strategic intent to expand
based nutraceuticals that
support natural health its goods business to Rs 500 crore in three years and expand into new adjacent
and well-being, manage
lifestyle disorders, and categories. This also marks Dabur’s entry into the over Rs 25,000 crore branded
slow the progression of
chronic diseases. The spices and seasoning market in India. Dabur is acquiring 51 per cent stake in
company aims to support
healthcare through all Badshah for Rs 587.52 crore, less proportionate debt as on the closing date,
stages of life by bridging
the gap between ancient with the Badshah enterprise being valued at Rs 1,152 crore. This translates to a
knowledge and cutting-
edge mainstream medicine revenue multiple of around 4.5x and EBITDA multiple
through nutritional support
supplements as part of a of around 19.6x of FY2022-23 estimated
regular diet.
financials. The Indian spices

and seasoning category

is a large and attractive

market. Badshah Masala

is one of the key players

in this space. Dabur’s

investment in Badshah

Masala will help

expand this business

and continue to provide

unmatched quality

products.

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

Chutney maker Spice Vecan Foods joins cohort
of ‘smart protein’ startups
Story joins Jayanti with unique offerings

Herbs for expansion With ‘healthy alternatives’ feeling like they involve a sacrifice,
people are often unwilling to give up their favourite flavours
Spice Story, a D2C brand offering the widest and indulgences, and as a result don’t end up exploring
range of ethnic chutneys from various regions plant-based foods. Enter Vecan – where founders Mahima
of the country, has announced a partnership Gupta and Guneet Kaur are on a mission to change this
with Jayanti Herbs and Spice for its offline narrative. Vecan has products that set themselves apart in a
expansion. The Mumbai-based startup is couple of ways. The founders noticed that in India, the most
looking to expand its offline presence in commonly available protein options for vegetarians are
over 15000 stores by March 2023. At present, paneer and soya, and that people don’t seem to find these
Spice Story products are available in about as exciting. The startup has developed products like ‘The
1,200 stores and should reach its customers Navabi Galouti’, ‘The Sunday Sausage’, ‘The Veggie-roni’, and
via 5,000 physical touchpoints by end of ‘The Honest Nugget’. Vecan is currently retailing across Delhi-
this year. Through this partnership, Spice NCR through their website and online platforms like Vegan
Story will leverage Jayanti Herbs and Spice’s Dukan and Foodie Soodie; the team is now looking to widen
23,000-strong distribution channel of multi- their approach with multiple B2B avenues, modern trade and
brand modern format retail stores (both distribution in other states to establish a pan-India presence.
national and regional chains along with
standalone modern retail stores). Bengaluru-
based Jayanti Herbs and Spice is one of India’s
oldest and the world’s leading premium
suppliers of herbs and spices. The 75-year-old
company owns the premium spice brand ‘On1y’
which offers over 30 different kinds of herbs
and seasonings. Backed by VC firms such as
venture catalysts, Agility Ventures, and marquee
industry professionals, Spice Story has been
growing at over 50 per cent annually.

Jollywell unveils new range of
clean plant-based supplements

Mumbai-based startup brand Bone Strong, and Meta Boost. Manufacturing Practice) certified.
Jollywell, owned by Pepper All products are vegan, and each With this launch, Jollywell marks its
Wellness, has launched a new range product helps address specific entry into the organic and natural
of products that help people stay health risks resulting from an dietary supplements market. While
healthy for longer. The company unhealthy lifestyle. Additionally, Happy Gut has a patented plant-
claims its clean, plant-based, non- the products are GMP (Good based multi-enzyme complex
GMO supplements
are scientifically for people with
formulated with digestion issues,
nature’s best nausea, vomiting,
superfoods that acidity, Meta Boost is
make them safer an ideal fat-burning
for the body. The supplement for
new launch has five those who want to
products, namely, gain lean mass, lose
Fit Liver, Happy excess body fat and
Gut, Calm Sleep, improve athletic
performance.

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

Evochef BOHECO, Spaceman and
introduces Company & Intergalactic Beverages
world’s first develop Blissful beverages
smart dosa
maker Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO), Spaceman & Company (serves as the
parent company of Spaceman Spirits Lab in New Delhi) and Intergalactic
Chennai-based startup Beverages (New Delhi-based startup) have announced the launch of
Evochef is all set to enter the their contemporary range of beverages – Blissful. Fascinated by natural
kitchen with state-of-the-art
smart and unique offerings – adaptogens and hemp’s ability
this time launching a first-of- to positively impact our state of
its-kind, EC FLIP, the world’s being, Blissful harnesses these
first smart dosa maker. The benefits through handcrafted,
EC FLIP smart dosa maker
has stormed the market and naturally flavoured and mindful
revolutionised the kitchen seltzers and lemonades infused
by ‘printing’ rectangular with functional ingredients
dosas – a huge change from designed to stimulate focus,
the regular circular dosas. creativity and energy. Adaptogens
Available in four vibrant are non-toxic plants that help the
colours, Golden Beige, body resist stress. These herbs
Metallic Orange, Metallic and roots have been utilised
Blue, and White, EVOCHEF for generations in Chinese and
appliances are manufactured Ayurvedic medicinal practices. Some of
in India and are based the adaptogens infused in Blissful include Ashwagandha, which serves as
on the highest standards a natural aphrodisiac and improves cognitive function; Bacopa enhances
of European design and creativity and boosts brain function; Arjuna energises the mind and balances
materials of premium quality. the body and, Hemp Seeds aid in restoring balance to the body and mind.
The product is compatible
with different types of batters Blue Tribe launches first plant-
ranging from plain dosas to based pork pepperoni in India
rava, to bajra, and even oats
dosa. An added feature of the Mumbai-based startup Blue Tribe has strengthened its portfolio by launching
product includes mixing the India’s first plant-based pork pepperoni. This launch marks the company’s
batter with finely chopped entry into the cold-cut segment. This snack is easy to cook, priced at Rs 325
vegetables or adding for 125 grams, and is available
different toppings to the on the company’s website, all
batter like dal, chilli powder, major e-commerce brands like
cheese, mayonnaise, and Amazon, and offline stores like
even chocolate, making the Nature’s Basket, Benzer Foods,
product innovative as well Foodhall, Society Stores, and
as a healthy alternative to Swiggy Instamart. Over the
choose from. past few months, the startup
has received a tremendous
response for various products
in its portfolio. Since customers
expect more meat alternatives,
Blue Tribe decided to become
more innovative and launch Plant based Pork Pepperoni in both B2B and
B2C segments. The brand has garnered massive positive reviews and
netizens encouragement for its incredible plant-based meat varieties and for
promoting campaigns for a greener-future.

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

Coca-Cola & Zepto to Kikkoman
collect PET bottles in to boost soy
Mumbai for recycling sauce supply
to meet Indian
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, leading beverages major Coca-Cola India food processing
has partnered with 10-Min grocery delivery service, Zepto, for a unique industry demand
‘return and recycle’ initiative for PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles.
As the world’s leading producer
The joint initiative seeks to of naturally brewed soy sauce,
establish an organised process Japanese brand Kikkoman is
of collection of PET bottles with currently meeting the needs of the
100 per cent traceability, to food processing industry globally.
ensure effective plastic waste Kikkoman India plans to make
management. The initiative efforts so that the Indian food
is an extension of The Coca- processing industry becomes more
Cola Company’s global goal aware of the value and necessity
of creating a World Without of using Kikkoman Soy Sauce as an
Waste. In line with this vision, the company’s partnership with Zepto all-purpose seasoning. Soy sauce is
in India intends to create a circular economy for plastic by connecting not only used in Japanese or Asian
all participants in the PET recycling value chain. Leveraging the Zepto dishes but also in over 200 cuisines
two-wheeler distribution network, Coca-Cola India seeks to ‘collect back’ around the world. According to
empty PET bottles of any brand from consumers. The initiative has been a recent Innova Database report
launched in select locations in Mumbai and will further be scaled to which covered information about
other markets in India soon. new products and ingredients
from 90 countries, soy sauce as
Tata Consumer Products an ingredient is used in nearly
launches Tata Fruski Juice N 90 per cent of all processed food
Jelly drink under NourishCo categories in around 70 countries.
These food product categories
Tata Consumer Products (TCP), the consumer products company uniting include ‘Sauces & Seasonings’,
the principal food and beverage interests of the Tata Group under one ‘Meat, Fish & Eggs’, ‘Ready to Eat’
umbrella, has expanded its ready-to-drink portfolio with the launch of and, perhaps more surprisingly, the
Tata Fruski Juice N Jelly. Inspired by local Indian flavours, it is a one-of- ‘Snacks’, ‘Bakery’, ‘Confectionary’,
its-kind juice-based drink with the added ‘Dessert’ and ‘Ice Cream’ categories
surprise of Jelly, providing a unique taste as well. Kikkoman India has created
and feel. The new offering is in line with a dedicated sales team so that food
TCP’s focus to innovate and expand manufacturers embracing this new
its subsidiary, NourishCo’s existing trend can use Kikkoman Soy Sauce
portfolio which includes Himalayan in their products.
Natural Mineral Water, Tata Gluco Plus,
Tata Copper+ Water, Tata Fruski and the
recently introduced premium Himalayan
Honey and Preserves range. The product
is being launched in three flavours – Kala
Khatta, Mixed Fruit Chaat, and Lemon
Pudina. The juice-based drinks category in
India is fairly large and the company sees a great opportunity to grow
the Tata Fruski franchise through unique and differentiated innovations
like the new Juice N Jelly.

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

Marico Max Protein unveils ‘tastiest’
plant protein powder variants
introduces
RiteBite Max Protein, a leading protein snack brand and the market leader in
soya bhurji the protein bar category owned by Naturell India, has launched yet another
breakthrough innovation- the Tastiest Plant Protein Powder, made with
Mumbai-based FMCG firm Marico patented (applied) processing technology, for fitness-conscious people,
has expanded its plant-based looking for natural protein intake in their daily routine to boost their fitness
protein portfolio with the launch journey. The Plant Protein Powder is made with 7 grains that offers 22 gm
of Saffola Soya Bhurji, a protein of clean protein per serving of 50 gm and a unique formulation of enzymes
rich snack which can be prepared & probiotics that helps increase digestion and doubles protein absorption.
in just 5 minutes. This latest There is a rising trend of plant-based protein powder adoption, however
innovation is in line with Marico’s the biggest problem is the bad taste. A lot of consumers on e-commerce
aim to strengthen its foothold platforms have complained that plant protein powder has a chalky and
in both the healthy foods and grainy taste which makes it difficult to drink. Addressing this challenge,
ready-to-cook segment in India, the company has launched 7 new flavours like Swiss Chocolate, Alphonso
with products that cater to the Mango, Dark Chocolate, Creamy Vanilla, Cold Coffee, and Banana Caramel
needs of consumers today. For flavours with zero added sugar. The most innovative flavour is Digestive
too long, it has been said that Masala. All the flavours come in 50gm, 500gm and 1kg sizes at a price of Rs
in order to be healthy, one must 109, Rs 1099 and Rs 2199 respectively.
compromise on taste. Therefore,
there is considerable demand for Netsurf Network launches
healthy yet tasty snackable items, ayurvedic & herbal green teas
which score high on convenience
as well. Recognising this Pune-based Netsurf Network has recently launched an array of new
need, Marico, under its Saffola herbal green teas. The Naturamore Herbal Green Teas aim to cater to
portfolio, has been striving to health-conscious consumers who prefer to opt for chemical-free, herbal
create products that are not beverages. These variants are available in six new variants: Ginger & Cumin
only healthy but also cater to (Digestive & Detox), Tulsi & Licorice (helps in lung detox), Alpinia & CO-Q10
the taste palate of India. Saffola (Rejuvenates & Energises), Ashwagandha & Lemon (De-stress & Relaxation),
Soya Bhurji has been launched Brahmi & Cinnamon (Healthy for Hypertensives), and Fenugreek & Turmeric
in the versatile Magic Masala (Helps Balancing Glucose). The Indian green tea market was valued at
flavour. It has been launched in $1.247 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach $2.112 billion by 2027; it is
West Bengal, Delhi, and Mumbai expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1 per cent during 2020–2027. Naturamore
across general trade. The product is a leading health & wellness brand from Netsurf Network, launched in
will be available across the 2004. Herbal Green Teas are the latest extension of the brand’s product line.
country in a phased manner. It
is also available across modern
trade and major e-commerce
platforms.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in WORLD NEWS 17

ADB to provide EU gives €50M to
WFP to aid Afghanistan
$1.5B for food
A vital contribution of €50 million ($49.7 million) from
security, social the European Union, made through its Department for
International Partnerships (INTPA), is helping the United
protection to Pakistan Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reach Afghan
communities with livelihoods and resilience support. Having
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has struggled through a year of unprecedented economic
approved $1.5 billion in financing to help hardship and environmental disasters like earthquakes and
the government of Pakistan provide social flooding, the people of Afghanistan are less prepared than
protection, promote food security, and support ever to weather another harsh winter. A staggering 9 in 10
employment for its people amid devastating households cannot meet their food needs, with those headed
floods and global supply chain disruptions. The by women particularly vulnerable, according to the latest
loan, provided under ADB’s Building Resilience WFP assessment. Through WFP’s Food Assistance for Assets
with Active Countercyclical Expenditures (FFA) and Food Assistance for Training (FFT) programmes,
(BRACE) Programme, will help fund the men and women receive monthly food rations or cash
government’s $2.3 billion countercyclical assistance while they participate in community asset projects
development expenditure programme or in skills training courses like fruit and vegetable processing,
designed to cushion the impacts of external marketing and backyard gardening. Since the start of 2022,
shocks, including the Russian invasion of EU funding has helped WFP reach nearly 427,000 people
Ukraine. ADB’s assistance will help to expand across 27 out of 34 provinces with such programmes.
the number of families receiving cash transfers
from 7.9 million to 9 million, increase the
number of children enrolled in primary and
secondary schools, and enhance geographic
coverage of health services and nutritional
supplies for pregnant and lactating mothers and
children under 2 years old. Pakistan’s Finance
Minister Ishaq Dar called it a timely assistance to
deal with the macroeconomic challenges facing
the country after the recent floods.

AGCO Agriculture Foundation
backs productive dairy model in Nepal

The AGCO Agriculture Foundation hundreds of grant applications important source of livelihood for
(AAF), a US-based private foundation received in response to AAF’s rural people in Nepal, generating
with the vision to prevent and climate campaign. The project is an income, food and nutrition security,
relieve hunger through sustainable integral part of the AAF's strategic as well as employment, particularly
agricultural development, has sustainability actions to support for vulnerable households. However,
announced a $250,000 grant to climate action within the context dairy livestock generate high
Heifer Netherlands (Stichting Heifer of agriculture. Dairy farming is an amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG)
Nederland- a non-profit organisation emissions and contribute to climate
registered in the Netherlands) changes, including erratic rainfall
to improve the sustainability, patterns and flooding that impacts
productivity and resilience of dairy farmers in Nepal. Funded
smallholder dairy farming families by the AAF, this project will help
through the development of a minimise existing GHG emissions
climate-smart and productive from Nepalese smallholder dairy
dairy model in Nepal. The two- farming practices while improving
year partnership was chosen from productivity.

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

FAO unveils Global Dairy sector reports
Action on One Country
One Priority Product gains on net zero global

(OCOP) country projects initiative at COP27

A key initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organisation At the 27th United Nations Climate Change
(FAO) of the United Nations, to help countries promote
their distinctive food and agricultural products has taken conference (COP27) at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the

a major step forward with the dairy sector has announced progress of its global
first five demonstration countries
being named – Bangladesh, Pathways to Dairy Net Zero (P2DNZ) climate
Egypt, Malawi, Trinidad and
Tobago and Uzbekistan. The initiative, launched last year. The ground-breaking
Global Action on One Country
One Priority Product (OCOP) effort is achieving positive results in many regions
aims to build more sustainable
food value chains, support family and accelerating action in others. P2DNZ is
and smallholder farmers to be
profitable and improve their livelihoods, minimise the backed by more than 140 leading organisations
use of chemical inputs and natural resources, reduce food
loss and waste, and limit the negative impacts on the and governments, including the 10 largest dairy
environment. Altogether 78 nations from five FAO regions
have been designated as potential project countries, companies in the world. Collectively, supporters
planning to promote 50 Special Agricultural Products
(SAPs), under OCOP, which was launched by FAO last year. represent more than 40 per cent of global dairy
The first phase, expected to start in January 2023, will aim
to include a large part of the applications received from production throughout the supply chain, making
the 78 countries.
it one of the largest initiatives of its kind in

agriculture. Research commissioned as part of

P2DNZ has identified six primary dairy production

systems- High-input, high-output; Medium-scale

specialised; Pasture-fed; Smallholder specialised;

Smallholder dual-purpose; and Pastoral and

agro pastoral- throughout the world, along

with potential mitigation options and their

estimated impact on emissions reduction. The

research is led by the Global Research Alliance

on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) in close

collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture VITAMIN

Organisation (FAO). MINERAL B6

WHO announces Global Strategy Cu
for Food Safety 2022-2030
VITAMIN
The World Health Organisation
(WHO) has launched the Global B12MINERAL
Strategy for Food Safety 2022-
Cl
new technologies and includes
2030. The updated WHO Global MINERAL
Strategy for Food Safety is a step
towards a safer and healthier world, Zninnovative approaches for
but also towards strengthening
strengthening food safety systems.
The strategy also sets concVreITtAeMIN
M
B9targets and aims to reduce the
F
burden of foodborne diseases
by reducing 40 per cent of the

multi-sectoral collaboration incidence of foodborne diarrheal

and innovative public health diseases that affect most children VITAMIN
approaches. The Global Food Safety
Strategy has been developed foodborne diseases (FBD) by under five and other vulnerable E
continuously strengthening food populations. It also has a target

to guide and support Member safety systems and promoting of 100 per cent of functional

States in their efforts to prioritise, global cooperation. This new WHO coordination mechanisms to

plan, implement, monitor and Global Strategy for Food Safety manage foodborne events and

regularly evaluate actions towards 2022-2030 addresses current and enhanced laboratory capacity for

the reduction of the burden of emerging challenges, incorporates foodborne disease surveillance.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER STORY 19

FLOURISHING

Functional Foods &
Supplements Sector

While illnesses concern only the affected population, wellness needs are universal. Some of the
top wellness concerns that have witnessed traction in India this year relate to nutrition, immunity,
digestion and weight management, creating innumerable growth avenues for food companies.
Incorporating immunity-boosting ingredients in familiar food items and customising by cohorts,
such as added protein for young consumers and vitamins for those pursuing fitness, has helped food
brands to tap a health-conscious audience, by encouraging them to try new things. Hence, like in
2021, it can be said that the trend in favour of dietary supplements continued to climb in 2022.

D AVITAMIN The dietary supplements market in India grew at
a CAGR of ~15 per cent, to reach Rs 33,100 crore
in FY21. This segment, always considered to hold
6 K B2MINERAL VITAMIN high potential, given the growing trend of lifestyle

diseases, has witnessed an accelerated adoption

VITAMIN curve, post-COVID-19. Over the past year, the demand

for herbal supplements, vitamins, and minerals has

witnessed a growth of over 25 per cent. Likewise,

VITAMIN MINERAL the health-food and beverages segment grew at

2 C Mn ~14 per cent CAGR during FY18-21

VITAMIN VITAMIN to reach Rs 70,000 crore in FY21.

B3 B5 MINERAL Consumers are actively looking
out for brands with incremental
P nutrients like protein, fibre,

MINERAL MINERAL vitamins, calcium, and minerals,

Fe MINERAL Mg enhancing the purpose of basic
foods, according to a report released by Ernst
Ca
KVITAMIN and Young (EY) in 2022.
MINERAL VITAMIN

Se B1

MINERAL

Na

20 COVER STORY NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

“We can see a lot more with growing consumer interest in health food is
segments emerging in going to propel the health food business in India in
health-foods across the the near future.
spectrum of age groups
ranging from young According to Swati Dalal, Managing Director &
consumers to ageing adults. A lot General Manager - Nutrition at Abbott Nutrition,
more is emerging in the women's “Looking at the health and wellness trends that
health food segment as well.” are coming up, we can see a lot more segments
emerging in health foods across the spectrum of age
- Swati Dalal, groups ranging from young consumers to ageing
Managing Director & General Manager- adults. A lot more is emerging in the women's
health food segment as well. So the opportunities
Nutrition, Abbott Nutrition that are emerging will allow manufacturers to
innovate in products catering to different segments.
The major product launches in 2022 were Moreover, opportunities in plant-based offerings
governed by well-established players like Dabur, and innovations in multiple formats of health food
Hamdard, Himalaya and Baidyanath playing their will emerge. Also, a lot of collaborations can happen
cards in the ayurvedic and herbal supplements space, between academia, organisations, government,
while other non-traditional players such as Amway, and industry to look at building awareness among
Herbalife, Abbott also gathered strong sales. The consumers and driving penetration in the market.”
sector also witnessed emergence of contemporary
ayurveda, herbal and other wellness products from India- A manufacturing hub in the making
startups such as Kapiva, OZiva, Power Gummies, Being a powerhouse of most of the herbal
FullLife who are packaging home remedies and
other nutrients in contemporary formats such as ingredients employed in health food and dietary
effervescent tablets, gummies and lozenges. supplements, India is a major source of raw materials
and manufactured formulations for domestic as well
Commenting on this trend, Angshuman as international health businesses. Owing to the
Bhattacharya, National Leader – Consumer Product large range of agro-climatic conditions, India has
& Retail Sector, EY India says, “While some see this a competitive edge over the existing nutraceutical
as a short-term phenomenon, we expect this phase manufacturing countries. With insightful
to catalyse a larger acceleration in the propensity management practices and effective planning, Indian
towards personal health, hygiene, fitness and holistic nutraceutical products can achieve internationally-
nutrition. European and Asian nations have adopted accepted quality standards and certifications. This
functional foods and supplements, the Indian fruitful scenario makes India a manufacturing hub for
consumer is still predominantly showing a preference various international health food companies.
for “better for you” foods and home remedies.
Ayurveda and herbal options are increasingly As dietary supplements and herbal foods
becoming “back to roots” answers to modern constitute a big chunk of preventive care options,
problems. In the next five years, we expect consumer they are in the spotlight, and therefore on the
product companies to invest in demand creation and top of manufacturers’ lists, further enhancing the
increasing consumer education.” manufacturing capacity of the Indian health food
industry. The sheer variety of nutraceuticals ranging
While the industry players are increasingly from vitamin and mineral tablets/gummies, protein
making efforts in the Indian health food market by powders, to herbal pills is helpful for industry
developing new forms of supplements, the initiative manufacturers with production capabilities for
by the Indian government is also expected to boost similar products. It eliminates the need for setting up
the market further. In October 2022, the Ministry manufacturing infrastructure from scratch.
of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the This observation can be validated by looking at
National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) signed the recent herbal supplements launched in India.
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting For example, Dabur India, a fast-moving consumer
up a testing facility for dietary supplements. This has goods (FMCG) company, announced its foray into
been a major step towards ensuring quality dietary the health food drink category with the launch of
supplements and the adoption of best practices for ‘Dabur Vita’. It is made with a blend of more than
nutritional supplements. Such initiatives coupled 30+ herbs like Ashwagandha, Giloy, and Brahmi,
which are scientifically proven not only to provide

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER STORY 21

better immunity but also to promote physical and Popular health supplement
mental growth among kids. The FMCG giant has also categories launched in 2022
launched ‘Dabur Vedic Green Tea Detox Kahwa’, a
green tea infused with ayurvedic herbs and rock salt.  Health food gummies
 Protein powders
Another player, Herbalife Nutrition, a global  Herbal supplements
nutrition company, announced the launch of  Health food drinks
Relaxation Tea in selected markets. Specially  Sport nutrition products
formulated with an herbal blend of lemon balm,  Cannabis-based products
chamomile, lavender, and passionflower, this tea  Women health supplements
enhances relaxation and is suited to those who are  Kids supplements
looking for daily ways to unwind from stress.  Multivitamin supplements
 Probiotic supplements
In addition, 2022 saw herbal supplements in  Skin and eye health supplements
the form of gummies carving a niche in the Indian
health food market. Popping hard-to-swallow multiple launches of protein powders and related
tablets or awful-tasting supplements are some of products. We saw Danone India, a nutrition product
the disadvantages of the tablet and capsule form manufacturing company, launching Protinex
of dietary supplements that are making way for Diabetes Care with an aim to address the nutritional
chewable gummies. requirements of Indians with diabetes.

Abbott, the global healthcare leader, launched Tata Consumer Products (TCP) entered the health
Arachitol Gummies in India, a new fruit-flavoured supplements segment with the launch of ‘Tata
product for kids and adults. Arachitol Gummies are GoFit’, a health supplement range for women. Tata
a dietary supplement that helps maintain required GoFit plant protein powder is a plant-based easy-
levels of Vitamin D sustainably. Formulated with to-mix product formulated with the goodness of
additional essential micronutrients such as calcium gut-friendly probiotics with 18 grams of protein per
and curcumin, they help support bone health and 25-gram serving.
immunity. These easy-to-consume gummies are
approved as health supplements by the Food Safety New Delhi-based firm Modicare forayed into
and Standards Authority in India (FSSAI). the rapidly growing sports-nutrition space, while
strengthening and expanding its presence in the
With the launch of Horlicks Nutri Gummies, wellness segment. The sports-nutrition products
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) forayed into the gummies consist of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA), whey
segment this year. Tamil Nadu-based wellness brand - protein and whey protein isolate, etc. Dr. Morepen
Nidra Nutrition launched its product-line introducing has launched muscle-food BCAA and pre-workout
the world’s first stress relief gummies containing 175 products. Additionally, a sports nutrition brand
mg of Ashwagandha. While expanding its product Myprotein, and a dairy brand in India, Keventers have
portfolio, Nature Sure, a brand owned by Delhi-based launched unique pre- or post-workout protein shakes
Wet and Dry Personal Care, launched chewable (whey protein and isolate) in chocolate hazelnut
health gummies. Suitable for both men and women, flavour.
these gummies are infused with potent ingredients
such as curcumin, omega-3, blueberry, and other Another major development in the dietary
herbal ingredients. supplement space this year came in the form of
cannabis-based products by startups like BOHECO
“There’s a visible shift towards preventive and Hempstreet. Although the entry of such
healthcare and the pandemic has only accelerated innovative products in the Indian market builds a
the adoption curve. Foods and supplements productive environment, regulatory concerns around
addressing specific health needs such as women’s the use of cannabis might create hurdles.
health, digestive, immunity-building, using old-world
ingredients but packaged in contemporary formats “There are two distinct market opportunities
would drive growth in this segment. While disease- for the Indian nutraceutical industry i.e. exports-led
prevention and vitality are important consumer and domestic demand-led. The nutraceutical market
planks, another relevant thematic for innovation has immense potential to achieve at least two to
would be energy and fitness”, says Kshitij Sheth, three times growth in the next five years. Innovation,
Managing Director, ChrysCapital. sufficient funding, regulatory support by introducing

Indeed, fitness and energy held a strong position
in the dietary supplement space this year with

22 COVER STORY NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

“European and Asian nations conducive measures, and tax subsidies will be the key
have adopted functional drivers in bringing the growth and motivating entry
foods and supplements, of new players in the market”, says Sanjaya Mariwala,
the Indian consumer is still Executive Chairman and Managing Director,
predominantly showing a OmniActive Health Technologies.
preference for “better for you” foods
and home remedies. Ayurveda and Pharma Cos cash in
herbal are increasingly becoming “back to roots” answers Although a large number of supplement-based
to modern problems.”
products were launched in the market by food
- Angshuman Bhattacharya, and FMCG companies in 2022, one cannot ignore
National Leader – the efforts being made by pharmaceutical firms in
building a spot for themselves.
Consumer Product & Retail Sector, EY India
Mumbai-based pharmaceutical firm Cipla’s
“Foods and supplements wholly-owned subsidiary and consumer healthcare
addressing specific health company - Cipla Health signed definitive agreements
needs such as women’s for the acquisition of Endura Mass, a renowned
health, digestive, nutritional supplement brand in the category of
immunity building using weight gain from Medinnbelle Herbalcare. This
old world ingredients but packaged acquisition is in sync with Cipla’s strategic imperative
in contemporary formats would drive to augment the company’s wellness portfolio for
growth in this segment.” bringing about a shift from an illness to a wellness
mindset.
- Kshitij Sheth,
Managing Director, ChrysCapital On the other hand, global pharmaceutical firm
GlaxoSmithKline’s Haleon, a consumer healthcare
“Innovation, sufficient funding, division, launched the multivitamin brand Centrum
regulatory support by in India.
introducing conducive
measures, and tax Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, a New Delhi-
subsidies will be the key based contract manufacturing pharmaceutical
drivers in bringing the growth and company, has entered into a joint venture with Tamil
motivating entry of new players in the Nadu-based Microcore Research, which is the only
market.” manufacturer of Natural Eggshell Membrane (NESM).
With this tie-up, Akums will now leverage NESM and
- Sanjaya Mariwala, develop dietary supplements for maintaining healthy
Executive Chairman and Managing Director, joint and connective tissues.

OmniActive Health Technologies In an effort to bridge the gap in the supplements
market and fuel its business growth ambitions,
“In the erstwhile market, Akums has also exclusively partnered with French
there were no healthcare firm LC Ingredients for obtaining raw material,
supplements other manufacturing, innovating, and selling finished
than biotin and regular products containing Cynatine to all Indian big
hair, nail and skin (HNS) pharma and nutraceutical companies for the benefit
multivitamins for controlling hair fall of consumers.
and other related issues.”
“In the erstwhile market, there were no healthcare
- Sanjeev Jain, supplements other than biotin and regular hair, nail
Co-founder & Director, and skin (HNS) multivitamins for controlling hair fall
Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals and other related issues. We identified this gap and
when we found out about Cynatine, the only soluble
source of keratin known, we connected with the
innovator company LC Ingredients with the aim to
get exclusive rights so that we may introduce this
revolutionary healthcare supplement in India”, says
Sanjeev Jain, Co-founder & Director, Akums Drugs &
Pharmaceuticals.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER STORY 23

Even though Cynatine is a soluble form of Dietary supplements market growth Source: EY India
keratin, it has not yet been listed with the regulatory (in Rs billion/ Rs 100 crore)
authority, FSSAI. This means that no pharmaceutical
company in India is permitted to produce it. This probiotics, Yakult Danone India has also signed an
makes Akums, the only company in India with MoU with National Institute of Food Technology
exclusive rights to sell this supplement. The company Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Kundli,
has already conducted its own clinical trials on the Sonepat, Haryana.
Indian population and classified the supplement
within the normal foods category. Furthermore, Amway India, an FMCG company,
has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology
Then there is Pune-based SAVA Healthcare, (IIT), Bombay to accelerate research in the field of
which manufactures human and veterinary nutraceuticals, botanicals, and herbal supplements.
pharmaceuticals. The company has recently As a part of this partnership, a team of in-house
announced the launch of its OTC (over the counter) Amway researchers in collaboration with IIT Bombay
business of herbal formulations, under the name will pioneer methods and techniques to bring
of SAVA Herbals, which is based on the science of breakthrough innovation in the field of health
Ayurveda. supplements, nutraceuticals, botanicals, and herbal
supplements to gain deeper insights into Amway’s
Further, Ahmedabad-based drug major Cadila nutrition & herbal range of products and ingredients.
Pharmaceuticals has introduced an Ayurvedic
general health tonic that helps keep the body Then we also saw Noida-based Zeon Lifesciences
young, active, and fit. New Delhi-based Arbro announcing an MoU with University of Petroleum &
Pharmaceuticals has launched its cosmetic and Energy Studies (UPES) – Dehradun for collaborative
nutraceutical line, Ningen. Health OK, a multivitamin research in the fields of nutraceuticals, wellness,
and minerals tablet from the house of Mankind phytopharmaceuticals, ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy,
Pharma, has expanded its product offering with the unani, siddha and homeopathy.
launch of gummies for children under the age group
of 7-17 years old. The future looks very interesting for the dietary
supplements market, as more companies from
Adding to the list is ENTOD Beauty London the pharmaceutical industry and the FMCG sector
in collaboration with Mumbai-based Entod enter the market, invest in product technology and
Pharmaceuticals launching its Eyecirque range of brands, and influence consumption habits amongst
vision enhancing & under eye skin brightening consumers. Overall, the year 2022 has been a fruitful
supplements designed to provide enhanced one for the emerging nutraceutical industry in
protection and nutrition to the eyes and the skin India. With new entries, novel launches, and diverse
around them. offerings, India is set to further expand its health food
supplement offerings in 2023.
Fueling job creation
Considering the rate at which this sector is Mansi Jamsudkar
[email protected]
growing in India, the country will very soon achieve
self-reliance in manufacturing and development of
nutraceuticals and dietary supplements, thereby
opening new job opportunities. Particularly when
we are seeing multiple collaborations taking place
between the industry and academics in this space.

For instance, the probiotic brand manufacturer
Yakult Danone India signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with SRM University, Delhi-
NCR, Sonepat, Haryana earlier this year, in the core
areas of education and sharing knowledge. The
MoU will allow an exchange of information on the
recent advances in the science of gut microbiota
& probiotics and guidance will be provided to the
students on new areas for research in this sphere.

Additionally, with a view to collaborating with
well-entrenched partners to propel the benefits of

24 OPPORTUNITIES NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

INDIAN
BRANDS-

Testing
Waters
Overseas

Overall improvement in India’s economic health, beverage companies in the US, announcing an investment
induced by recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic Rs 186 crore for the expansion of its food manufacturing
facility in Uttar Pradesh. Adding this to the previous
shock, has left it relatively better-placed than investment, the total will now stand at Rs 1022 crore
the rest of the world. Despite major headwinds in India’s most populous state. Further, Diageo India,
that continue to pose risks in the short term, the UK-based alcoholic beverage company, in August has
Indian economy has remained strong, owing to announced an investment of Rs 45 crore for its state-of-
robust policy measures in place. This gives Indian the-art Craft and Innovation Hub in Ponda, Goa.
businesses an advantage to invest abroad and
broaden their operational footprint internationally. In such a scenario, where international firms have
As a result, 2022 saw many food companies making been constantly exploring the Indian market, Indian
several overseas investments with new facilities or food companies are also increasingly taste-testing
product launches in the global markets. But does international territories. Direct investment trends over
the past ten years have been analysed, and it is clear
that assure long-term success? that inward and outward investment flows were slow
in the early half of the decade, but gained steam in the
The presence of global food brands in India go back latter half. A developing country like India constantly
on a history spanning more than 150 years. For seeks opportunities to invest extensively outside, as it
example, a number of European and American helps the economy as a whole. Overseas investments
brands that entered India in the late 1800’s and early
1900’s includes the Lever Brothers (now Hindustan
Unilever), GlaxoSmithKline (now GSK), Nestle, Imperial
Tobacco Company (now ITC), Cadbury (now a part of
Mondelez) among others.

Consistent with the trend in previous years, 2022 saw
the entry of many international food brands in India,
either in terms of investment plan announcements or
new product launches. For instance, Swiss multinational
company Nestlé in September announced an investment
plan of Rs 5000 crore in India by 2025. US-based
Herbalife Nutrition injected approximately Rs 37.5 crore
in a new state-of-the-art facility in Bengaluru this year,
making it one of the company’s largest technology hubs.

Then we saw PepsiCo, one of the largest food and

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in OPPORTUNITIES 25

“The demand for beer is
huge in Oman, especially
from the NRI population.
Considering our popularity
in the Indian marketplace,
we are expecting a tremendous
initial response from the large Indian
population residing in Oman."

Aditya Ishan Varshnei,
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, LB Brewers

by Indian food companies also helps in improving of the company. The acquisition was led by Britannia
the performance of the country's service and food Industries’ wholly-owned arm Britannia and Associates
manufacturing sector and aids the battle against rising
unemployment rates. (Dubai). This acquisition is intended to allow Britannia
Industries to manufacture and sell biscuits in
Desi brands going global Kenya and the broader African markets.
One of the most important steps to enter the global The company has already set up
manufacturing facilities in Egypt
marketplace is through overseas investments, and and Uganda.
recently, India has taken the necessary steps to establish Elaborating on this
its presence in the global arena. According to McKinsey development, Varun Berry,
& Company, India will play a key role in expanding Executive Vice-Chairman and
Africa's revenue to $160 billion by 2025 through IT Managing Director, Britannia Industries
services, infrastructure, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and says, “We have just signed up for a joint
consumer products.
venture with a controlling stake in Kenya. There
In sync with this observation, we recently saw used to be a brand called Britania which had a different
Britannia acquiring control of Kenafric Biscuits, a private spelling, and as a result of this deal we will have control
limited liability firm incorporated in Nairobi, Kenya, by over that brand so that we will not have an infringer in
subscribing to 51 per cent of the equity share capital Africa doing the same brand that we have in our door.”

Besides Africa, the Middle East and the US are other
attractive destinations for Indian food brands lately. For
example, Hyderabad-based nutraceutical firm Deccan
Healthcare recently announced international expansion
plans. The company is introducing four variants of
nutraceuticals to address text neck syndrome, digital eye
strain, brain fog, and energy burnout due to prolonged
digital screen-time viewing. It plans to launch these
four variants in the domestic market through the online
distribution channel catering to its specific target
audience and through collaborations in international
markets including in the UAE and USA. In UAE, the
company will offer its products through Medisouk (online)
and subsequently through the retail offline outlets.

According to Minto Purshotam Gupta, Chairman
and Managing Director, Deccan Healthcare, “We would
continue to increase our footprint in offline stores and
expand into domestic and international markets in
UAE and USA. We are currently exploring placing our
products in 600 retail stores in the USA which is the
largest market in our segment.”

Mumbai-based ayurvedic nutrition brand Kapiva is
also in line for global expansion, starting with the UAE

26 OPPORTUNITIES NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

“We have just signed up and US. With this international expansion, the brand
for a joint venture with a is targeting a global revenue of Rs 100 crore by end
controlling stake in Kenya. of FY 2024-25. As per Kapiva’s market research, the US
There used to be a brand market showed increasing interest in ayurveda with the
called Britannia which had popularity of preventive healthcare in the aftermath of
a different spelling, and as a result of the pandemic, which the brand aims to leverage.
this deal we will have control over that
brand so that we will not have infringers in Africa doing “With our modern and new-age offerings, we aim to
the same brand that we have in our door.” introduce modern ayurveda to every household in the
UAE and US, to improve their daily wellness quotient.
Varun Berry, With this expansion, we aim to expand our consumer-
Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, base by half a million consumers”, says Ameve Sharma,
Founder, Kapiva.
Britannia Industries
Adding on, New Delhi-based ayurvedic company
“We would continue to AIMIL Pharmaceuticals has rolled out aggressive
increase our footprint expansion plans in the international market. The
in offline stores and company will expand into 25 global markets, including
expand into domestic Europe, the CIS region, the Middle East, Africa, and the
and international markets Indian Ocean islands.
in UAE and USA. We are currently
exploring placing our products in 600 Speaking on the expansion activities, Dr Ikshit
retail stores in the USA which is the largest market in our Sharma, Executive Director, AIMIL Pharmaceuticals says,
segment.” "This expansion plan is in line with the ever-increasing
global demand for authentic science-based ayurvedic
Minto Purshotam Gupta, products for better health. We aim to introduce more
Chairman and Managing Director, Deccan Healthcare innovative products as per markets' needs and target
100 countries in the next two financial years. We expect
“With our modern and new- to generate a revenue of Rs 100 crore from this vertical in
age offerings, we aim the next five years. "
to introduce modern
ayurveda to every Then there is Bengaluru-based iD Fresh Food which
household in UAE and US to has been growing at 40-45 per cent year-on-year, and is
improve their daily wellness quotient. looking to expand into Singapore, Saudi Arabia, UK, and
With this expansion, we aim to expand US. It will also be expanding into the Arab States of the
our consumer base by half a million consumers.” Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) like Kuwait and Qatar.
According to recent reports, the company plans to set up
Ameve Sharma, six new factories- three in the US, one in the UK, one in
Founder, Kapiva Singapore, and one in Saudi Arabia.

“We aim to introduce more New Delhi-based plant-protein startup Greenest is
innovative ayurvedic another company that is exploring the US market. In a
products as per markets' move to boost exports of unique agricultural processed
need and target 100 food products from India, the government, through its
countries in the next apex export promotion body, Agricultural and Processed
two financial years. We expect to Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA),
generate a revenue of Rs 100 crore recently facilitated the export of the first consignment of
from this vertical in the next five years." plant-based meat products of the startup, from Gujarat
to the US. The company is in active discussions with
Dr Ikshit Sharma, customers from other countries to leverage the demand
Executive Director, AIMIL Pharmaceuticals for Indian traditional plant-based and vegan products.

A similar trend is visible in the beverage segment
as well. Bengaluru-based Salud Beverages has signed
an 11-country, inter-continental distributions deal with
Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI), leading
distributors in the world and part of the renowned
Emirates Group. The MMI deal makes Salud a global
brand that will be available across 11 nations. Salud

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in OPPORTUNITIES 27

Centre's initiatives empowering oversea investments of Indian brands

 The Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR)  In January 2022, the Union Cabinet authorised
under the Indian Council for Agricultural an MoU between India and Nepal for the
Research (ICAR) inked an MoU with construction of a bridge over the Mahakali River
Lysterra, LLC, a Russia-based company, for at Dharchula (India)- Dharchula (Nepal).
the commercialisation of biocapsule, an
encapsulation technology for bio-fertilization, on  In January, the Union Cabinet authorised the
June 30, 2022. signing of an Agreement on Cooperation and
Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters between
 India’s bilateral trade with the EU stood at $116.36 India and Spain.
billion in FY 2021-22, up 43.5 per cent YoY. The
trade agreement with the EU would help India  In January 2022, the Republic of India and the UK
further expand and diversify its exports of goods completed the first round of talks on a free trade
and services, including securing the value chains. agreement (FTA).

 The Minister of Civil Aviation, met the Canadian  In the Union Budget 2021-22, the foreign direct
Transport Minister and discussed the expansion investment (FDI) cap has been increased to 74
of a bilateral air service agreement, which will per cent, and other changes to the insurance
allow more flights between the two countries. sector have been proposed to enable foreign
ownership and control with safeguards.
 The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), and
its Indian counterpart, the Confederation of  The RBI also liberalised/rationalised guidelines
Indian Industry (CII), have agreed to set up a for foreign investment by Indian companies. It
new joint commission to increase cross-industry raised the annual overseas investment ceiling
collaboration and to push the trade deal over the to $125,000 from $75,000 to establish JV and
line. wholly-owned subsidiaries.

Source- India Brand Equity Foundation

propelled its journey with the United Arab Emirates in In overseas markets, Indian brands generally enjoy
September, subsequently pursuing collaborations with a strong value and high perception only among the
other international markets. diaspora- the people of Indian origin. The positive
perception of Indian brands is usually higher in Gulf
Further, Goa-based startup Latambarcem Brewers countries, where there is a larger Indian expatriate
(LB Brewers), manufacturer of craft beer, has entered into population, compared to Europe or the US.
Oman, to market craft beer and is expecting to sell about
50,000 cases this fiscal year worth Rs 2 crore. LB Brewers Vivek Chandra, Chief Executive Officer, LT Foods says,
plans to expand its overseas presence and is exploring “Today, we make Indian food for India and push it abroad
entry into three more countries, including those in the which is not going to work. We have to set up an innovation
Gulf region. centre in the US to make food for the Americans, where the
centre is staffed entirely by American Chefs and product-
"We are entering into global markets to sell our development people who produce convenience food.
craft beer. We have appointed a distributor in Oman for We are not just delivering convenience, we are delivering
marketing of our premium craft beer brand Maka Di. The the convenience that is relevant. I think this mindset is
demand for beer is huge in Oman, especially from the important to build brand-India.”
NRI population. Considering our popularity in the Indian
marketplace, we are expecting a tremendous initial A survey was carried out by Statista research in 2017
response from the large Indian population residing in involving 40,000+ respondents from 52 countries on
Oman," says Aditya Ishan Varshnei, Co-founder and Chief their perception of products from the various countries
Executive Officer, LB Brewers. of origin. In the survey, Germany was ranked highest
while India was ranked 46th out of a total of 52 countries
Reality check on brand-value - with the perception of India being lowest in European
With a bundle of opportunities lined up for food and countries and Australia. Therefore, there is an undeniable
need to improve the perception of Indian brands in the
beverage companies internationally, it would not only global market amongst the native residents, to achieve
be a big push for the industry’s growth and branding further success.
but also for the country’s economy in the long run.
But establishing a strong brand and garnering stable Mansi Jamsudkar
revenue requires a lot of effort. [email protected]

28 OPPORTUNITIES NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Is the grass always greener
for F&B job aspirants?

According to findings by McKinsey, the pandemic accelerated existing trends in remote work, e-commerce,
and automation, with up to 25 per cent more workers than previously estimated potentially needing to
switch occupations. This trend has been visible across industries globally with the Indian fast moving
consumer goods (FMCG) sector being no different. The post-pandemic period is witnessing multiple job
switches in the food and beverage (F&B) industry, a trend which might continue further.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted labour expressed their desire to change and progress in their
markets globally in 2020. Millions of people roles, career, and also industry. While there is much talk
were furloughed or lost jobs, and others rapidly about companies’ work arrangements (hybrid, working
adjusted to working from home as offices closed. Before from home, etc.) and COVID-related policies causing
COVID-19, the largest disruptions to work involved new unhappiness amongst employees, only 11 per cent
technologies and growing trade links. COVID-19 has, for of respondents who have resigned or plan to resign
the first time, elevated the importance of the physical reported this as a reason for resignation.
dimension of work.
On the other hand, the FMCG sector in India
In view of disordered job statuses and organisations continues to be the most sought after sector by job-
losing their talent pools, COVID-19 prompted a huge seekers, as per a study by the human resources services
number of professionals to rethink their career paths. firm CIEL HR Services. If we look at the job switches
According to the findings of the Amazon Job Seeker taking place in the Indian F&B industry, this is true not
Insight survey in 2021, Indian professionals are looking
for new and different types of work, with 59 per cent of
them actively searching for a job and 90 per cent saying
they are interested in learning new skills.

‘The Great X’ report, launched recently by Michael
Page, a professional recruitment consultancy, has
revealed that there has been a wave of resignations in
Asia Pacific as almost half of the respondents (47 per
cent) have only been at their current jobs for not more
than two years.

The research also found that 73 per cent of
respondents were planning to look for new career
prospects over the second half of 2022. A whopping 86
per cent of employees in India were planning to resign in
the second half of the year. Gen Z employees contribute
most to this percentage followed by millennials and Gen
X employees.

Another observation is that candidates are
increasingly less interested in moving within the same
industry and more interested in new ideas and going
beyond their current role, department, and industry
even.

Talent jump
In the FMCG sector of the APAC region, as per

‘The Great X’ report, around 77 per cent of employees

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in OPPORTUNITIES 29

only at fresher or mid-level employees level, but at the acceleration and transformations, process optimizations,
top tier as well. among others.

For instance, after having served in the marketing In October 2022, Laxman Narasimhan, the former
division at ITC Foods for 9 years (since 2011), Rahul CEO of Reckitt, joined Starbucks Corp as a CEO. Prior
Gandhi joined iD Fresh Food in 2020. Interestingly, to his 3 year career at Reckitt, Narasimhan held various
Gandhi had been working with ITC Foods before senior roles at PepsiCo from 2012 to 2019. He also
2011 when he made a short exit and joined HT Media worked for McKinsey for 19 years.
between 2010 and 2011.
Rajneet Kohli joined Britannia Industries in
Another recent example comes in the form of Navin September 2022 as CEO & Executive Director. He was
Gurnaney who stepped in as the Chief Executive Officer previously working with Jubilant FoodWorks (JFL) as the
(CEO) of Tim Hortons India, an iconic coffee brand, in President & Chief Business Officer for Domino's Pizza.
2021. Prior to this, he was the CEO of Reliance Brands He has also served in various roles at The Coca-Cola
Limited for 3 months in 2021 and led TATA Starbucks company for 13+ years.
India briefly for 2 years between 2019 and 2021.
Replacing Kohli, Sameer Khetarpal who has over
With an experience of 13+ years at a leading 25 years of experience working in companies at senior
consumer goods company, Unilever, Deepika Bhan leadership positions in industries such as e-commerce
joined Tata Consumer Products in May 2021 as the and management consulting, joined JFL, India's largest
President of the packaged foods division.She has had food service company as its CEO and Managing Director
varied stints in Sales, Customer Marketing, Media, Brand (MD) from Amazon, where he created, established,
and Category/ P&L roles in her career during which she and expanded several businesses at Amazon over the
has led large teams across brands and portfolios. previous 6.5 years, including Amazon Fresh, Amazon
Food, and Amazon Pharmacy.
Then there is Richa Singh who served as the Chief
Financial Officer (CFO) at Mars India briefly for 10 months In October Piyush Patnaik joined McCain Foods as the
last year before moving on to Pernod Ricard India with MD and will be managing end-to-end India operations
the same designation in May 2022. Richa comes with a which will include manufacturing, supply chain,
global experience of over two decades across consumer sales, and distribution for McCain. He will spearhead
durables and FMCG companies, leading business sustainability and innovation for the frozen foods brand
across key geographies nationally.

With more than 20 years of expertise in the field,
Rohit Kapoor who held several executive positions in
finance and sales at prestigious firms, including Max
India and McKinsey & Co., OYO joined Swiggy as its CEO
and will oversee the food delivery industry and be in
charge of creating policies that will promote growth and
innovation.

Although a lot of F&B companies have experienced
a shift in leaders and various managerial officials, there
are still certain positions in the companies that have
remained stable and played crucial roles during the
pandemic, as well as the challenging post-pandemic
period. For example, Nitin Paranjape (35+ years), Sanjiv
Mehta (30+ years), and Ritesh Tiwari (20+ years) have
been working with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) for
a longer period. Nitin is currently leading the company as
a Chief People & Transformation Officer, whereas Sanjiv
and Ritesh hold the position of CEO & Managing Director
(MD), and Executive Director - Finance (also CFO, South
Asia) respectively. HUL owns various such leaders who
have been with the firm for more than a decade or two.

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd’s CEO Neeraj
Garg (26+ years), Amway India’s Chief Marketing Officer
Ajay Khanna (24 years), KFC’s (META, Pakistan, India
and CIS) MD Tarun Lal (20+ years), Bacardi Global Travel

30 OPPORTUNITIES NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Highlights of Amazon Retail’s MD Vinay Golikeri (19 years), etc. are more such
Job Seeker Insight Survey 2021 names to mention. All of these people have climbed the
management hierarchy and most of them hold higher
 51 per cent of Indian job-seeking adults are positions in the firm.
interested in pursuing opportunities in industries
they do not have experience in. Where is the gap?
Senior leaders and HR teams cannot ignore the
 When applying for a job, 55 per cent of Indian
professionals claim compensation is a major importance that candidates increasingly place on
factor they look for. company culture and having a sense of purpose in their
roles. These factors will be vital to attracting top talent in
 Job security is a major priority for 56 per cent of what is shaping up to be a tight labour market.
Indian professionals following the pandemic.
Employees usually know good company culture
 For nearly half of Indian professionals (49 per when they experience it. For companies to attract, retain
cent), opportunities that will help them learn and and grow the talent that will bring them long-term
develop is a high priority when considering a job. success, they will need to tweak — or even completely
overhaul — their culture to meet the expectations of
 For 47 per cent of Indian professionals, having professionals to be seen as human beings, and not just
a safe workplace environment is a high priority cogs in the machine. Creating a people-first culture can
when considering a job. bring about huge payoffs for companies. 65 per cent of
candidates surveyed by Michael Page said they would
 75 per cent of Indian professionals are concerned sacrifice money for more happiness, better well-being,
their current set of skills will become outdated in and work-life balance.
five years.
There is no arguing that Diversity, Equity, and
 90 per cent of Indian professionals are interested Inclusion (DE&I) gives companies a competitive
in learning new and transferable career skills, advantage. With the cultural and economic diversity in
74 per cent of these professionals claimed this the region, there will not be a one-size-fits-all model
interest was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. for APAC. Each market needs to account for its own
differences to build DE&I policies that work for them,
 45 per cent of professionals in India believe based on factors like gender, ethnic groups, sexual
technical and digital skills are essential for orientation, education, age, and people with disabilities.
career advancement; and around 38 per cent
believe marketing skills are important for career As economies improve, organisations should take
advancement. this opportunity to redesign their work models. With
the pandemic, employees and candidates are looking at
 76 per cent of employed Indian adults are already how companies manage their policies around flexible
given support through additional training offered work arrangements, COVID-19 vaccination policies,
by their employers. 93 per cent of these adults remuneration, and career development opportunities. As
are already utilising this training. 97 per cent employers rethink business models, demand for white-
would like more job training to be offered. collar temporary and contracting solutions is increasing.
The demand outstrips candidate supply and companies
 The study underlines the changing concerns, could consider alternative sourcing strategies to attract
aspirations and interests of Indian job-seekers, sought-after contract talent.
particularly in the context of the COVID-19
pandemic. Professionals are looking at The surge in resignations is being driven by candidates
broadening their choice of industries and skill- searching for the right job at the right company with the
sets to stay relevant in the changing job market. right values and culture — and many would rather remain
unemployed until they have found the right match. Salary
will always be a top motivator for job seekers to join a
company, but it is insufficient. In a world where money is
no longer the sole motivator for employees, organisations
need to move towards creating a positive and meaningful
company culture and employee experience to retain the
best and brightest.

Mansi Jamsudkar
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SPEAKING WITH 31

“India has the Gokaran Singh Pawar,
potential to become
an exporter of edible oil” General Manager - Sales &
Operations, M K Agrotech

The bulk of edible oil consumed in India is imported, we registered 15 per cent growth, while continuing
making it incumbent on the industry to reduce its to garner overwhelming love from our consumers
heavy reliance on imports. While the government in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh,
is taking initiatives to ease this dependency, the Indian Telangana, Goa and Tamil Nadu.
edible oil industry is working towards stepping up
to this challenge. In this regard, nuFFooDS Spectrum For the coming year, our target is to reach 20 per
recently interacted with Sunpure edible oil brand, cent growth across segments. Apart from strengthening
from M K Agrotech, based in Srirangapatna, Karnataka. our presence in the local oils segment, we also have
The company is present in key markets across India, an exciting line-up of new product launches in 2023.
including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Each of our products espouses healthy living, thereby
Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa, and Kerala. Gokaran Singh strengthening the deep connection that Sunpure has
Pawar, General Manager - Sales & Operations, M K developed with Indian consumers for over two decades.
Agrotech, spoke at length about the status of the Indian
edible oil industry and the company’s growth plans. With three plants at Srirangapatna, Challakere,
and Nelamangala, the company has more than 800
Edited excerpts; distributors and now aims at setting up more than 2 lakh
outlets by 2025.

What were the key business highlights for your How much revenue is expected in FY 2022-23? What

company in 2022? What are your major plans for are the key products driving the business growth and

2023? why?
As South India’s largest edible oil brand, Sunpure We are expecting a revenue of Rs 3,200 to 3,400

has had a remarkable year, despite the persisting crore for FY 2022-23. The key products driving business
global challenges and tough market realities. In 2022, growth are our edible oils and food products.

As India’s first chemical-free processed and physically
refined oil with a government-patented technology,
Sunpure has always focused on the health and wellbeing
of its customers. We help consumers make informed
choices about their health and nutrition.

Additionally, we have our in-house research and
development team, to ensure the quality
of the products and technology,
which have been
standardised
by

32 SPEAKING WITH NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Currently, 63% of edible oil consumed in government in this regard?
India is imported. The biggest challenge Currently, 63 per cent of edible oil consumed in
for the industry is to reduce its heavy
dependence on imports. While pandemic- India is imported. The biggest challenge for the industry
induced lockdowns disrupted supply is to reduce its heavy dependence on imports. While
chains, domestic shortages and inflations pandemic-induced lockdowns disrupted supply chains,
in a tumultuous global scenario have domestic shortages and inflations in a tumultuous global
shed light on the urgent need for India scenario have shed light on the urgent need for India
to become self-reliant. A boost from to become self-reliant in terms of meeting its domestic
the government to create a sustainable demand for edible oils.
ecosystem for Indian farmers will certainly
help reduce our dependence on imports. A boost from the government to create a sustainable
ecosystem for Indian farmers will certainly help reduce
our high-skilled professionals. our dependence on imports. Initiatives like Hosa
Whether it’s Sunpure Sunflower oil, Sunpure Filtered Prapancha (new world), which aim to reach out to
farmers and help them shift to oilseed farming, as well
Groundnut Oil, Sunpure Rice Bran Oil, Sunpure Refined as improve the quality and yield of their crop, need to be
Groundnut Oil, Sunpure Vanaspati, Sunpure Palmpure replicated.
(imported refined palmolein oil), Sunpure Sugar
(refined via a sulphur-free process) or Sunpure swaad At Sunpure, we are actively working with farmers in
(whole wheat aata produced using Swiss technology), Karnataka to procure groundnut seeds and sunflower
consumers see the value in our products. seeds. We are also exploring palm plantations to help
boost edible oil productivity in the country.
Our chemical-free oils, with natural vitamins
and natural antioxidants, have disrupted the edible What are your suggestions to the industry and
oils segment in India. Similarly, Sunpure’s green regulators to reduce dependence on edible oil
manufacturing practices have further paved the way for imports?
ecologically sound solutions. We use 100 per cent green
electricity generated by windmills, producing eight times Our suggestion is to invest in Research and
more power than we consume! As a company we have Development (R&D) vis-à-vis agricultural yields. Given
made every effort to ensure environmental safety. Our the vast R&D potential of Indian agriculture scientists,
plants run on renewable energy that we produce. We we can develop scientific ways to yield better crops as
can proudly say that all of our production facilities have well as to ensure the restoration of cultivation lands.
received the Zero Discharge Certification. We believe that India has the potential to become an
exporter of edible oil.
Are you planning to launch new products?
Yes, Sunpure will be launching quite a few new The government is boosting domestic production
of oilseeds. What are your views on this? What
products in the coming months. A new range of oils challenges do you foresee?
and food products, including spices and nuts, are in the
pipeline. The decision to enter the food industry was The move is significant, given that the government
made to ensure quality, purity, and innovation as our had to lower the import duty on edible oils several times
guiding principles. In addition to offering high-quality in the recent past so as to control food inflation. The
goods, our goal as a food company is to put a strong need of the hour is to spread greater awareness among
emphasis on our clients' wellbeing. All of these products Indian farmers about the benefits of oilseeds production.
come in enticing packaging at a competitive and We need to communicate clearly about the issues we
reasonable price. With health and wellness at its core, have to deal with - storage facilities for example, in order
Sunpure brand has now embarked upon a journey of to inspire change. As an industry, we need to step up to
transforming itself into a full-stack food company with a the challenge.
wide range of products.
Will GM mustard be a game changer for the edible oil
What are the current challenges facing the edible sector?
oil industry? What are your expectations from the
Yes, it could turn out to be a game changer,
particularly in North India. While GM mustard may
increase productivity with lower cost of cultivation, it is
too early to predict its impact in the Indian scenario.

Mansi Jamsudkar
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SPEAKING WITH 33

“We expect the sports Soumava Sengupta,
nutrition category
to reach Rs 4000 Cr Chief Executive Officer,
in India by 2026” Pursuit of Wellness

India has been witnessing a rise in the number Upwards of $0.5 million has been invested in this
of companies and startups looking to serve the venture. We are well poised to hit our revenue targets of
increasing demand for protein supplements, triggered $2.5 million in FY 22-23. We are open to investors who
by a rise in health consciousness. Mumbai-based BUILD. are passionate about brand-building and not in the
is one such startup brand - launched in 2022. In a recent game of spiking valuation at the cost of the brand.
conversation with nuFFooDS Spectrum, Soumava
Sengupta, Chief Executive Officer, Pursuit of Wellness How many people are there in your team? Will you be
shares insights from the sports nutrition industry hiring more and under what expertise?
and provides an understanding of the growth that is
expected in the Indian supplements market. We are a core team of 7 people. We have our agency
Edited excerpts; partners in communication and digital performance
marketing. Our distribution partners are BRIGHT
Could you start with the recently launched sports- Performance Nutrition. We are expanding our team to 10
nutrition supplements brand BUILD. and the people by the end of FY 22-23.
products in the pipeline? What are the major plans in
store for 2023? Do you have R&D and manufacturing facilities? Could
you tell us how your products are developed?
BUILD. is a premium, high-quality range of sports
nutrition supplements. The products have been We have partnered with Influx Health Tech for our
designed keeping in mind the different consumer needs manufacturing and R&D. We also have our in-house
in India. Nutrition science and food science have come nutrition specialist to anchor the partnership and
together to deliver a truly efficacious and tasty product product development process.
to the consumer.
Are you planning to explore the alternative protein
At present, we have BUILD. whey blend, isolate, space for your products? What are your views on the
mass gainers, fish oils and multivitamins. Our whey growth of this new sector?
isolate is available in two flavours: Belgium Chocolate
and French Vanilla. Similarly, the whey proteins come in The alternative protein space is a small but rapidly
Swiss Chocolate and Madagascar Vanilla flavours. There growing category. Consumers have shown great interest
is a pipeline of new product categories, flavours and in trying products in the alternative protein space. We
formats that we have. They are designed to tap into the are keeping a close look at it. We see the strong growth
full fitness regime of the consumer - from pre-workout, potential of this category.
intra-workout, post-workout and recovery. We are
launching the BUILD. PROWL range with Tiger Shroff. We What according to you are the challenges faced
will continue to expand our availability in the speciality by new entrants especially startups in the sports-
stores across India. nutrition supplements category?

How much has been invested in the startup? Are you A large part of the Indian protein space is dominated
planning to raise funds anytime soon? How much by imported brands. There are two challenges. The first
revenue are you expecting in FY 22-23? one is educating the Indian consumer that protein is
not just for gym- goers. The second challenge is linked
to the first one. Many brands take advantage of the lack
of knowledge and sell sub-optimal products at deep

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

The Indian government has not
yet recognised the potential of the
sports nutrition industry and has not
taken any steps to regulate it. As a
result, there are no clear guidelines
for manufacturers and retailers of
sports nutrition products. This lack of
regulation makes it difficult for new
entrants to the market to get their
products approved and registered.

discounts. The consumers feel that they are buying a around $30 billion. While the market is dominated by
good quality product, but actually not getting the results American and European companies, Indian companies
because the product formulation is sub-optimal. are slowly making their presence felt with their quality
products and competitive pricing.
In terms of proving the scientific benefits of sports
nutrition supplements, what according to you must What are the regulatory roadblocks to developing
new entrants focus on? sports nutrition supplements in India and on a global
platform? What are your expectations from the
I think there is strong ingredient-level scientific Indian government?
evidence that exists already. For a new brand, getting
the product right and delivering the ingredients is There are several regulatory roadblocks to
essential. There is also merit in having your own clinical developing sports nutrition supplements in India and
study of the product if there is an active ingredient or on a global platform. The Indian government has not
breakthrough science that has gone into the recipe. yet recognised the potential of the sports nutrition
In terms of proving the scientific benefits of sports industry and has not taken any steps to regulate it. As a
nutrition supplements, new entrants should focus on result, there are no clear guidelines for manufacturers
demonstrating how their products can improve athletic and retailers of sports nutrition products. This lack of
performance. This can be done through clinical trials or regulation makes it difficult for new entrants to the
other research studies that show how the supplements market to get their products approved and registered.
can enhance strength, endurance, or other key physical
parameters. Additionally, new entrants should focus on The global sports nutrition market is also highly
creating a robust body of scientific evidence to support regulated. In order to sell their products in international
the use of their products. markets, manufacturers need to obtain approval from
several regulatory bodies. This approval process can be
What is the size of the sports nutrition supplements lengthy and expensive, which acts as a barrier to entry
market in India and its share globally? How are Indian for many small and medium-sized companies.
companies faring in this category?
The Indian government needs to recognise the
The sports nutrition category is poised for explosive potential of the sports nutrition industry and take steps
growth in India. The rising adoption of a healthier and to regulate it. This would provide much-needed clarity
active lifestyle and the expansion of gyms is fuelling this for manufacturers and retailers, and would make it easier
growth. We expect the category to be at Rs 4000 crore by for new entrants to the market to get their products
2026 growing at a CAGR of 25 per cent. BUILD. is geared approved and registered. In addition, the government
up to be among the top three brands in the category should work to streamline the approval process for
in that period. The market is still at a nascent stage in sports nutrition products so that manufacturers can
India with only 10-12 per cent of the population being more easily obtain the necessary approvals to sell their
aware of these products. However, with the increasing products in international markets. Apart from this, I
health consciousness among people and the growth feel that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of
of the fitness industry, the market is expected to grow India (FSSAI) is doing a difficult and complex job, quite
significantly in the coming years. Indian companies are well. Also, particularly for BUILD., we did not face any
slowly gaining a foothold in the global sports nutrition regulatory roadblock.
supplements market, which is estimated to be worth
Mansi Jamsudkar
[email protected]

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

“Alt protein startup Amod Ashok
founders need to Salgaonkar,

timely understand the Co-Founder & Chief Operating
shortfalls and adopt the Officer, A2S2 Enterprises

necessary changes”

“Alternative Protein or Alt Protein” is going of his or her favourite celebrity but if the product is not
to be a critical food category solution in ticking the right boxes including price perception, then
the immediate future and there are many new launches are off their grocery list.
thought leaders, entrepreneurs and academicians
in India sharing their views on the subject from The “Celebrity Endorsement” is useful for brand
time to time. However, it is useful to understand the awareness, to initiate customer trials, but thereafter
perspectives about this segment as a category, from it depends on the ‘quality-availability-pricing’ of the
core food professionals who have not only spent a respective product. The brands having funding tend
long time in the industry with retail, modern trade to go for such endorsements but when it comes to
and eCommerce, developing the fresh food categories Alt Protein segment in India, majority of the startups
(meat / seafood / eggs / frozen / fruits & vegetables) are in early phase with limited ‘go to customer’ reach
but also have been responsible for some ‘first in India’ and we believe going for “micro-influencers” targeting
category solution launches for international retailers. smaller region/ city would be right, gradually building
nuFFooDS Spectrum spoke exclusively to Rajesh Kumar the pyramid approach. “Micro-influencers” need not
Prasad, Category Leader, Amazon Retail India and be a celebrity, he or she can be anyone having high
Amod Ashok Salgaonkar, Co-founder & Chief Operating social media connect, good communication skills, most
Officer, A2S2 Enterprises to get some real-time important is to have a large network of professionals
overview of the industry during a recently held event in with reasonable experience of the industry selling
New Delhi. Edited excerpts; across marketing and media platforms. Such micro-
influencers come with low cost, and can be an
Many “Celebrity Figures” are endorsing brands/ excellent marketing starter for multiple micro market
startups in the Alt Proteins space. Do you think that approaches.
this may be helpful? What about brands & startups
that don’t have high budgets? Amod Ashok Salgaonkar (AAS):
True, micro-influencers can give
Rajesh Kumar Prasad (RKP): Not
only Alternative Protein brands, but quality time to startups and support
in the right way in a majority of
generally speaking, brands get the cases. If startups do not have
celebrities to endorse them, in order that budget, then too works well,
to encash their popularity across where they can go for some limited
customer cohorts. This is effective paid meetings with such experienced
to get trials but advantages continue professionals. The challenge is that the majority of
only if there is a product solution and the startups want good guidance with marketing
pricing strategy. The followers of such celebrities tend support but with no commitments. Such business
to try the product at least once and if the fan following and experienced people may not be available for free
is in millions, then automatically there is a sales spike in consultation in maximum cases. If any startup is getting
the short term. However, Indian consumers are frugally those valuable consultations free of cost at initial levels
smart, they will try the newly launched product because and understanding the worth of that professional, then
startup founders should retain such professionals by
offering them lucrative deals.

36 SPEAKING WITH NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

How do you view the progress in the Alt Protein if their selection is selling well. Though this segment
is new, the activation time they may give is to check
category & do you think it will succeed in India? whether the product can sell or not and this duration is
RKP: Being at the seed stage, it always limited. So those (brands) which perform well in
will take a few years of consistent that time frame would get retail space for a longer time.
category messaging for it to be Hence the most important takeaway for founders is to
known to the majority of the launch the fast-moving products as well as to leverage
consumers. We are also going all the tools available with retailers to get eyeballs for
conservative at present in our adoption and then repeat.
approach and are “testing waters”
Do you think “Sampling” can help the Alt Protein
with focus on customer feedback and category to lift its sales?
insight to learn further. It is a very exciting phase for
this category, and if I have to define it simply then it is AAS: “Sampling” is one of the most
“learn-unlearn-learn” category now. Unlike outside of important tools to build sales.
India, I believe Alt protein will have a totally different
journey, as brands will understand customers and with Making high sales is still far away,
the unique India-specific “market dynamics”, we will as this category has not even
see the picture emerge. Some interesting insights are been introduced across all selling
that we eat many vegetarian foods already with our platforms in India. Most crucial
proteins, we eat many food types together, protein problem which all founders in this
tends to be a celebration meal. There is so much impact segment are facing is to give a perfectly
of religious practices on protein consumption etc. We similar taste when compared with traditional products.
would like to be right at the forefront when the rubber One more natural thing is that unless a huge volume
hits the road. of people tastes the product, founders will not get the
actual feedback about the product. So making maximum
One critical piece will be pricing. Customers are very sampling at all possible platforms plays a crucial role and
sensitive to price points and long-term successful brands if people like the product, then they may probably start
in India are known to hold price points despite all the buying the product which ultimately helps in consistent
cost pressure and come up with innovations to solve the sales.
problem. Startups that will adapt faster to this tenet will Presently, the majority of the available Alt Protein
be miles ahead of others and will always have the bigger products are quite highly priced in comparison with
pie of the market, more so when it crosses the tipping traditional products. So, to sell the Alt Protein Products,
point and explodes in India. the strategy of Right Taste + Economical Price should
be applied if the target client is the majority chunk of
What is the most important thing that founders of Alt all population. Another important factor is also the

Protein startups should keep in mind while launching

their products in modern trade or on other channels?
AAS: Every founder does feel all
of their products are important,
however they may have some
assured gut-feeling about few out
of all products they have that this
may work better, hence instead of
the complete catalogue they should

pitch on priority a limited selection,
when getting a chance to launch the products in
modern trade or eCommerce. The space inside the
stores or mapping the pin codes through online
channels has immense importance. Category managers
will make stock-keeping unit (SKU)’s inactive after
a certain trial phase (say 3-6 months or even a year
depending upon the negotiations) if it did not perform
as per the proposed sales velocity. This scenario is
obvious and founders of startups should keep in mind
that any category manager will give preference to them

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SPEAKING WITH 37

availability of brand promoters, if the sales platform is customers via sampling. Normally, during weekends,
“Modern Trade”. Many times, with no presence of brand as all lead brands from other categories do samplings
promoter or merchandiser, mere shelf visibility doesn’t - chances are less that “sampling” of Alt Protein brands
pass the smell test. will actually reach consumers. If Alt protein brands
are getting focus and enough space during weekends
RKP: Absolutely there is no alternative then that’s superb but if it is not then they should plan
to sampling, we have to get potential alternate ways of how sampling must reach maximum
consumers. It may also be possible that some of the Alt
customers to taste and give feedback Protein brands can take exclusive prime points of the
and more the merrier. Brands can store by discussing with category managers in advance,
use the reach of programmes like however giving exclusivity may attract additional cost
‘Amazon Fresh’ where not only most to the brand and that may not be affordable to startups.
of the early adopters are present Exclusive food promotion is also something they can
but there is also the advantage of the explore to get the most bang for the buck.
e-commerce platform’s ability to provide verifiable and
credible data with insight across various metrics. This The Alt Protein Brands seem to prefer being an online
could help startups with crystal ball gazing to find the
right customer-backed answers for building next horizon segment than in modern trade. What is your view on
capabilities to scale-up. India as a market requires heavy
lifting for ‘go to market’ strategy and there is no plain and this?
simple blueprint to follow I guess. AAS: Having the presence on an
online sales platform is always
You rightly mentioned about “Importance of good, however the majority of
Sampling” but do you want to shed more light on it? the Alt Protein brands are facing
issues in entering the modern
AAS: Many brands do the sampling trade segment because of their
without thorough planning. What non-affordability — of paying the

more can be done is to do focused necessary commercials for listing the
sampling, more meaningfully. That products. Every segment has its own advantages and
means generally the famous brands disadvantages. The situation has changed drastically
do the sampling on weekends in since COVID-19 as many modern trade organisations
stores as the consumer traffic within made themselves equipped for the online format in
the store is higher on those days. My those days. For the Alt Protein segment, be it online or
point is that “Alt Protein” is a different category having modern trade or both, everything may work well from
not much sales history, so they should pick the days for whoever they get support. What’s most important for
sampling when footfalls are there and the Alt Protein the Alt Protein segment is to associate with the right
brand should get a chance to serve the product to people having industry experience and who can guide
startups by sharing the right things through real-time
ground experiences rather than just giving opinions
without having actual industry experience. After all, the
investors investing in the brands would like to see the
sales growth which may come after playing multiple
techniques on ground-based actual experiences.
Founders should be honest to understand the realities
and make appropriate changes accordingly, or else a
long journey is difficult. Ironically, almost all are saying
they are doing well but that’s not reflecting through
sales numbers. I am not trying to figure out any lacunas,
but I would like to indicate that if the founders are
humble to understand the shortfalls timely, genuinely
and if they adopt the necessary changes then there
is scope to adapt themselves in a better situation to
survive in a competition.

Dr Manbeena Chawla
[email protected]

38 GOOD FOOD NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Food Literacy
for Good Food

Pawan Agarwal, Currently, there is no structured intervention to educate people, and
children, in particular, about the impact of diet on their health, to enable
Founder and Chief Executive of them to make the right food choices while keeping their culinary traditions
Food Future Foundation and in mind. There is thus a need to focus on food literacy to make a conscious
Former Chief Executive Officer, dietary shift to healthy, balanced, and diverse diets.
Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI)

Today, people buy and eat food just to fill their based meat alternatives. More needs to happen.
bellies or for taste. Farmers and food businesses The policy focus has to be on encouraging and
produce and supply food that maximises their
profits. And the policies aim at producing more food enabling food businesses to shift the balance of their
for the growing population. The market for food only activities in favour of products as well as fresh produce
accounts for the sticker price of the food and not its which is more nutritious, affordable, and accessible to all.
‘true value’. The ‘true value’ of food is at least three times And, both policy and businesses have to work together
its market value when we account for its additional to shape consumer behaviour. Shaping consumer
economic, environmental, and health costs. behaviour towards healthy and sustainable diets is
the key to creating incentives both for the businesses
The way we eat today is failing both people and and government to build a better food system.
the planet. It isn’t nutritious, it isn’t sustainable, and it Unfortunately, since it is not easy, there have been
isn’t equitable. This has resulted in a food system that is limited efforts in that direction.
neither good for people nor for the planet.
Need for dietary shift
The crises Changing consumer behaviour is crucial to make a
Six out of ten diseases are diet-related posing a
conscious dietary shift to healthy, balanced, and diverse
greater risk of mortality and morbidity than unsafe sex, diets. This would not only address the problem of diet-
alcohol, drug, and tobacco use combined. With the related illnesses but given that good food for people is
quality of diet worsening, the problem is becoming more good also for the environment, it would alleviate the
serious and the children are worst affected. Food systems adverse impact of the food system on the environment.
account for one-third of greenhouse emissions. There
is a clear message from all this: the food system crisis is Ensuring dietary shifts at the population level not
deepening. Addressing these complex concerns requires only requires awareness and knowledge but active
context-specific solutions and multiple stakeholders engagement to bring about dietary
working together. changes. Currently, there is no structured
intervention to educate people, and
Multiple and aligned actions children, in particular, about the
Actions are needed both on the supply and demand impact of diet

sides. On the supply side, all businesses, whether
big, medium, or small; whether in food, transport,
storage, finance, or advertising - have a role to
play. Innovations are happening within
the food sector in the supply
chain, fortification, sustainable
packaging, and product labeling.
For more sustainable diets, food
businesses are scaling up plant-

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in GOOD FOOD 39

on their health, to enable them to make the right food learning. It must leverage technology and collaboration
choices while keeping their culinary traditions in mind. with parents and the family to effectively address the
gaps in the current provision. The proposed module
There is thus a need to focus on food literacy that should focus on the science of dietary shifts and habit
would enable school children and their families to formation. Being an inexpensive intervention, it would
make a conscious dietary shift to healthy, balanced, be easy to scale up and sustain by engaging with
and diverse diets. Inspired by the current thrust on schools, governments and their agencies. With a greater
foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills as a focus on health and well-being in COVID times, it is an
backbone for school education reforms, this programme opportune time to launch such a programme.
is to impart foundational food literacy (FFL) skills to
children in schools with active parental engagement as a Over five years, this programme could reach
mainstay for preventive healthcare. out to a large majority of people in India to make
the right dietary transition as per National Dietary
What is Food Literacy? Guidelines (NDGs). This would eventually lead to the
Food literacy is defined as having the knowledge, universalisation of foundational food literacy skills to
address the rising concerns about diet-related and
behaviour, and skills necessary to choose, grow, lifestyle illnesses in the country. Lying at the intersection
prepare and enjoy healthy food to support one’s health, of education and health, the programme would have
environment, and the community. It is a catch-all term. a measurable and lasting impact on healthcare in the
It would cover - what to eat? how much to eat? and why country.
not to waste?
Good food
Food literacy would be imparted through a carefully Small changes in diets by individuals and families
curated curriculum. It must focus on the middle
school years, a stage which is most crucial as it lays the would make a large and positive impact driving demand
foundation for lifelong food habits. At this stage, children for good food and sending clear market signals all the
would be able to grasp and perceive various aspects way through the food value chain to the farmers and
of food which will result in a smooth transition to food producers. Diet quality determines health outcomes.
literacy in adolescence and adulthood. Good food supports healthy brains and bodies and
significantly reduces the risk of disease and disability.
Various studies including those based on randomised Good food would benefit the planet and curb climate
controlled trials and systematic reviews have shown change, making food supply chains more regenerative
positive effects of school-based nutrition education and encouraging agricultural practices that restore
interventions on dietary intake outcomes in children. biodiversity, improve soil health, protect human and
A recent study by SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai animal welfare, and elevate culture and community.
based on intervention in the form of 12 weekly sessions
with children and three parents’ sessions over three As consumer behaviour aligns with good food, the
months has shown improvements in mean knowledge, food businesses would gear themselves to supply food
attitude, and practices related to diets in pre-to post- that is healthy and sustainably produced and processed.
assessments. The current approach of having a few The policies would also align with these changes and
chapters on food and nutrition in different classes across must account for the ‘true value’ of food rather than its
subjects does not result in the desired impact. sticker price alone.

The new approach and school engagement Driven by consumer demand, as markets begin to
strategy must focus on activity-based work for good food and government policies align with
such diets, a food system would be built that is healthy
for both people and the planet. This positive feedback

loop would lead to much-desired food system
transformation.
Given that food literacy holds the
key to changing consumer behavior
for good food, governments,
businesses, and civil society
all need to work towards
building a food literacy
society – a key to good food
strategy.

40 PROBIOTICS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Dr Satyanarayana Intensify Research
Kandukuri, on Emerging
Concepts of Probiotics
Food Processing Practice Lead,

Sathguru Management Consultants

Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms which, or from traditional fermented foods and hence majority
when administered in adequate amounts, confer of the probiotics used in commercial products were
a health benefit on the host”. Live microorganisms limited to the narrow genera including Lactobacillus and
may be present in many foods and supplements, but only Bifidobacterium. The popularity of the strains/ species
characterised strains with a scientifically demonstrated belonging to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium was also
effect on health should be called probiotics. The criteria due to their Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) status
for probiotics include documented health benefit, in USA or granted status of Qualified Presumption of
microbes being alive at the time of consumption, Safety (QPS) by the European Food Safety Authority
microbes at dosage/levels that provide benefit, microbes (EFSA). Several commercial players used rigorous strain
taxonomically defined to strain level, availability of selection criteria to screen natural strains with the desired
genome sequence of microbes and safety for intended properties, stability and stress-adaptation. In recent
use. In the past few years, the probiotics market has years, spore forming bacteria like Bacillus coagulans are
gained momentum in the functional foods category as witnessing a rapid growth and adoption due to better
well as supplements category. stability and survival in foods with extreme processing
conditions like pH, heat, cold, and pressure. The use of
The drivers for onward momentum in the probiotics stable Bacillus coagulans has resulted in expansion of the
industry come from - increasing scientific studies and category of probiotic products by food formulators as well
documentation of various health benefits of probiotics, as use in ambient temperature storage, in contrast to the
increasing consumer awareness and understanding of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium which were commonly
the role of probiotics in health, improved formulations used in refrigerated (dairy) or frozen products.
and stabilisation technologies expanding the
applications of probiotics to non-dairy and non- The developments and significant cost reductions
refrigerated food categories. in genome sequencing and improved culturing
methodologies are providing opportunities to isolate
The key requirements for probiotics products to be and characterise a new range of microorganisms
successful in the market include - number of colonies from human microbiomes. Some of the bacteria
forming units (CFUs) reaching the gut, stability in that have been isolated from the human gut with
the gut, efficacy for intended benefit, stability on the probiotic potential include Akkermansia muciniphila,
shelf, stability in the food matrix, as well as processing Bacteroides spp., Eubacterium spp., Faecalibacterium
conditions and delivery methods/ controlled release at prausnitzii and Roseburia intestinalis. These species
the site of action. The critical success factors in probiotics offer physiological benefits such as the production of
are: (i) strain development, (ii) clinical studies & (iii) propionates, butyrates, and other biomolecules, which
product development. These critical areas are currently are not always directly provided by traditional probiotic
witnessing wide interest and new developments by strains. However, the novel genera and species that
industry players. have no history of use would require elaborate safety
assessments, and the commercialisation path may
Strain Development: Bacterial strains like several require submissions/ regulatory approvals under GRAS,
species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and non- QPS, or emerging regulatory frameworks such as live
bacterial strains of Saccharomyces boulardii and S. biotherapeutic products category by USFDA. Moreover,
cerevisiae are commonly used in the food industry. The
probiotic organisms were mainly sourced from the gut

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in PROBIOTICS 41

new sets of microorganisms can pose challenges in Stability was the key for all the formats. Different strategies
terms of production processes like requirement of rich have been used to improve the probiotic stability
growth media and strict anaerobic conditions. Of the during food manufacturing processes. These include (i)
novel genera under research, significant work has been technological approaches such as the modification of
done on A. muciniphila including preclinical animal production parameters, (ii) the reformulation of products
testing, human safety assessment, stability and efficacy such as encapsulation, (iii) delivery technologies such
testing in improving several metabolic parameters. as controlled/ time of consumption release and (iv)
microbiological approaches focused on selecting strains
In addition to the human gut microbiome, other with resistance. The demand for probiotics is also driving
microbial niches being explored for isolation of novel the focus on quality assurance for viability, dose levels and
species and as targets for intervention include oral cavity, functional integrity.
skin, urinary tract etc. Fermented and unfermented
foods continue to be a source for future probiotic The microbial composition of probiotic products
development. range from a single strain to multi-strain or multi-
species compositions and combination of strains with
Clinical Studies: Human clinical trials are crucial for prebiotics/ minerals (synbiotics). Evidence shows that
probiotics development and to ensure science-based the gut microbiome influences the host physiology by
claims. In addition to the widely known beneficial effects regulating metabolism, immunity and the gut-brain
on gut and immune health, new evidence is emerging axis via signalling of microbiome-generated bioactive
on other indications like inflammatory bowel disease, metabolites. Emerging concepts and new approaches to
oral health, skin health, mood and cognition, obesity modulate microbiomes such as postbiotics and microbial
and metabolic diseases. A recent study, commissioned consortia are expected to drive the probiotics industry.
by International Probiotics Association (IPA), analysed
the global clinical trials with probiotics and observed Postbiotics are “a preparation of inanimate
that over 1,600 clinical studies were registered at microorganisms and/or their components/ metabolites
ClinicalTrials.gov and/or the International Clinical that confer a health benefit on the host”. Some of the
Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) of the World Health novel and promising strains may be commercialised as
Organisation (WHO). These trials address over 700 postbiotics, like the use of pasteurised A. muciniphila for
different and specific outcomes such as gastrointestinal beneficial effects.
(GI) diseases and conditions, neurological conditions,
metabolic syndrome related conditions, improving Conclusion: The advances in modern biology,
immunotherapies for cancer, modulation of microbiota bioinformatics and data analytics are likely to provide
for a host of many other conditions etc. For the most greater insights on probiotics and related concepts.
recent studies with probiotics, a shift can be noted There is a need for intense research on emerging
towards non-gastrointestinal conditions, with top concepts related to probiotics, establishment of
three conditions being communicable diseases (with regulatory frameworks to assess and approve novel
15 studies), infection (15) and metabolic diseases (12). concepts, as well as a need for harmonisation of
At strain level, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG was the probiotic regulations across markets.
probiotic strain most frequently registered (146 studies),
followed by Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB12
with 55 studies. VSL#3, a consortium of 3 different
Bifidobacteria, 4 Lactobacilli, and 1 Streptococcus
thermophilus strain was the most registered
multispecies preparation in 74 studies.

Elaborate safety assessments and clinical studies will
be required for the novel probiotic strains with no history
of use. High R&D costs for strain level characterisation
and clinical studies for health claim validation, as
well as non-harmonised regulations for probiotics
product approvals across the markets will remain major
challenges for the industry.

Product Development: The probiotics product
development has evolved over the decades, starting
from the use of single cultures, stabilised cultures, use of
various delivery methods and use of blends/formulations.

42 INNOVATION NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Lokendra Tomar, Was 2022
challenging for
Diet Educator & Founder, food innovation?
Diabexy

The year 2022 has been excellent for the food accepting of these nutritious products, the pricing of the
industry in developing and innovating nutritious product made them apprehensive and restricted them
products such as low-carb, high-protein, high-fibre, from buying it.
etc. There was a lot of sales growth that was witnessed
by players who cater to the segment. This sales growth Besides, the majority of the population of India is
can be attributed to two factors. lower middle class, and for them, these products have
become out of reach. Only the upper middle and upper
Firstly, as we know, owing to the pandemic, people classes can afford and consume nutritious food because
have become extremely cautious, as many people spent it is part of their lifestyle and diet pattern.
most of the lockdown period focusing on their health
and food. Several studies show that the pandemic Supply chain disruption
increased people's interest in nutritious meals that Many people will continue to have nightmares
promote immunity. According to experts, the trend will
continue in 2023. As a result, several businesses have about supply chain transportation logistics in 2022. The
followed suit and are investing in immunity. rippling impact of the Suez Canal closure is still being
felt. Other transportation difficulties include growing fuel
Secondly, many small companies are into the prices, a shortage of truck drivers, and changing laws.
manufacturing of innovative, nutritious products, but
limited market access had previously always acted as Because many raw materials and finished goods are
a hindrance. They only served a limited geographical
area and target market. With the exponential growth
of e-commerce and the pandemic forcing businesses
to become more agile and embrace the digital sales
channel, the market for these businesses has opened up.
They are now able to cater to a wider target market, not
just in India but even globally. So in terms of sales, 2022
has indeed been a good year.

However, there have been challenges for the players
in the innovative nutritional product category.

Rising freight charges
If a company is to make high-protein, high-fibre,

vegan protein, and vegan meat products, then all the
raw materials need to be imported. As the pandemic
spread, the freight charges for export and import
containers increased three to fourfold. Also, with the
currency fluctuating, it adversely impacted the imports
in terms of costs. With import prices rising, there was an
increase in the cost of production. This led to an increase
in the retail price which directly impacted the end
consumer. So despite the market being more aware and

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in INNOVATION 43

perishable, transportation has proven especially difficult chronic diseases. The following areas need government
for the food and beverage industry. They must be involvement: surveillance, research, programming,
dispatched and delivered as soon as possible. access to healthcare, quality control, and dietary &
physical activity recommendations (PA).
Government support
In the current scenario, where the market is Other stakeholders
Other stakeholders should encourage, support, and
extremely accepting of switching to and embracing
healthy habits and eating, the government needs to step supplement government policy initiatives. Academia
in and incentivise the industry as a whole. should prioritise research on optimal dietary targets
and cost-effective policies, as well as monitor and
While the market for whey protein concentrate is assess health indicators and policy outcomes, connect
exploding in fitness-conscious and protein-deprived with communities, advocacy organisations, the media,
India, the world’s largest dairy producer still imports businesses, and policymakers. It must also inform/
most of its whey. It is indeed ironic that despite India evaluate government and industry activities. Health
having big players like Amul and Parag, we are importing systems, doctors, and insurers should implement
whey protein concentrate from Europe or America patient behaviour modification methods, push for
because our country does not have a single plant broad system changes to support these efforts, and
manufacturing whey protein. connect with local communities. Organisational
initiatives for healthier eating should be implemented
So the government needs to incentivise and by employers, communities, schools, hospitals, and
encourage companies to make investments in such religious institutions. Advocacy groups and scientists
plants. To help draw attention to this, the government should collaborate to spread best practices and hold
can give an exemption from GST, reduce import taxes, government and industry accountable for significant
and give land subsidies to set up such plants. Nutritional change.
standards for food sold and served in public settings are
established by healthy public food procurement and Because numerous players must be involved in
service policies. These regulations either expand the effective nutrition policies and programmes, clear
selection of foods that support healthy eating or restrict ground rules for public-private interactions are required.
or outright ban the distribution of foods that support The food business must use its experience, scale,
unhealthy eating. creativity, and marketing to develop, distribute, and sell
healthier foods, as well as to form transparent, serious
The government has a crucial role in addressing collaborations with academics, advocacy groups, and
population health, lifestyle choices, health inequities and the government. To accomplish this, the ultimate success
of the food sector should be related to the provision
of healthy, properly packaged foods in a sustainable,
equitable, and profitable manner.

Final thoughts
In this day and age, everyone wants to eat healthy

and nutritious food, however, the cost of these food
items is a major barrier to their consumption. It’s time
that the government looks deeper into the industry
and lays out plans to incentivise the sector and attract
the investor community. Governments should actively
design and execute policies to promote strategic and
long-term change, since multi-sectoral approaches are
required to achieve healthy food systems. Governments
should also review if the techniques deployed are having
the desired impact, identify and address inequities, and
detect unexpected outcomes. This data should be made
available to the general public, academia, and other
organisations.

So we can say that the future is optimistic, provided
that timely actions are taken to boost this sector.

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

Sanjeev Chopra steps in as Secretary,
Department of Food & Public Distribution

Sanjeev Chopra has assumed Department during 1999-2000. He Industrial Infrastructure
charge as Secretary, Department handled the State Co-Operative Development Corporation and
of Food and Public Distribution in Banks during 2000-2004 in the
the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, capacity of Managing Director. Odisha Mining Corporation.
Food & Public Distribution with From 2007-2014, he served in Chopra has been
effect from October 31, 2022. Lal Bahadur Shastri National rewarded by the
He is a 1990 Batch IAS officer Academy of Administration Government of India
of Odisha Cadre. He started (LBSNAA), Mussoorie as with the National
his career as Sub Collector in Senior Deputy Director/ e-Governance Award
Baripada (Odisha). He served as Joint Director. From 2015 for Excellence
District Collector and District up to October 2022, he has in Government
Magistrate in Koraput, Odisha served under the Government Process Re-
from 1995 to 1997. He served as of Odisha as Chairman Industrial engineering for Digital
Director/Deputy Secretary in the Promotion and Investment Transformation in the
Technical Education & Training Corporation, Year 2020 and
2021.

iThrive names Universal
NutriScience appoints
Prasad Gade as Pratin Vete as CEO

Marketing Head Universal NutriScience (UNS), a Mumbai-based nutraceutical
company that is delivering best-in-class nutraceutical and
iThrive, a Pune-based health & wellness lifestyle products, has announced the appointment of Pratin
startup, has announced the appointment Vete as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company.
of Prasad Gade as the Head of Marketing Prior to joining Universal NutriScience, Vete led the Rs 2,000
to strengthen its leadership team. At the crore India formulations business at Emcure Pharmaceuticals.
As the President, he was
company’s helm, Gade will responsible for strategy and
be accountable for handling business transformation across
overall marketing strategies multiple therapeutic categories
& brand positioning along with 3000 strong sales force
with sustainable growth while navigating through the
& advanced marketing COVID-19 pandemic. Previously,
innovations. He comes with he led the Rs 1,600 crore chronic
the experience of over seven care business in Cipla with a
years & has worked with team of 3,000 people. Vete held
numerous startups in the senior positions of increasing responsibilities in Sanofi India
past, along with co-founding also. Most notable amongst them being the Commercial
two, & has been a catalyst for Head for the large heritage business and driving it to be
the accelerated growth of all firms. Gade has the strategic growth driver for the company. He oversaw
successfully built & scaled the business of many the Business Excellence function with strong emphasis
companies like AmbiTech Healthcare, Study IQ on digital tools. With over 30+ years of experience in the
Education, Xoomclass, and Cre8Gre8. Marketing pharmaceutical industry and a strong foundation in business
automation & growth hacks play a crucial role in development, strategic planning and implementation, Vete
Gade’s methods, along with ideas of marketing is a stalwart in his field with the backing of a vast portfolio of
followed by performance marketing. He further large-scale P&L management and commercial orientation.
contributes to the Indian startup ecosystem
by creating YouTube videos & sharing amazing
content about emerging ventures.

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

GNT unveils green Arjuna Natural’s
EXBERRY powder botanical blend provides
made from turmeric pain relief at half dose
and spirulina
Results of a third clinical study reveal that Kochi-based Arjuna
The Netherlands-based GNT has extended its Natural’s Rhuleave-K is also effective in pain relief at a dosage
range of green EXBERRY Colouring Foods with a 50 per cent that of the previous two studies. The blend of
new powder made from turmeric and spirulina. pure extracts of frankincense (Boswellia serrata) and turmeric
EXBERRY Shade Bright Green Powder is designed (Curcuma longa) already was recognised in the first studies
to deliver bright, bluish green shades in dry as providing relief of acute musculoskeletal pain following
exercise, demonstrating a
and powdered strong cumulative pain relief
applications such effect at 1,000mg. In response
as bakery mixes to the impressive results of the
and seasonings. current study, the researchers
Based on the note that it was encouraging
concept of to find that Rhuleave-K works
colouring food well even at 500mg. Joint and
with food, the tendon pain is one of the leading
powder is created causes of visits to health and
from edible, medical practitioners. As a
plant-based raw discipline, pain management
materials using has become a primary category
only traditional physical processing methods. As for specialisation. Typically,
a result, it is considered to be a food ingredient persons suffering from such pain,
rather than an additive in the EU and many whether from overexertion, injury, or inflammation, turn to
other parts of the world. Available alongside over-the-counter analgesics, such as aspirin or paracetamol.
the liquid-based EXBERRY Shade Jade Green, it But such medicines, while generally safe, can have undesired
means manufacturers can now deliver bluish side effects and risks. Increasingly, consumers are seeking
green shades in almost any application while more natural solutions to address physical health needs.
maintaining clean and clear labels.

Azelis strengthens food &
nutrition presence in India and Indonesia

Belgium headquartered company, ingredients enhances the group’s in creating inspiring flavour
Azelis has announced a new position in the local food & nutrition ingredients and solutions, and is
partnership with German firm market segment. Symrise specialises recognised for its taste balancing
Symrise, in India and Indonesia. options and natural ingredients
Effective immediately, the new that meet consumer demands
mandate builds on existing and market trends. The addition of
relationships with Symrise in other Symrise’s flavour portfolio broadens
markets, and sees Azelis adding Azelis’ comprehensive offering
Symrise’s dairy, confectionery and in India and Indonesia, enabling
bakery flavour portfolio to the it to offer new formulations and
group’s food & nutrition lateral ingredient insights to partners.
value chain in India. For Indonesia, This collaboration will enhance the
the addition of Symrise’s dairy, consumer experience with solutions
bakery, processed meat and that enrich taste and improve the
culinary application flavours and nutritional profile of end products.

46 INGARCEADIEMNTICS NEWS NUFNFOUOFFDOSOSDPSESCPTERCUTMRUM| |DecMemarbcehr 20221 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Firmenich IFF to develop state-of-the-art
global citrus innovation centre
inaugurates
IFF and Florida Polytechnic for Florida Poly students in areas
new Campus University recently laid the of research and development,
foundation for the new Citrus customer experience, supply
in Geneva Innovation Centre, located on the and operational coordination
University’s campus in Lakeland, and entrepreneurship.
Firmenich has officially inaugurated Florida in the US. The nearly Additionally, IFF will support the
its new campus in Geneva, in the 30,000-sq-ft, standalone building University through funding and
presence of local dignitaries and will support global citrus research collaborating on faculty research,
authorities. This new campus, at and development, and will sponsoring senior capstone
the cutting edge of the industry include sensory and experience projects, and supporting
from both a technology and venues, research labs, processing, academic programmes. The new,
capacity perspective, represents analytical departments, a fully best-in-class centre for excellence
Firmenich’s commitment to equipped citrus garden and is designed, engineered and
operational excellence. The total amenities for hosting customers constructed by Ryan Companies,
investment for this multi-year and partners. IFF will be the first who upon completion, will
project amounts to nearly CHF company located on Florida maintain the building. The
200 million and confirms the Poly’s campus. The company sprawling, glass-fronted building
importance of Geneva for the long anticipates providing hands-on and surrounding grounds are
term. Firmenich Geneva includes: internships and job opportunities slated for completion in late 2023.
three technologically advanced
production plants with adjacent
lab capabilities for Perfumery, Taste
& Beyond and Ingredients creation;
a logistics hub and automated
warehouse; an R&D biotech pilot
plant; and a pavilion for work and
social gatherings where people
can also enjoy meals. The Geneva
campus was built in various phases,
starting in December 2017 and the
final fitting was done in February
2021.

Roquette launches new line of organic pea ingredients

French firm Roquette has range of pea starch and pea protein planned for other markets. This new
announced the launch of a new ingredients in North America, organic line is perfectly adapted
line of organic pea ingredients: Mexico and Europe, with a rollout for specialised nutrition, non-dairy
organic pea starch and organic or meat alternative markets. The
pea protein. These ingredients are new line of organic pea protein
produced at its plant in Portage la isolate comes in addition to the
Prairie (MB, Canada) and supported already available NUTRALYS
by peas sourced in a network of organic textured proteins in EU
organic pea growers from Canada. and US markets. To offer these
With these new solutions, Roquette premium organic pea-based
enables its customers to choose solutions, Roquette relies on its
the food they want to offer to farmers’ network who are growing
consumers with quality, reliability organic peas, on the security of the
and full traceability back to the supply and the certification of its
farm. Roquette is first launching the production facility.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | December 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SUPPLIER NEWS 47

Siegwerk, Henkel create new solution Umasree
for recyclable flexible packaging Texplast
partners with
German firms Siegwerk and North America and Europe. Other Packem to
Henkel are both market leaders regions will follow throughout manufacture
for sustainable solutions. Both 2023. Working in close partnership, eco-friendly
companies have joined forces to Henkel and Siegwerk shared bags by using
co-develop an innovative oxygen knowledge and explored ideas for rPET
barrier coating. The new solution how to create a barrier solution
provides outstanding performance for flexible packaging without Ahmedabad-based Umasree
and also enables mono-material compromising shelf-life. The result Texplast is partnering with
flexible packaging that is easier is an industrially validated oxygen Brazil’s Packem for setting up
to recycle – opening up exciting barrier coating that enables mono- a plant near Ahmedabad, with
potential to accelerate the material flexible packaging for dry an investment of $15 million
transition to a circular economy. food products, setting recyclers (approx. Rs 120 crore), to
The two companies share a free from the headache of mixed produce 100 per cent sustainable
pioneering spirit and a long track materials. Recently, the product FIBC (Flexible Intermediate Bulk
record of efficiency and food has been recognised by APR Container) /jumbo bags made of
safe packaging. They also share (Association of Plastics Recyclers) recycled or rPET. Umasree holds
a belief that the transition to a Critical Guidance to be compatible a 49 per cent equity in Packem
circular economy will require new with recycling. Umasree, the joint venture (JV),
technologies – and new forms of and Packem, which recently
collaboration, too. Representatives became the first Brazilian
from Siegwerk and Henkel met in company to produce 100 per
2019 and agreed to co-develop cent sustainable FIBC/jumbo
an oxygen barrier coating for bags made from Post-Consumer
more recyclable food packaging. Recycled (reprocessed) or PCR
In 2022, the companies are all plastic, will hold 51 per cent.
set to launch that solution in Packem Umasree will be the
first company in India to start
Tetra Pak accelerates recycling producing FIBC/ jumbo bags
of used cartons in Tamil Nadu made from 100% rPET/ PCR with
the concept of Bottle to Bag. The
Swiss firm Tetra Pak has joined hands with Chennai based Earth Recycler to new production unit to come
accelerate the recycling of used Tetra Pak cartons in the city. This project will near Ahmedabad is expected
focus on increasing collection of used carton packages from Zone 7, 8, and 13 to create about 700 jobs. The
of Chennai, while also raising awareness about plant will help India become
the value of used cartons packages among self-reliant as well as emerge as
the waste trade and creating a dedicated a hub for exports of the bags.
recycling stream for used cartons. In the first The special technology for the
year, the programme expects to collect over 13 production of high-performance
million cartons for recycling while generating fabrics from recycled rPET/
direct employment for over 10 residents and PCR is exclusive to the Austrian
indirect employment for over 1200 others Company Starlinger, the world
across the waste management value chain. The leader in the production of
programme will be executed by Earth Recycler, machines for raffia plastic
a well-known waste management company based in Chennai. They provide packaging and recycling
waste management solutions and services to corporate organisations, equipment for plastics.
educational institutions, residential apartments, urban local bodies and to
the general community at large.

48 ASCUAPDPELMIEIRC NEWS NUFNFOUOFFDOSOSDPSESCPTERCUTMRUM| |DecMemarbcehr 20221 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Agilent joins Manjushree signs MoU
with IISc for innovative
How2Recycle recyclable plastic packaging

Programme Bengaluru-based Manjushree Technopack has signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to
Agilent Technologies Inc. has create innovative and sustainable plastic packaging solutions. As part
become a member of How2Recycle, of the MoU, IISc will establish a Centre of Excellence for upcycling and
a standardised labelling system
owned by Delaware nonprofit Green recycling thermoplastics used in
Blue Institute, Inc. The programme a wide spectrum of rigid plastic
involves a coalition of forward- packaging present in everyday
thinking brands who want their life, ranging from soft drink
packaging to be recycled and are bottles to cleaning products
empowering consumers to do it such as washing tablets. The
through smart packaging labels. By organisations will also collaborate
joining the programme, Agilent is to develop a recyclable
responding to its customers’ need elastomeric material for all plastic
for better information about the pumps and triggers and also
correct disposal of Agilent product work to strengthen the caps of
packaging. Through the membership, PET bottles, which are made from
Agilent will have access to the official 100 per cent recyclable plastic.
recycling labels they can then use on One of the key aims of this MoU
all, or a selection of their packaging. is to replace a number of non-
Every package that features a recyclable packaging materials
How2Recycle label undergoes with recyclable monolayer materials, which shall help make transport
an individualised recyclability cheaper and reduce breakage and damage. Another area of focus for
assessment based on detailed the collaboration is the replacement of cardboard-based packaging,
packaging specifications that the such as that used in pizza boxes, with foamed polyolefins, offering
company sends How2Recycle via its improved thermal insulation and weight reduction.
member platform.

Waters automates solid phase extraction of
food samples with Andrew+ Pipetting Robot

Waters Corporation has introduced four hours of bench time for each and intuitive user interface,
Extraction+ Connected Device, sample set and reduce the risk OneLab Software makes it easy for
a new software-controlled of user-to-user variability. The designing and executing automated
product for the Waters Andrew+ Extraction+ Connected Device is sample preparation protocols such
Pipetting Robot that automates one of several “connected devices” as pipetting, shaking, cooling and
the preparation of biological, for the Andrew+ Pipetting Robot, heating, and purifying genomic,
food, forensics and environmental which are controlled using Waters’ plasmid and mitochondrial DNA
samples by solid phase extraction OneLab Software. With a simple samples. The Extraction+ Connected
(SPE). The Extraction+
Connected Device Device consists of a new
eliminates the need to smart pump, a manifold
manually pipette and for holding 1cc, 3cc and
extract samples with a 6cc cartridges or elution
hands-free, automated plates, and software for
approach to SPE. It can creating and controlling
save scientists up to pressure gradients during
SPE cleanup procedures.

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

Sidel opens new hub to develop
design for recycling primary packaging

Sidel has opened a new hub PET recycling line will allow Sidel to r-PET resin, the facility will become
dedicated to PET (polyethylene develop advanced knowledge about an important reference for raw
terephthalate) recycling. At its the recycling of food-contact PET material producers, recyclers and
unique small-scale PET recycling bottles. As Sidel packaging experts recycling regulatory organisations.
pilot line in Octeville, France, Sidel assess the impact of additives and The line will also enable Sidel to
will develop its understanding of primary packaging materials on further develop its own knowledge,
PET recycling with the aim of giving ideas and innovative packaging
comprehensive support to the solutions. Demand for r-PET is
market as it switches to greater use increasing and the market is
of recycled PET. Seeking carbon developing as brand owners seek
neutrality, the packaging industry is carbon neutral solutions. The
in the middle of a transition period amount of recycled PET in packaging
that aims to replace virgin PET with globally has increased to 8 per cent
recycled PET. Sidel is engaging with compared to 5 per cent in 2018. In
this transition to circular packaging Europe, the average is already 15 per
solutions, enabling r-PET to be more cent and is projected to grow to 35
widely used. The unique small-scale per cent in 2030.

Hygiena launches Danfoss strengthens
new SureTrend cloud
food safety software expertise in natural

US-based Hygiena has announced the launch of a new SureTrend refrigerants technology
Cloud tiered Software as a Solution (SaaS) offering. It empowers
food safety and quality managers with actionable data-driven Danfoss has announced the intent to acquire
insights necessary to make important business decisions that compressor manufacturer BOCK GmbH,
reduce risk and maximise profit. This sophisticated tool offers headquartered in Frickenhausen, Baden-
a robust set of dynamic dashboards to visualise and report Württemberg, Germany, from NORD Holding
environmental monitoring, food safety and quality test results GmbH. With over 50 years of history and
across multiple facilities. It also sends useful alerts when assets under management of €2.5 billion,
something is not working to specification. Hygiena’s proven NORD Holding is one of the leading private
and secure system already has large numbers of accounts in the equity asset management companies in
cloud and has now been enhanced to offer a service component Germany. With the acquisition, Danfoss adds
to all current as well as future users. By embracing digital the world’s largest portfolios of semi-hermetic
connectivity and continuing to add more, which in the future compressors for natural refrigerants such
will also include all food safety data points, Hygiena diagnostic as CO2 (R744), hydrocarbons, and other
results, as well as other diagnostic findings to the SureTrend low-GWP refrigerants to its already strong
Cloud solution, the company is advancing food safety globally. portfolio of oil-free centrifugal compressors,
inverter-scroll, reciprocating and screw
compressors, and condensing units. With an
existing workforce of around 350 compressor
specialists worldwide and four manufacturing
sites in Frickenhausen, Germany, Stribo,
Czech Republic, Bangalore, India, and
Suzhou, China, BOCK GmbH has built a strong
reputation as a high-end, quality compressor
manufacturer serving mobile and stationary
refrigeration systems in transport, bus, retails,
logistics, storage, and food processing.

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

Why Is India Not Embracing GMO?

On October 18, 2022, the Philippines FMI noted that GM foods have many health
marked Bt eggplant as its third genetically benefits attributed to consumption. Unlike non-
engineered (GE) crop approved for GM food, GM food does not cause cancer; neither
commercialisation, following Bt corn and does it cause gastrointestinal discomfort. The
Golden Rice. Bt eggplant’s approval is proof that genetic structure of modified food products is
the Philippines is committed to science and such that it doesn’t affect the health of humans.
improvements in biotechnology as a tool to The alteration is carried out to enhance nutritional
advance Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) value, enhance food taste, and prevent allergies to
2 that entails ending hunger, achieving food some food products. These attributes are driving
security, and promoting sustainable agriculture, the market forward over the years.
which India, too, is working towards.
Besides, stringent governmental regulations on
In July this year, Nigeria and the USA, too, the usage of pesticides or harmful toxic substances
have approved the Wheat Event HB4 for food in farm products is another factor slated to drive
and feed, and Corn Event MON87429 for food the market forward since most pesticides often
and feed, respectively. In June we witnessed two remain on plants as residue and this has adverse
governments giving approval for genetically effects on the health of humans.
modified (GM) crops namely Ghana approving
Cowpea Event AAT709A for food, feed, and In reply to a question 'Are GM foods safe?',
cultivation on June 30 and the USA for the Wheat the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2014,
Event HB4 for food and feed, on June 22. Earlier, noted that GM foods that are currently available
in May as well we had Turkey approving the Maize on the international market have passed safety
Event MON87427 for feed and Australia and New assessments and are not likely to present risks
Zealand approving Wheat Event HB4 for food and for human health. In addition, no effects on
feed. human health have been shown as a result of
the consumption of such foods by the general
In March this year, the USA approved three population in the countries where they have
events namely Canola Events NS-B5ØØ27-4 (food been approved. Continuous application of safety
and feed), Canola Event LBFLFK (food and feed) assessments based on the Codex Alimentarius
and Soyabean Event GMB151 for cultivation. Since principles and, where appropriate, adequate post
January 2022, 10 GM crop Events have received market monitoring, should form the basis for
approvals from both developing and developed ensuring the safety of GM foods.
nations, according to the International Service
for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications Since GM food can be used in the production
(ISAAA). There are 45 countries that have already of various food products, this has given it an edge
approved 32 GM crops. in the global market. GM food is already being
used in the beverage industry, food processing
As per the list of Bioengineered (BE) foods industry, and many others. Changing taste
developed and maintained by the Agricultural preferences of consumers along with requirements
Marketing Service (AMS), an agency of the United for nutritionally rich foods is positively influencing
States Department of Agriculture there are 13 BE the demand for GM foods. Furthermore, the
foods that are available in a BE form throughout diversity in the application in the food and
the world, for which regulated entities must beverage industry is a significant factor expected
maintain records. to promote the growth of the GM food market in
the coming years.
According to a report from Future Market
Insights (FMI), the global GM food market garnered In view of such a scenario of positive adoption
a market value of $102,800 million in 2022 and of GMO across the globe, why isn't India ready to
is projected to increase at a CAGR of 6.2 per cent embrace it and solve its edible oil, nutritional and
from 2022 to 2032, reaching a total of $188,132.77 food crunch?
million in 2032. From 2016 to 2021, sales witnessed
significant growth, registering a CAGR of 5.8 per Narayan Kulkarni
cent. Editor

[email protected]