Anuradha Sridharan

I guess I spoke too soon in my post on Saffola Masala oats . Maggi is indeed associating with “health” tags as well, and their recent launch of oats nutri-licious noodles is the proof. The ad carries all the messages linked to health, conveyed using a contemporary plot. An independent daughter is chatting with her mother through a video call. While she is making breakfast, the mother is worried about her exercise and eating habits. And she insists that she should atleast have a good breakfast. The daughter immediately shows her bowl of “oats Maggi” and the mother is stunned.  I had the same expression too on my face, while watching this ad - “good breakfast” translates to “oats Maggi”? Can it get any worse than this? The ad makers have so much confidence that people would believe in such messages. (“ Dei, neengellam engerndhu dhaan da vareenga? ” - “where do you guys come from?") Are we that naive? The ad and the packaging focus on these two claims: ...

Off late, there has been a surge in the number of home organization videos in youtube from Indian youtubers. Great content, relevant and useful tips from an Indian context. The number of views of such videos is so high, which indicates that there is a clear “need" for effectively organizing our homes. It is a different story that most of the proposed solutions are all in some way linked to buying more plastic - plastic baskets, plastic containers, plastic jars etc etc. Let’s get to the bottom of this need - why are we struggling with organising our homes?  My hypothesis is that we buy way more than what’s necessary.  A visit to any of the supermarkets or grocery retail chains on a Sunday evening is a proof to validate this hypothesis - Shopping carts loaded with packaged foods, groceries and personal care items. Our previous generation had a monthly list that was well-planned based on family’s needs. Given the financial constraints, they neither stocked...

“ I’m very happy today, Amma. I had lots of fun ”, screamed my 6-year old daughter D late Saturday evening, while we had the play area all to ourselves and were happily kicking the basketball. I felt cheerful too on a Saturday when husband had been to a whole-day offsite early morning. On any other weekend, I would have felt grumpy but it wasn’t the case today. I woke up at my usual time and made myself a cup of strong coffee. Browsed for an hour and got my "me-time". When my daughter woke up with a big smile, we decided to go out to a mall later during the day. She then asked me to read a story book, while she happily lied down on my lap and listened to the story intently. We then sat for sometime in the balcony, eating an apple and just staring at a clear, blue sky. It was dance time later, and to my surprise, she played my favourite songs - “azhagiye” and “sinamika”, instead of her usual SRK’s songs - did I tell you she is a HUGE fan of SRK? :-) I then realised th...

 There is an ongoing battle between two brands that I noticed in my social media feed, specifically the brand sponsored posts. The two brands are Maggi Noodles and Saffola Masala Oats - the former being an established brand for the last 3 decades and the latter being a relatively new entrant trying to make a dent in the 3-minute instant cooking foods space. The latest promotions of Saffola masala oats point out that instant noodles are deep fried, but masala oats are 70% less in fats and high in fibre. Their positioning is focused on being a healthy product with tagline “Tasty way to stay fit”, “The smarter way to stay fit” etc. Before I proceed with the comparison, let me admit upfront: I used to be a big fan of Maggi noodles in my teens and early 20s but now I have completely stopped eating it. I buy the small pack occasionally for my daughter because she loves it and it is one of the very few junk foods that enter my pantry. I have never tasted the masala oats ...

 I recently stumbled upon this article “Obesity is not an issue” - why the Indian government is courting foreign junk-food makers. Before proceeding further, do take a few minutes to read it. As more and more junk foods enter the supermarket shelves, it is all the more important to be cautious and aware of the ingredients and not succumb to the hype of "Brand XYZ coming to India”. The 2016 report " Food labelling, Claims and Advertisements ” published by “ Centre for Science and Environment ” highlights many important details and practices on packaged food regulations that are currently followed in India and how they are far behind as compared to other countries. Again, an extremely well-researched report. Do take the time to read it as well. Here are some notes that I have jotted down for my reference. ----------- Labelling: The Indian food labelling laws do not require labelling of salt/sodium. One pack of Nestle’s Maggi noodles (70 g) has over...

 Some of you had asked me to write about Paper Boat’s beverages. There is a general “perception” that Paper Boat drinks are relatively healthy. I’m not sure how this perception got created in our minds. My guess is because of their strong connect to nostalgia - a powerful emotion. Be it their product names, promotions, ads, visuals or their product launches linked to festivals - there’s nostalgia at their core. Aam Ras, Aam Panna, Panagam, Thandai and many such drinks take us back to memories from our childhood.  Looking at their ingredients, they don’t seem to be adding any artificial preservatives or colouring substances. That’s a good thing, when compared to Tropicana or REAL fruit juices.  BUT, the amount of sugar in Paper Boat drinks is as high as that of Tropicana or other packaged drinks. Take a look at their popular drink - Aam Ras. It is a favourite at our home too, but we indulge occasionally. The nutritional information table shows that 1...