The Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown last year has resulted in a drastic change in the eating habits of most Indians.
While earlier, there was an established pattern of three meals a day, post-pandemic it has transformed into a multiple snacking pattern, with 'clean snacks' having high nutritional value being preferred over fast food.
Even before purchasing packaged food, people can now be seen inquiring about the ingredients, avoiding any food that has preservatives and artificial food colouring, calling it 'clean food'.
According to a recent survey conducted by a market research company on 3,000 people over the age of 18, the market for clean snacks has grown from 10-12 per cent to almost 20 per cent in the last year. 64 per cent of the participants accepted that the age-old pattern of three square meals has been replaced by taking multiple healthy snacks throughout the day. 47 per cent said that they snack two to three times a day, while 27 per cent revealed that they consume snacks even at night.
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85 per cent stated that while purchasing ready-to-eat snacks, they take special note of their brand, packing, and nutritional value. 40 per cent said that their snacking frequency has increased due to the Covid-19 stay-at-home routine.
Rishikesh Aravkar, associate director (India and Thailand) of the global market research company, said that snacking frequency has increased rapidly over the past year and has replaced regular meals for many individuals. Healthy snacks have become the go-to thing, while products with low-grade packaging, using preservatives, and other harmful ingredients are finding the market much tougher these days. Catchphrases like 'Free from Gluten', 'Free from Artificial Colours', 'No Preservatives' are suddenly in vogue.
Mayank Shah, category head of Parle Products, said that the trend of clean snacks has grown tremendously over the past year. Although taste is still the first parameter in choosing any snack, the consumers are far more health-conscious now than they were a year earlier. Preservatives and artificial colours are suddenly pariahs of the market and products using them are finding it difficult to find buyers.
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Sahil Gilani, sales director of GITS, one of the largest company producing ready-to-eat food products, said, “We do not sell any product that cannot be enjoyed by the customer, so the taste is still our first priority. But care is also taken that the product is natural, as the consumers have grown aware of the harmful effects of simplest of chemical preservatives. All GITS products are preservative-free, which is specifically mentioned on the packaging.”
Talking to India Today, senior citizen Uma Shanker Sharma said that it is better to eat healthily and eat at home since ready-to-eat food sold in the market always has some sort of natural or artificial ingredient to preserve it from deteriorating with time. He said that although the snacking habit has developed rather quickly over the last year, most households still believe that there should be at least two regular meals in a day to keep the body's natural functions in order.
Clean snacking is the latest fad among Indians in the Covid era - India Today
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