Anuradha Sridharan

 I neither watch TV nor I read newspapers. So the only way I get to know about latest packaged food launches is through food bloggers who write sponsored/promotional posts. One such product that is being promoted aggressively is “ Quaker Oats + Milk ”. And the caption that caught my attention is “ Co-created with Sachin Tendulkar ”. Before we proceed, let me admit that I used to be a huge, huge fan of Sachin when he was playing active cricket. After retirement, I was hoping that he would teach his batting skills to talented youngsters, become a mentor / coach or something. It is a shame that he decided to co-create “junk foods”.  Let me first list down the facts about this drink.  It is a milk-based drink, made with oats (India’s one-of-a-kind grain-dairy beverage). It comes in two flavours - almond and mango. The product’s promise is that it has fiber advantage and helps in digestion.  I looked at the ingredients list of the almond flavoured milk...

In my previous post , I wrote about how a brand hopped onto the “diabetes” bandwagon through a minor change in their existing product mix. In today’s post, let me share with you an example of how a brand not only tweaks its product slightly but also commands a premium by taking a “diabetes” focused positioning. I discover such new products, thanks to food bloggers who generously promote them. One such discovery is this new “ Sugar Release Control Atta ” under the parent brand of Aashirvaad from ITC. I even saw a huge hoarding in ORR (Bangalore) a few weeks back. The product’s promise as picked up from their site: Aashirvaad Sugar Release Control Atta is a blend of whole wheat flour and pulse/legume flours forming a unique "Natural Grain mix". Ingredients like Oats and Methi ensure that this Atta is high in protein and fibre with a Low Glycemic Index.  Wait a minute! So through this product, is the brand saying that all those diabetic patients who eat regul...

The reason why I studied marketing and consumer behavior with so much interest 8 years back seems to become clear now. When education blends with your passion/purpose, it feels like magic.  Over the last few days, my social media feed is flooded with updates from food bloggers on this newly launched Fortune Vivo diabetes care oil. No one cared to explain what the oil is made of, how it manages diabetes, how it regulates blood sugar etc. The copy just sounded like they were being instructed to include these key phrases - “clinically proven”, “insulin sensitivity”, “manage sugar levels”, “regulate blood sugar”.  So I went to the store this morning as I was really curious to know what this miracle oil is made of: As you can see, it is a mixture of “ physically refined rice bran oil (80%) and filtered sesame oil (20%) ”. The pack also states “ Patent applied ” on its front side, to sound as though it is a revolutionary innovation.  Surprised how clever ...

Over the past few days, news about plastic rice went viral all over social media. If we stopped for a minute and thought whether the news made any sense before sharing, we could have stopped it from going viral. Do take a few minutes and watch this well-explained video on  - why plastic rice is not an economically viable option, even if it was a reason to sell adulterated rice - why a ball of cooked rice will bounce Our farmers are already facing issues of drought, selling below MSP and what not….Do we have to burden them more by spreading such illogical rumours and curbing the demand for rice? Is this a conspiracy of Western corporations who are behind these rumours, in their grand plans of controlling India’s food market? Maybe, I’m not sure. But from our side, let’s be responsible citizens and stop spreading rumours about plastic rice in social media.  Even before this rumour started, rice has been blamed for the rise of diabetes and obesity rela...

Image Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-57892920110624  I vividly remember this discussion that happened in Consumer Behavior class 9 years ago. The session was on diffusion of innovation and our Professor was giving an example of how Kelloggs failed to launch their brand of cereals in India in the 1970s. The test sample couldn’t relate to the breakfast cereal concept. Since they were used to the habit of eating fresh, hot preparations for breakfast, they couldn’t bring themselves to eat a bowl of cereal with cold milk. It failed to meet their “fresh” expectations. They strongly believed in their prevailing food culture and eating habits.  When we were kids, if our mom/grandmom makes idli/dosa for breakfast almost every single day, we would crib, “ ennamma, daily idli dosai yaa? ”. But the present generation kids are content with having a bowl of chocos with milk every single day. If at all they want a change, it is either bread toast with jam or pancak...

Recently, I attended a one-day workshop on “ vaazhviyal maruthuvam ” (Traditional Living as medicine) conducted by Thiru.Senthamizhan who runs this organization named "Semmai vanam". I had earlier read his book “Inippu” where he talks about diabetes and how it is a disease invented by the pharma industry. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in knowing why diabetes has become a brand these days. The workshop was in Tamil and so I wanted to jot down my notes in English, so more people can benefit from it. Senthamizhan started off with two important issues that indicate how far we have deviated from our roots. 1. Lack of self-freedom => When we feel sick, there is no freedom to take rest and recover. We are dependent on our sick leaves and tied down by our work responsibilities. 2. Lack of compassion towards our family members => He gave an example of applying oil / massaging the joints, that used to be the norm a couple of decades back. We ha...