Last week, the Godrej Food Trends Report 2023 was released that highlighted snacking has gained a fresh lease of life in India. It points out, “Indians will enthusiastically embrace any and all snacking propositions in 2023, and eagerly explore both global and regional Indian flavours. Flavour, texture, and satiation will be paramount, but snacks that combine these with health and convenience will attract customers looking to eat mindfully.”
There is an interesting historical tidbit when it comes to snacking and Indian cuisine. The report quoted food historian Dr Mohsina Mukadam as saying, in Indian homes there was no concept of daily snacks in the past, as they were reserved especially for festivals. Snacking, according to her, is related to convenience which seeped in when people’s lifestyles changed and they started going to office, and even more so when ‘women joined the workforce’ and had to juggle responsibilities related to work and home. These two factors, Mukadam says, spurred the production of packaged and ready-to-cook snacks.
On Thursday, The India Snacking Report was released by Godrej Yummiez. It had 2815 respondents and was conducted across 10 cities—Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. It reveals that Indians prefer snacking on weekends, at parties or when they are entertaining guests.
In the weekend snacking category, Chennai held the top score at 49% score, Pune ranked second at 47% score, followed by Delhi and Lucknow at 46%. In the list of cities that tilted towards parties and snacking while hosting guests, Lucknow—known for its unmatched mehmaan nawazi (hospitality)—secured the first position at 54%, followed by Jaipur at 50% and Kolkata at 47%. Additionally, the report revealed the several food items that Indians consider as snacks. The top five include, chips and nachos; biscuits and cakes; namkeens; sandwiches; and cooked pakodas and bread pakodas.
