India’s Food Vision of the Next Decade Essay Example

align="justify">This has translated into the migration of both the skilled and unskilled workforce from rural areas to major cities resulting in an increasing proportion of nuclear families combined with higher employment possibilities for women. The rural-to-urban migration trend coupled with other factors such as increased exposure to the media and paucity of time has not only led to changes in awareness of gender equality and rights but also changes in the habits of people towards traditional household chores such as grocery-shopping and cooking.

The trend towards preferences for ready to eat or frozen food is bound to intensify with improvements in packaging technology and infrastructure.

Exhibit 3: Enrolment of Women in Different Faculties 16 51 44 37 39 40 33 44 37 47 12 35 38 10 8 21 16 22 17 20 6 4 2 Art Science Medicine Agriculture Veterinary Engineering Commerce Sciences ; Technology Management 1995-96 2001-01 CAGR Law Education Others 0 CAGR (%) 14 60 50 Women as % of total enrolment 40 30 20 14 10 0 41 17 18 Source: Selected Education Statistics, 2004-05; Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2007; Technopak Analysis

India’s Food Vision: The Next Decade | 74 perspective | Volume 04 a quar terly repor t by Vol u me 0 4 / 2 0 1 0 In 1981, the number of women entering the workforce was estimated to be 20 per cent; this grew to 23 per cent in 1991 and further rose to 26 per cent in 2001. Currently, it is estimated to be around 30–35 percent of the total working population amounting to ~150–170 million women. Indian women are increasingly seeking greater participation in

the organised workforce, accounting for 20-25 percent of the total organised workforce of 30-35 million (refer exhibit 3).

A good example is the huge success of instant noodles in India. Popularised by Nestle, the instant, 2-minute noodle carved out an entirely new category and the non-ethnic and quick cooking practice (as opposed to traditional Indian cooking) was welcomed and adopted by the Indian consumer.

The emergence of newer categories as well as eating formats such as roadside restaurants, food courts, cafes, kiosks, lounges, etc. are some of the other examples. The new enabler to this change is the Internet, which offers the quickest and easiest channel for routine work such as ordering food and groceries besides other items.

Exhibit 4: Changing Food Habits of the Indian Consumer Types of Changes Become more health conscious now, regarding food consumed Eat more junk food now Eat less often at roadside eating joints or carts Eat more food now Eat out at hotels more often now Eat western cuisine more often now Source: Technopak Healthcare Outlook % 51 15 15 14 5 5 Palate and Lifestyle Changes Rising income and growing urbanisation have contributed to a shift in traditional Indian food habits. Driven by higher disposable incomes, Indians are increasingly travelling within India and globally and are exposed to diverse lifestyles.

This has given birth to a new generation of consumers with a global orientation in food habits.

According to a Euromonitor report, it is anticipated that there would be a dramatic rise in the number of Indians travelling abroad – 132 per cent between 2006 and 2011. It is also expected that the total number of outbound

travellers is set to reach 16. 3 million in 2011 alone. Exhibit 5: Allocation of Shelf Space to Imported Food Products Locations South India South India Chennai and Bangalore (South India) Bangalore Chennai (South India ) Across India Mumbai NCR-Delhi % 10 12 5 4 40 3 7 25

Retailer Foodworld Nilgiris Vitan ABG-More Nuts n Spices Food Bazaar Reliance Crossroads Source: Industry Sources, Technopak Analysis High-income urban dwellers are seeking variety in their choice of foods and are willing to spend more on international cuisine, including fast food. Indians have become open to experimenting with newer tastes and multiple cuisines have found a way into Indian kitchens, leading to a diversification in the Indian palate (refer exhibit 4). This has created opportunities for imported food products such as pasta, sauces, salad dressings, dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese, etc.

refer exhibit 5). Adoption of higher energy density diets, sedentary work and leisure habits coupled with reduced physical activity have resulted in an increase in incidences of non-communicable diseases, thus making consumers aware of the importance of health, food and exercise, and driving the demand for more nutritious and fortified health foods (refer exhibit 6). As a result, Indian consumers have now become more sensitive to the health quotient of food consumed and the market for health and wellness food has been rising.