Packaged food companies push better-for-you snacks
In a sluggish packaged-food market, constant innovation and a stream of new product launches are fuelling growth, as companies race to attract consumers seeking better-for-you options with fresh formats and flavours.
India’s food culture is evolving, with consumers rediscovering traditional ingredients, seeking mindful snacking options.
As part of this trend, PepsiCo India’s homegrown brand Kurkure is marking its 25th year by an entry into millet-based snacking.
“By bringing together the power of millets with the chatpata taste Kurkure is loved for, we are addressing emerging consumer preferences while reinforcing our commitment to innovations that are proudly ‘Made in India’, for India.
We believe Kurkure Jowar Puffs will not only celebrate India’s time-honoured grain, jowar, in a fun, modern way, but also help shape the next chapter of growth for the snacking industry,” Saakshi Verma Menon, the company’s chief marketing officer for foods, said.
Charting new strategy
Two years ago, millet-based foods were largely confined to health aisles in modern retail stores.
That picture has changed dramatically.
“As value growth in the FMCG sector returned in 2024-25, with rural markets even outpacing urban growth, newer categories like millets benefited from increased consumer willingness to try better-for-you alternatives.
Today, these are embedded in mass formats and quick-service restaurants,” said Chirag Jain, partner and food processing industry leader, Grant Thornton Bharat. For FMCG biggie, ITC, the Mission Millets lineup – spanning atta, cookies, noodles and snacks – fits into its broader ‘Help India Eat Better’ nutrition strategy, reflecting consumer interest in health, convenience and occasional indulgence.“There has been a notable increase in consumption as millet-based products are now readily available in convenient formats across e-commerce and quick commerce platforms,” Hemant Malik, executive director, ITC said.
Meghana Narayan, co-founder, Wholsum Foods (Slurrp Farm & Mille) said, “A large part of our demand comes from digital-first consumers, who are actively seeking better nutrition, so we haven’t seen a slowdown in adoption.
While millets remain central to our approach, we’ve also been expanding the idea of what ‘better-for-you’ can mean.”
