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Healthy food: A file picture of Mr Ravi Navare, Chief Executive, ITC Foods (left), and cricketer and brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar launching the special edition of the Sunfeast Sachin Fit Kit range in Kolkata.

Debdatta Das

New Delhi, Jan. 1 ITC Ltd, having established its food brands in the domestic market, is all set to increase focus on health and wellness-oriented products within the segment.

The company, which already has a clutch of brands such as Sunfeast, Kitchens of India and Bingo, is going to launch several health, wellness and nutrition-based brands as well as products within the existing brands in keeping with the current market trends.

Mr Ravi Navare, Chief Executive, ITC Foods, had told Business Line, “Currently there are primarily three growth drivers within the packaged food segment in India. First, aspirational products where consumers look for branding and quality assurance. Second, urbanised convenience foods such as ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products. Third, health and wellness products, given the hectic lifestyle most consumers lead today.”

Amongst the slew of health and wellness product launches expected from the company is Bennevita Flax Seed biscuits, under the Sunfeast brand, with ingredients that lower cholesterol levels and maintain gut health. The company is also poised to launch sugar sprinkled biscuits within the nutrition-based product offerings, by the month end.

Mr Navare said, “We are also planning to extend the entire health and wellness orientation towards our ready-to-eat and-cook segments.” He, however, declined to divulge the details.

Industry watchers see the development as having substantial impact on other players such as Hindustan Unilever. As one of them pointed out, “ITC Foods’ product basket cuts across categories such as snacks and confectionery to ready-to-eat. It is also growing at rates higher than that of the industry. In this case, an increased focus on health and wellness could pressurise HUL to ramp up.”

He explained that for HUL, Knorr is the only nutrition-based food brand. Considering that within the Rs 70,000-crore FMCG industry, the largest chunk, almost 22 per cent, is captured by food, no player can afford to fall behind.

ITC already has health and wellness products such as the Sunfeast Sachin’s Fit Kit, Sunfeast Milky Magic and Sunfeast Pasta Treat in its portfolio.

More Stories on : Strategy | Outlook | Foods & Food Processing | I T C Ltd

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ITC to increase focus on health, wellness food products

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