India’s dramatic election results have confirmed a third term for Narendra Modi, but with a much-weakened mandate – is climate change to blame (or thank) for that?

India stands third in the world for the number of billionaires and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and that perhaps sums up the paradoxical nature of the nation’s latest election.

As Narendra Modi was sworn in for a third term as prime minister, he did so much later and in much different circumstances than his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), expected. Before the election – where 642 million Indians, or 8% of the world’s population, voted – the narrative was one of a third-consecutive landslide victory for the right-wing party.

With a mandate built on Hindu nationalism, the slogan ‘Ab ki baar, 400 paar’ (This time, past 400) – a redux of the 2015 campaign slogan ‘Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar’ (This time, a Modi government) – was all over the BJP’s communications, referring to a parliamentary supermajority that would allow the party to amend the constitution.

Things, however, didn’t pan out the way Modi wanted. The BJP didn’t even obtain the simple majority of 272, let alone 400, instead having to rely on alliances to form a coalition government with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It was a victory that felt like defeat, and vice-versa for the now-strong opposition INDIA coalition, led by Congress member and political dynast Rahul Gandhi.

The shock result of the world’s largest election was a rejection of the BJP’s religious persecution, and was ascribed – by Gandhi no less – to India’s poorest. In the last decade, the country has become the fifth-largest economy in the world, but the wealth gap has never been more stark.

The disparity can also be found when you look at who feels the worst effects of climate change. While Modi may have built an us-versus-them mentality using the historical emissions of the “hypocritical West”, the climate crisis was notably absent from his entire electoral campaign, despite India being amongst the 40 nations most vulnerable to global warming.

Climate change drove farmers away from the BJP

The sheer size of India’s elections makes for complex logistics – this year, the entire exercise ran six weeks. And while the length of the election isn’t anything new, it was a much larger focus because of the extreme heatwaves sweeping through the nation.

In the northern states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, at least 33 people – including election officials on duty – died of suspected heatstroke in a single day in May. This followed reports that parts of New Delhi almost breached the 53°C barrier, the highest-ever temperature recorded in India, prompting the High Court to warn that the capital could soon turn into “a barren desert”.

But despite the Election Commission setting up a task force to monitor weather conditions (only after voting was underway) and sending a heat precaution list to poll workers, party campaigners were told not to do anything differently in the face of the heat.

This encapsulates the attitude towards the climate crisis by India’s lawmakers. While people suffer fatally from extreme weather, the BJP promised more temples and a better economy. But at what – and whose – cost? Unemployment and cost of living have been pinpointed as two key reasons that voters turned sour on the incumbent government.

In his second term, Modi faced one of the most powerful backlashes of his political career. While India and the world went in and out of lockdowns, hundreds of thousands of farmers poured into New Delhi to protest against his moves to open up more private investment in agriculture. The farmers believed this would make them vulnerable to low prices.

Agriculture is the biggest source of income in India, with 70% of rural households dependent on farming, and 82% being small or marginal farmers. But as climate change worsens, so does its impact on the sector. Extreme heat and droughts are decimating crops, while groundwater is already in short supply. Farmers are facing crippling debt – since Modi first took office in 2014, estimates suggest 100,000 farmers have taken their lives.

These are all climate issues. Ignoring them has swayed many former BJP voters, who are rightfully dismayed by the lack of jobs outside agriculture for India’s youth, many of whom grow up in farming families riddled with debt for their entire lives.

India’s inadequate climate goals need a revamp

Modi’s first speech after it became apparent that his coalition would gain the majority represented some marked shifts from his previous rhetoric. ‘Jai Shree Ram’ became ‘Jai Jagannath’ (after Ayodhya voted out the BJP despite the building of a divisive temple on the site of a destroyed mosque), the Modi government was now the NDA government, and climate change was suddenly an issue.

The prime minister took note of the election workers who toiled away in the sweltering heat for weeks, and, while there was no mention of the failure of reaching the 400-seat target, read between the lines and you could sense relief, and worry.

India’s emissions are off the charts, thanks in part to its agricultural practices, and in even larger part to its fossil fuel industry. Coal, specifically, is the biggest source of electricity across the country, and its use actually grew this year. And, despite being the third-largest solar power generator in the world, the overall share of clean energy has subsequently decreased, making up just around 22% of the total.

At COP26, Modi set out a pledge to reach net zero by 2070, but more than half of India’s electricity will still be sourced from coal by the end of the decade. And its climate target (or nationally determined contribution) has been deemed “highly insufficient” by the Climate Action Tracker, with current policies and action rated as “insufficient” as well.

This makes it all the more infuriating that climate change was just not on the ballot in India this year. It mirrors the larger political landscape: only 0.3% of the questions asked in the parliament are about climate change, and just one of the country’s 700-plus parties is focused on the environment.

But per capita emissions have risen by 93% since 2001, and heat-related deaths increased by 55% from 2000-2004 to 2017-2021. Climate change needs to be on the parliamentary agenda – especially since neither the BJP nor the INDIA coalition made any clear campaign commitments for the climate crisis, with just a handful of eco targets intertwined with promises to grow infrastructure.

For climate activists, the concern starts at the top, with Modi. This is a man who has infamously compared the changing climate to people’s heightened sensitivity to cold when they age. He has also proclaimed that the “climate has not changed”, but people and their habits have spoiled and destroyed the environment (identifying the very reason that the climate has, in fact, changed).

As a country, India proved that democracy is still important and alive, and secularism is part of its social fabric. In a climate election year, its voting surprised everybody – but now, its farmers, islanders, and climate-vulnerable citizens are hoping that the government springs a surprise too. It’s imperative that it does.

The post Was the World’s Largest Election Decided By the Climate Crisis? appeared first on Green Queen.

In the last week, two new centres dedicated to smart proteins have opened in Bengaluru, India, aimed at incubating alternative protein startups and helping them manufacture and commercialise their products.

India has the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, but it’s also the third-most polluting country in the world. As its record population continues to grow, so do its protein needs – however, food accounts for a third of its GHG emissions, and the need for alternative proteins has never been more apparent.

Research suggests that, by 2060, 85% of India’s protein production must come from novel and traditional plant-based sources if the country is to decarbonise. Its current pledge of net zero by 2070 is wildly off-target, with emissions expected to double instead by 2040.

To help the nation on its protein transition path and meet its climate ambitions, a wave of startups and facilities are innovating with alternative proteins, which represent a burgeoning industry in India. But these startups need help, as a report released last week by think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) India and Bengaluru’s IKP Knowledge Park suggested.

These players need specialised equipment, infrastructure and mentorship to scale up from lab production to commercial levels, and a heavier capital flow to realise their technologies. And now, two new smart protein centres have opened specifically to support these startups.

Incubation hub combines modernised equipment and mentorship

During the unveiling of the joint report, GFI India and IKP announced the establishment of the Centre for Smart Protein and Sustainable Material Innovation in Bengaluru today. Located in the city’s southeastern tech neighbourhood, the facility was born out of an MoU signed by the two organisations last year, aiming to support startups with incubation and product development.

The hub will provide plant-based, cultivated and fermentation companies with access to state-of-the-art equipment and expert mentorship to turn early-stage ideas into innovative protein products. The centre is equipped with biosafety cabinets, shaker incubators, freezers, homogenisers, and ISO7 ‘cleanrooms’ (utilised in the biotech sector for CPG manufacturing). It can support up to 20 startups, who will have round-the-clock access to the amenities.

The GFI India-IKP report explained that an incubation ecosystem was imperative for Indian alternative protein startups across the value chain – as of 2022, at least 113 companies were working on novel foods in the country, in a market that was worth $42M.

“This sunrise sector in India holds immense promise, and with the right support, it has the potential to emerge as a global leader,” said Deepanwita Chattopadhyay, chairperson and CEO of IKP Knowledge Park. “India’s exceptional scientific talent and manufacturing prowess give a headstart in building a transformative industry with the potential to ensure food security for all.”

IKP is offering mentorship programmes across technical, IP, regulatory, marketing and business strategy domains, which will provide comprehensive support to incubated startups. The knowledge park is additionally raising funds to expand the centre’s capabilities, and has signed multiple MoUs to advance the project, including one with the Bühler Group.

“We are grateful to IKP for recognising the sector’s potential and creating a robust platform to plug gaps in infrastructure, specialised guidance, and commercialisation,” said Sneha Singh, acting managing director of GFI India.” Together with the right partners, GFI India is committed to building pioneering smart protein technologies that can have far-reaching impacts on India’s agriculture, climate change adaptation, nutrition security, and economic growth.”

R&D hub aims to help startups launch to market

Just a day earlier, GFI India signed an MoU to help launch the Alternative Proteins Innovation Center (APIC), an integrated facility for ingredient and product development situated on the outskirts of Bengaluru. APIC provides R&D services to help smart protein startups scale up, commercialise and even manufacture end products.

This centre encompasses multiple stages of product development, from lab scale to pilot production – currently, it can support the commercialisation of plant-based products like dairy analogues. Milk is by far the largest segment of India’s alternative protein market, with nearly two-thirds (66%) of startups working on such products. Research by GFI India suggests that about half of the country’s residents are aware of plant-based milk, of which 23% have tried it.

The partnership between APIC and GFI India will involve joint research projects, knowledge sharing, capacity-building programmes like workshops and information dissemination events, and training programmes to upskill and educate stakeholders.

“We firmly believe that this synergy will not only accelerate scientific knowledge building and sharing but also pave the way for innovative solutions that can be readily commercialised, benefiting entrepreneurs, startups, and ultimately, consumers,” said Singh.

Pranesh Sridharan, chief innovation officer of APIC added: “We have an impressive team of experts with the knowhow of plant protein extraction, isolation, application development in plant-based, fermented, and cultivated proteins, and a combined industry experience of over 125 years. We look forward to curating and developing sector-building programmes that can address current gaps in infrastructure access and knowledge transfer in smart protein processing and R&D.”

APIC also intends to sign a deal with climate VC AltX Ventures to support startups in this space – Indian alternative protein startups saw a modest investment of $17M between 2021-22, a small share of the $562M total that was injected into APAC companies in 2022. But an investor survey by GFI India last year indicated that 99% of respondents remain optimistic about the sector’s potential.

Government bodies have invested in this space, too, with multiple research grants for cultivated meat from the Ministry of Science and Technology, and a joint project between the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and New Delhi-based startup Neat Meatt to develop cultivated seafood. Meanwhile, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is reportedly drafting a regulatory framework for the commercial approval of cultivated meat.

The post Incubate & Commercialise: Two New Alternative Protein Centres Signal Industry’s Potential in India appeared first on Green Queen.

The discrepancy between spending on food and luxury products by the rich and the less affluent in India is correlated to the climate impact too, with wealthier citizens accounting for a much larger environmental footprint.

There’s a huge gap between the climate footprint of India’s wealthiest and least affluent, primarily due to food consumption and luxury purchases, according to a new study published in the Ecological Economics journal.

The research explores the impact of consumption patterns and expenditure on climate change, with basic food spending increasing modestly from low- to high-income individuals, and non-food and luxury expenditure representing a significant rise for the latter.

The study deliberately looked at spending instead of incomes, analysing annual expenditure in deciles starting from ₹10,000-173,000 ($120-2,040). The wealth concentration in India has become much more lopsided in recent years, with the richest 1% accounting for the highest share in over 60 years, and wealth inequality reaching its highest in history.

“While there is deep inequality between the developed and developing world, there is also deep inequality within each country. Just like how we hold rich countries to account for their emissions, we also need to put some responsibility on rich Indians,” Nagraj Adve, member of Teachers Against the Climate Crisis, told environmental publication Mongabay-India.

Luxury spending needs to be curtailed

In India, the third-most polluting country in the world, the annual expenditure per person rises by 17 times between the least wealthy and richest families in India, which is linked to an eightfold hike in carbon emissions, a sixfold increase in water footprint, and the doubling of air pollution.

The relatively lower change in the latter is due to the use of fuelwood and other polluting biomass for cooking in low-income households. When it comes to the rich, the growth in particulate matter footprint is ascribed to expenditure on personal goods like high-end phones and watches, followed by social functions and private transport.

Social functions topped the list of activities contributing to the carbon footprint of the rich, followed by spending on jewellery and ornaments, furniture and fixtures, and private transport. Meanwhile, the gap between the richest 10% and the next 10% was the widest among categories, punctuating the need for policies directed towards lowering demand for luxury goods.

The study found that the richest families spend six times as much as the least wealthy families do on basic food, but this rises to 26 times for non-food purchases, and 47 times for luxury conspicuous expenditure (which involves spending for pleasure-seeking or to display one’s social status). “Even these figures would be at best an underestimate of the actual, because rich families are usually under-represented in the developmental surveys,” said lead author Soumyajit Bhar.

The researchers also looked at carbon intensity, which was higher for low-income households in the non-food category due to the use of kerosene as fuel. But the intensity grows for richer families in the luxury spending category, exhibiting how the products they buy or consume are more harmful to the planet. The wealthiest 30% have the same carbon intensities in the luxury category, but the top 10% have a disproportionately larger footprint. The richest 10% also have a 40% higher water footprint, 59% particulate matter impact, and 50% more carbon emissions than the next 10%.

“Carbon is an important global indicator but not the most significant issue in India considering our per capita carbon footprint is small [1.9 tonnes vs the global average of 4.7 tonnes annually],” said Bhar. “On the other hand, local and regional issues like water scarcity and air pollution have been a matter of great concern, especially for the poor. So, it was important to include these footprints along with carbon.”

Food the major source of climate footprint

“This paper is in line with many other studies in that the most affluent brackets bear the most significant responsibilities,” said Jemyung Lee, a researcher who led a 2021 study revealing that rich Indians emit seven times more carbon dioxide than the poor. “It indicates that policies should focus on reducing demand of conspicuous/luxury consumption rather than relying solely on reducing pollution intensity through renewable grids and other technologies.”

Among all households, food represents the biggest source of environmental footprints. Direct water usage, for example, makes up only 5-7% of the total water footprint – most of this comes from the food Indians eat. Rice and wheat require heavy irrigation, and are responsible for the bulk of the water footprints of lower- and middle-income families. For the rich, this is attributed to higher consumption of fruits and nuts.

“Fruits and nuts, cereal products, and pulses make the water footprint from the food basket of the richest 10% households, 30% higher than that of the second 10% households,” said Bhar. “Though fruits and nuts are counted in luxury consumption, they are essential for a healthy diet, thus revealing the trade-offs between health and environmental benefits.”

However, rich Indians consume more calories than recommended by dietary guidelines, and an even greater amount when compared to the national average, according to a 2019 study. If all citizens took up these eating patterns, greenhouse gas emissions, water footprint and land use would rise by 19-36%. If everyone shifts to a healthy dietary intake, this increase will be limited to 3-5%. But it’s still an increase, which suggests that eating habits need to change drastically across India.

Some have suggested the implementation of a carbon tax, but this comes with its caveats. “There is a lot of debate going on regarding carbon tax which can be levied on services and products which score high on carbon emission. For that to work properly, however, the poor have to be provided a cushion through subsidies like free electricity,” explained Adve.

“Setting an absolute cap on emissions of the rich and wealth tax can also go a long way in addressing wealth inequality and needless consumption. On the other hand, offering free LPG to poorer households can help curb their biomass use which will have far-reaching benefits.”

The study’s findings follow global trends. Research has found that the richest 10% contribute to half of all emissions, which is 40 times higher than the poorest 10%.

The post India’s Rich Pollute the Planet Eight Times More Than the Poorest: Study appeared first on Green Queen.

This week, Indian food delivery service Zomato launched a Pure Veg Mode in its app for people to order from 100% vegetarian restaurants – but it has sparked intense debate about casteism and religious discrimination after announcing a separate Pure Veg Fleet of drivers wearing green uniforms.

In 2019, Zomato took a stand. Responding to a Hindu man who refused a takeaway because the food delivery app’s driver happened to be Muslim, it tweeted: “Food doesn’t have a religion. It is a religion.”

Its founder Deepinder Goyal further explained that stance in a separate tweet. “We are proud of the idea of India – and the diversity of our esteemed customers and partners. We aren’t sorry to lose any business that comes in the way of our values,” he said.

But this week, Zomato was on the receiving end of pushback from the same customers who praised it five years ago. Goyal had announced a new Pure Veg Mode on the delivery service’s app in an attempt to appeal to the millions of vegetarian Indians who don’t eat from restaurants that also serve meat or eggs.

The real bit of controversy, though, stemmed from the announcement that orders made through this new mode would be delivered by a Pure Veg Fleet, which involved drivers wearing green uniforms – instead of the usual red – to signal that they are only delivering from exclusively vegetarian restaurants and tell them apart from drivers who were delivering food from all restaurants. (In India, vegetarian products are labelled with a green dot, while non-vegetarian foods – including anything containing eggs – are marked with a red one).

Less than 24 hours later after the first announcement, Zomato backtracked on the green uniforms after facing intense backlash from consumers online. Here’s what happened, and why.

Why Zomato rolled out its Pure Veg Mode

On Tuesday, Goyal announced on Twitter/X that given the prevalence of vegetarianism in India – while estimates vary, it has the highest number of vegetarians in absolute numbers globally – one of the most important pieces of feedback Zomato had received was that these customers are “very particular” about how their food is cooked and handled.

Zomato was launching the Pure Veg Mode and Fleet to “solve for their dietary preferences”, he said. “Pure Veg Mode will consist of a curation of restaurants that serve only pure vegetarian food, and will exclude all restaurants which serve any non-veg food item,” he explained. “Our dedicated Pure Veg Fleet will only serve orders from these pure veg restaurants. This means that a non-veg meal, or even a veg meal served by a non-veg restaurant will never go inside the green delivery box meant for our Pure Veg Fleet.”

He went on to explain that the company will introduce a phased rollout in the next few weeks, and plans to add more specialised fleets – such as cake deliveries with hydraulic balancers to prevent cakes from getting smudged – in the future. “We remain committed to listening to our customers, and serving our community in the best possible way,” he said.

Perhaps Goyal had anticipated the pushback that was to come his way, noting that the new initiative “doesn’t serve or alienate any religious, or political preference”.

A few hours later, the Zomato CEO tweeted that he “received an overwhelmingly positive response” on the launch. “A lot of comments from young people who eat non-veg food saying: ‘Now my parents can also use Zomato,'” he explained.

“I would like to repeat that this feature strictly serves a dietary preference. And I know there are a lot of customers who would never order food from a restaurant which serves meat, irrespective of their religion/caste,” he reiterated.

Explaining the rationale behind the launch, he wrote: “But why did we need to separate the fleets? Because despite everyone’s best efforts, sometimes the food spills into the delivery boxes. In those cases, the smell of the previous order travels to the next order, and may lead to the next order smelling of the previous order. For this reason, we had to separate the fleet for veg orders.

“Please note that participation in our Veg delivery fleet will not discriminate on the basis of our delivery partner’s dietary preferences.”

What was wrong with Zomato’s Pure Veg Fleet?

Goyal’s second thread of tweets had come after many online users had expressed their dissatisfaction with the new service, and he acknowledged that by saying: “There’s an opinion that some societies and RWAs will now not let our regular fleet in. We will stay alert for any such cases and work with these RWAs [resident welfare associations] to not let this happen. We understand our social responsibility due to this change, and we will not back down from solving it when the need arises.”

He added: “And I promise, that if we see any significant negative social repercussions of this change, we will roll it back in a heartbeat.”

And that’s exactly what Zomato ended up having to do. Customers had raised concerns that the move was regressive, had undertones of purity and casteism, and posed a threat to the safety of delivery drivers. Despite the large vegetarian population, the majority of Indians still eat meat, and the practice has a long history in the country.

But over the last decade, during the rule of prime minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, there have been instances of meat-eaters and meat sellers – especially Muslims – being targeted by Hindu right-wing extremist groups promoting a vegetarian agenda. Cows are considered sacred in Hinduism, and beef has been banned in several states in India since 2005, but in May 2022, a school principal in the eastern state of Assam (where nearly 80% of people eat meat) was arrested for bringing beef for lunch, despite the state not banning this form of meat.

And last year, IIT Bombay introduced a separate area for vegetarians in its campus dining hall, but faced retaliation from students who believed it was a prejudiced move that buttressed the discomfort associated with eating meat. In protest, one student began eating meat on a vegetarian table, and was fined ₹10,000 ($120) by the university authorities.

These are just a couple of examples, but illustrate the potential issues Zomato’s drivers – many of whom come from minority religion or caste backgrounds – may need to contend with. As one Twitter user noted: “If Zomato uses different colored boxes to deliver veg food, bigoted landlords can harass tenants if they see non-green colors. Whatever assurance of veg fleet, if needed, must be kept inside the app only.”

Many RWAs across the country have unofficial rules around meat consumption within their developments, and customers argued that the green uniforms could reinforce caste norms and subject them to discriminatory behaviour. “It wasn’t enough that our food is considered a sin to eat, us filthy for eating it, and to be discriminated for cooking or ordering it at home,” one user explained.

Zomato cancels green uniforms, but keeps its Pure Veg Fleet

Speaking to national daily The Hindu, AF Mathew, an IIM Kozhikode professor who lectures on contentious social issues, noted: “One of the most important aspects of caste is food pollution.” He believed that Zomato’s Pure Veg initiative was fuelled by caste motivations, and its logical conclusion as beyond just green uniforms and lack of contact with meat. “It will have to extend to whoever will deliver. What if there is a Muslim driver bringing in a customer’s vegetarian food? … Where is this going? Will Jains deliver for Jains, and Brahmins for Brahmins?” he asked.

Karti P Chidambaram, a Congress MP, called the move “socially regressive and discriminatory”, alleging that there was a “hidden agenda” behind the move.

On Wednesday, Goyal tweeted that the company had rolled back the green uniform part of its Pure Veg Fleet plan. “While we are going to continue to have a fleet for vegetarians, we have decided to remove the on-ground segregation of this fleet on the ground using the colour green. All our riders — both our regular fleet, and our fleet for vegetarians, will wear the colour red,” he wrote. “This means that the fleet meant for vegetarian orders will not be identifiable on the ground (but will show on the app that your veg orders will be served by the veg-only fleet).”

He added that this will ensure its “red uniform delivery partners” aren’t incorrectly associated with non-vegetarian food and blocked by RWAs or societies during special religious days. “Our riders’ physical safety is of paramount importance to us. We now realise that even some of our customers could get into trouble with their landlords, and that would not be a nice thing if that happened because of us,” Goyal said.

The controversy came just nine months after Zomato sparked a furore over an ad campaign that portrayed a Dalit character from the 2001 film Lagaan being ‘recycled’ and used as different inanimate objects. Dalits are historically a disadvantaged group at the bottom of India’s caste hierarchy. Zomato apologised for the ad and said it was reviewing its marketing policy, but it also defended the “noble intention” behind the concept, claiming that it was “twisted so much by certain sections of the media giving it a colour that we didn’t even remotely conceive”.

All this highlights just how differently meat-eating is seen in the world’s most populous country. It would be unwise to draw parallels with instances like Burger King’s, which was sued by customers for cooking its plant-based patties on the same grill as its beef burgers, as they didn’t want any byproducts of meat in their food. In India, though, this argument – like every other – is led by religion and an outdated caste system.

Of course we need to eat less meat. Of course there needs to be a conversation about dietary shifts. But that discourse needs to be modernised, well-informed, and devoid of any threats to people’s safety.

Sheikh Salauddin, national general secretary of delivery drivers’ union the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, harked back to Goyal’s 2019 “food has no religion” statement. “Today, he seems to have gone back on this,” he said. “I ask him directly: is he now going to categorise delivery partners on the lines of caste, community and religion?”

Zomato declined Green Queen’s request for a comment on the story.

The post The Pure Veg U-Turn: The Zomato Debacle That Divided the World’s Largest Vegetarian Minority appeared first on Green Queen.

India is joining the ranks of other southeast Asian companies to establish a regulatory framework for cultivated meat and seafood companies, who can then file a dossier to receive approval from its food safety authority to sell their products.

First it was Japan. Then South Korea. Now, India has joined the bandwagon.

Policy support for alternative proteins in Asia has been accelerating of late, with new regulatory frameworks soon to launch or already in place in Japan and South Korea this year itself, respectively, and India now exploring its own path for companies to earn regulatory clearance to sell cultivated meat.

Indian newspaper The Economic Times has reported that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is formulating regulations for cultivated meat, just as a government agency works with a local startup to produce cultivated seafood products.

“We are working on drafting regulations for cultured meat products,” a senior FSSAI official confirmed to the publication, adding that the scientific panel of the regulatory committee is evaluating regulations from other countries that have approved cultivated meat.

“Establishing regulations that are rooted in rigorous scientific inquiry and a comprehensive understanding of the technology as well as the choice it seeks to provide to the Indian consumers would be essential to ensure a clear regulatory framework for safe consumption of smart proteins,” Astha Gaur, regulatory policy specialist at alternative protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) India, told Green Queen.

“Technological developments are happening in the sector that are simultaneously revolutionising the ingredients and technology that go into the cultivation of meat from animal cells. Moreover, products that come to market in the near future might not rely on one individual technology,” she added.

“The FSSAI’s guidance on hybrid products and other future innovations in smart proteins, such as low-cost serum-free media, etc. would be critical to determining the scalability and price parity of the category in India. Developing a regulatory framework that adapts to scientific advancements and is not rigid but accommodates the innovations in this sector would be essential to India setting an example for a dynamic and effective regulatory framework on cultivated meat.”

A more dynamic regulatory framework needed

So far, only three countries have approved the sale of cultivated meat: Singapore, the US and Israel. Australia and New Zealand’s joint regulatory body is being tipped as the next, with Vow Foods’ application currently in advanced stages. Last month, South Korea announced its regulatory framework to invite companies to file dossiers for approval. And next month, Japan will rejig its framework, which will mean companies will liaise with two agencies on regulatory conversations, but prime minister Fumio Kishida will be the the ultimate authority on these matters.

In India, the FSSAI currently classes cultivated meat as a ‘non-specified food or ingredient’ or ‘novel food’ – much like the EU’s regulations – as there is no history of consumption of these proteins in the country. It means that companies need approval from the food safety regulator to manufacture, produce, import or sell cultivated meat products.

Despite having a major vegetarian population, India is the world’s largest producer of buffalo meat, ranks second on the production list for goat meat, and is the third-largest seafood consumer. But while the cultivated meat sector is still in its infancy in the country, a number of startups are working to advance the development of these proteins, covering cell lines (Neat Meatt, Klevermeat, Clear Meat), media formulations (Clear Meat), and scaffolds (MyoWorks).

Chandana Tekkatte, science and technology specialist at GFI India, told Green Queen earlier this year that the country’s nascent cultivated meat and seafood industry will benefit from its thriving pharmaceutical sector (tipped to reach $150B next year). “This sector has a proven track record in affordable, high-quality manufacturing, and cultivated meat companies have the opportunity to tap into its vast infrastructure and resources,” she explained.

The FSSAI had previously formed a Working Group on Cultured Meat with regulatory and scientific experts to study the possible regulatory pathways for cultivated meat in India, but Tekkatte stated that the framework “needs to be made more dynamic and evolve in tandem with innovations”.

“Early engagement with cultivated meat companies intending to apply for pre-market approvals under the Non-Specified Foods Regulations during the development process would enable the regulatory body to have oversight of the development process, leading to effective, timely guidance to the companies to ensure regulatory compliance and appropriate data submission to reduce approval timelines,” she said.

Cultivated meat and seafood’s potential in India

As those startups continue to chip away at market entry hurdles, there have been strong signs of government support as well as potential consumer acceptance for cultivated meat in India.

Within India’s Ministry of Science and Technology, the Science and Engineering Research Board has included cultivated meat research under its Competitive Research Grant Programmes, while the Department of Biotechnology has granted funds to Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the National Research Centre on Meat for cultivated meat research projects.

And in January, it was announced that the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) signed an MoU with Neat Meatt to develop cultivated seafood, focusing on high-value species popular among India’s coastal belts, such as kingfish, pomfret and seer fish. The project will combine CMFRI’s capabilities into early cell line development – equipped with a cell culture laboratory – and Neat Meatt’s expertise in optimising cell growth media, developing scaffolds or micro-carriers for cell attachment, and scaling up production through bioreactors.

“This public-private partnership marks a crucial step in bridging the gap between India and other nations like Singapore, Israel, and the USA, who are already advancing cultured seafood research,” said CMFRI director A Gopalakrishnan. “This collaboration leverages CMFRI’s marine research expertise with Neat Meatt’s technological know-how in this field, paving the way for a sustainable and secure future for seafood production in India.”

Contextualising the partnership, Tekkatte said: “There is a growing recognition that by enabling more large-scale international scientific and industrial collaborations (leveraging our decades-old bioeconomy expertise), India could become a production powerhouse in the emerging cultivated meat industry and pave the way for other emerging economies.”

In 2019, a three-country study revealed that 56% of Indians are “very or extremely likely” to buy cultivated meat regularly. “Consumer education and perceptions will play an important role in advertising, marketing, and sale of cultivated meat,” she said. Additionally, research conducted by GFI India and Deloitte in 2022 found that by the end of the decade, the country’s cultivated meat industry could have economic benefits worth between ₹1,233 crore ($150M) to ₹3,909 crore ($473M). Meanwhile, the sector could create between 15,590 to 49,420 jobs by 2030 too. But this will depend on production scaling up and costs coming down.

Formulating regulations for smart protein based on reliable scientific research is pivotal for their effective integration into the market. The dynamic attributes of these proteins require a comprehensive understanding that would best be achieved through rigorous scientific inquiry. Currently, the understanding is that cultivated meat will be regulated under the Approval of Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients Regulations (NSF Regulations) by the FSSAI, however, there is no specific definition of cultivated meat or guidance provided under the regulations.  

“The significance of channelling resources into the cultivated meat industry is particularly relevant in India, with our unique vulnerability to climate change and public health crises. With this massive decrease in land use, additional opportunities arise for the diversification of crops towards direct food consumption,” said Tekkatte. “As we funnel more investment towards R&D and infrastructure, there’s no doubt that the cultivated meat sector can grow exponentially in India and help cater to the increasing protein needs of the global population.”

The post India Working on Regulatory Framework for Cultivated Meat & Seafood: Report appeared first on Green Queen.

Indian vegan bakery The Cinnamon Kitchen secured a ₹60 lakh ($72,000) investment from Aman Gupta on Shark Tank India. Landing the deal at 5% equity, the brand was valued at ₹12 crores ($1.44M), and is among a handful of other plant-based companies to have appeared on the show.

New Delhi-based bakery The Cinnamon Kitchen has joined a small but growing list of vegan businesses to secure an offer on season three of Shark Tank India, negotiating a successful deal with boAt founder Aman Gupta that puts the brand’s valuation at ₹12 crores ($1.44M).

The ₹60 lakh ($72,000) investment was the four-year-old brand’s first fundraise, and since the airing of the episode last week, it has already put a call out for chefs and pastry interns to work in its 2,500 sq ft factory in nearby Noida.

A vegan business fuelled by a PCOS diagnosis

The Cinnamon Kitchen was born years after founder Priyasha Saluja was diagnosed with PCOS. Following the news, Saluja began experimenting with healthy treats to manage her condition. She ditched dairy, and swapped out refined flour for millets and white sugar for natural sweeteners.

Her hobby turned into a business in 2019, which now offers a comprehensive range of gluten-free, plant-based SKUs like cookies, vegan Cheddar chips, granola, cakes, crackers, fudge and even flours. Its popularity has gained it attention from Bollywood celebrities like Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora.

Sharing her experience on LinkedIn, Saluja explained that The Cinnamon Kitchen was part of a cohort of eight to 10 businesses – where she was the youngest and only female founder – that were being supported by the Shark Tank India team with polishing pitches, creating setups and revising financials thoroughly.

She revealed that entrepreneurs on the show enter the tank twice – once for the first shot of entering the tank, and the other when they walk inside to the sharks. The pitch, though, has to be in a single shot. “When it was time for the first shot, the music started playing, all lights were on me, cameras were focused, and as I kept walking towards the tank, it filled me with immense confidence – it was in that moment that I truly felt prepared,” she wrote.

In another post, she said: “I grew up watching Shark Tank US since I was 13-14, and I had never thought that one day I would be there, but I was here. The dissociation was so huge in that moment that I still felt like I was watching it, except that I was not watching it, I was in it.”

Saluja shared that she struggled with the pitch initially, before writing the whole thing in one go. “As I started putting my thoughts on paper, I realised I couldn’t do it for two days because I was trying to be someone else: a serious businesswoman with a very strategic sounding number-led pitch,” she explained. “Through writing the pitch, I realised that the only way to go about it was to be who I truly am and have fun during the process.”

How The Cinnamon Kitchen bagged the Shark Tank India deal

Saluja’s pitch – asking for ₹60 lakh ($72,000) for a 2% stake in the business – was full of rhymes and humour and garnered a few laughs from the Sharks, who were impressed with the flavour of the samples she produced. However, the brand’s packaging and labelling were criticised by Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal and Sugar Cosmetics founder Vineeta Singh, who called out the unclear colour use and damaged-looking labels. Mittal indicated that the brand had too many focuses, and that she needed to choose between the bakery and the CPG business.

The Cinnamon Kitchen founder managed to turn it around, though, backed by impressive numbers. Bootstrapping the company with just ₹50,000 ($600), her business grew from strength to strength financially, with sales rising from ₹1.4 lakhs in 2019-20 to ₹82 lakhs in 2022-23. She projected that the business would make ₹6 crores this year, which left the Sharks taken aback, but she explained that the startup had already seen ₹1.3 crores by September (at a 30% profit), and would see a festive season spike for Diwali.

She received an offer from Singh, who matched the ₹60-lakh ask, but with a 10% stake instead of the original 2%. Mittal proceeded to join her with the same offer. But then, Singh swooped in with an individual offer of ₹10 lakhs ($12,000) for 2% equity, plus a further ₹50 lakhs ($60,000) in debt at 12% interest over two years.

But Saluja wanted a deal without debt, and countered with a deal of ₹60 lakhs for 4%. Gupta raised this to 5%, before the entrepreneur was advised by a guest Shark (who had opted out of the deal due to a conflict of interest) to counter to both offers on the table with ₹1.2 crores ($144,000) at a 10% stake. When she did so, Singh withdrew her interest, while Gupta expressed that he wouldn’t be interested in investing so much.

Saluja eventually said yes to Gupta’s 5% deal, which valued The Cinnamon Kitchen at ₹12 crores ($1.4M). Despite the back and forth, she managed to seal an offer that would help propel the vegan bakery business forward, and joined a very exclusive list of plant-based businesses to have gained a Shark Tank deal in India. This includes jackfruit meat maker Wakao Foods and footwear company Ethik (protein powder brand Green Protein and hemp business India Hemp and Co. were also offered deals, but turned them down).

Brands like The Cinnamon Kitchen play to what Indians want from plant-based foods, a market valued at $42M in 2022. In 2021, a Kerry study found that health was the top motivating factor for Indians switching to vegan food. This is especially true for plant-based dairy products, according to research by the Good Food Institute, with claims like “no added sugar” or “no preservatives” appreciated by consumers.

With a relatively huge valuation for a plant-based startup in India, The Cinnamon Kitchen will now hope that both the Shark Tank effect and investment will boost its sales in the short- and long-term, respectively.

The post The Cinnamon Kitchen: Celeb-Favourite Indian Vegan Bakery Lands Shark Tank Deal at $1.4M Valuation appeared first on Green Queen.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the Indian government is embarking on a project to create cell-cultured seafood with cultivated meat startup Neat Meatt Biotech.

The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has signed an MoU with New Delhi-based biotech company Neat Meatt to develop cultivated fish, in what is a landmark project for the world’s third-largest seafood consumer. The initiative aims to ensure India keeps up with international progress and tackle climate and food security issues.

The project aims to tackle India’s growing demand for seafood – fish consumption has swelled by 88% in just over a decade – reduce pressure on wild resources, keep up with global progress on alternative proteins, and provide solutions to climate change and food insecurity.

Proof of concept could be shown within two months

The partnership will initially focus on developing cell-cultured varieties of high-value fish species – like kingfish, pomfret and seer fish – which are extremely popular in India, especially among the coastal belts. Based in Kochi, CMFRI has entered into a collaborative research agreement with Neat Meatt, a cultivated meat manufacturer and solutions provider, to help develop these seafood products.

An MoU signed by the two parties reveals that CMFRI will conduct research into early cell line development of high-value marine fish species. This involves isolating and cultivating fish cells for further R&D. Additionally, the marine research organisation will handle genetic, biochemical and analytical work, equipped with a cell culture laboratory with basic facilities, providing a solid foundation for research in cellular biology.

Meanwhile, the project will leverage Neat Meatt’s expertise in cell culture tech, with the firm leading the optimisation of cell growth media, development of scaffolds or micro-carriers for cell attachment, and scaling up production through bioreactors. The company will be responsible for providing the necessary consumables, manpower and additional equipment required as well.

Neat Meatt co-founder and CEO Sandeep Sharma is confident that the partnership’s proof of concept could be established within a couple of months. But Kajal Chakraborty, principal scientist at CMFRI, told the Hindustan Times that the product may take a decade to reach the market. “Just like other meat, we will use cell line cultures to produce fish meat. It’s even more difficult to grow meat of higher vertebrates in laboratory settings,” she explained.

CMFRI director A Gopalakrishnan added: “This project aims to accelerate development in this field, ensuring India is not left behind in this emerging industry.”

Why India decided to invest in cultivated seafood

India’s seafood market is worth $57.15B, according to one estimate, and is set to expand by 7.6% annually. And last year, its seafood exports reached an all-time high, shipping out 1.7 million tonnes worth $8.09B. But with growing awareness about the seafood industry’s climate impact, there have been calls to switch to lower-carbon production methods.

While estimates suggest that carbon emissions of fish caught in India’s marine fisheries are 17.7% lower than the global average, in terms of overall climate change impact by 2050, the country remains in the medium to high category. The country has a burgeoning alt-protein sector, with 113 companies working across plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-derived meat, dairy, seafood and eggs.

But even though several alt-seafood startups exist in India (such as Seaspire, Mister Veg, VegetaGold, Veggie Champ and The Mighty Food), only two companies – Klevermeat and Myoworks – are known to be working on cultured seafood. So this collaboration between CMFRI and Neat Meatt holds promise.

“This public-private partnership [PPP] marks a crucial step in bridging the gap between India and other nations like Singapore, Israel, and the USA, who are already advancing cultured seafood research,” said Gopalakrishnan, who praised cultured fish’s “immense potential for environmental and food security”. He added: “This collaboration leverages CMFRI’s marine research expertise with Neat Meatt’s technological know-how in this field, paving the way for a sustainable and secure future for seafood production in India.”

Explaining the reason behind this partnership, the Good Food Institute (GFI) India’s science and technology specialist, Chandana Tekkatte, told Green Queen: “There is a growing recognition that by enabling more large-scale international scientific and industrial collaborations (leveraging our decades-old bioeconomy expertise), India could become a production powerhouse in the emerging cultivated meat industry and pave the way for other emerging economies.

“The DBT-BIRAC is also encouraging such PPP models to help accelerate R&D breakthroughs in cultivated meat and seafood in India, similar to the momentum seen in Singapore, Israel, and the US. The Ministry of Science and Technology has also been working closely to advance research in cultivated meat and other smart protein categories within the nation’s priorities for high-performance biomanufacturing.”

In another instance of government support for cell-based meat in India, the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Science and Engineering Research Board included cultivated meat research under its Competitive Research Grant Programmes in 2021.

The rise of cultivated proteins in India

Tekkatte said India’s cultivated meat and seafood industry is still in its infancy but stands to benefit significantly from India’s thriving pharmaceutical sector, which is set to reach $150B in 2025. “This sector has a proven track record in affordable, high-quality manufacturing, and cultivated meat companies have the opportunity to tap into its vast infrastructure and resources,” she explained.

She added that key early-stage scientific advancements in cultivated meat and seafood have been led by startups in cell line development (Neat Meatt, Klevermeat, Clear Meat), media formulations (Clear Meat), and scaffolds (Myoworks) over the last five years. These have helped build the foundation of the sector and “continue to inspire future research endeavours”.

Previous GFI India research has revealed that one in four Indians would consider giving up conventional meat, seafood, dairy or eggs in the future, citing issues like hygiene, smell, ease of cooking and heaviness on the stomach, as well as animal welfare and impact on the climate. Meanwhile, a three-country study from 2019 on consumer acceptance of cultured meat revealed that 56% of Indians are “very or extremely likely” to buy cultivated meat regularly. “Consumer education and perceptions will play an important role in advertising, marketing, and sale of cultivated meat,” said Tekkatte.

This will also be influenced by prices. “The cost of cultivated meat production will come down with scale — and the scale-up principles of cultivated meat biomanufacturing are sound and have been demonstrated in biopharmaceuticals and vaccine manufacturing industries,” explained Tekkatte.

She added that the Food Safety Standards Authority of India’s regulatory framework “needs to be made more dynamic and evolve in tandem with innovations”. Cultivated meat falls under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSAI) set out in 2017, which rules that if a product or ingredient doesn’t have a history of human consumption – or is obtained using new tech with engineering processes that significantly alter its composition – it’s classed as a non-specified or novel food product.

In 2020, the FSSAI formed the Working Group on Cultured Meat with regulatory and scientific experts to study the possible regulatory pathways for cultivated meat in India. “Early engagement with cultivated meat companies intending to apply for pre-market approvals under the Non-Specified Foods Regulations during the development process would enable the regulatory body to have oversight of the development process, leading to effective, timely guidance to the companies to ensure regulatory compliance and appropriate data submission to reduce approval timelines,” Tekkatte outlined.

“The significance of channelling resources into the cultivated meat industry is particularly relevant in India, with our unique vulnerability to climate change and public health crises. With this massive decrease in land use, additional opportunities arise for the diversification of crops towards direct food consumption,” she said. “As we funnel more investment towards R&D and infrastructure, there’s no doubt that the cultivated meat sector can grow exponentially in India and help cater to the increasing protein needs of the global population.”

The post ‘Immense Potential’: Indian Government Body to Develop Cultivated Fish in Partnership with Neat Meatt appeared first on Green Queen.

The Good Food Institute (GFI) India has conducted a first-of-its-kind survey on consumer awareness, adoption and purchase behaviour for vegan meat and dairy in India. Here are 12 key takeaways.

Two months after publishing its first State of the Industry report for the Indian alt-protein market, GFI India has followed up with a survey that provides a glimpse into how consumers think about plant-based meat and dairy.

The State of the Industry report revealed how vegan dairy reigned supreme, with alt-meat showing some promise. India’s international presence was also on the rise given the amount of export activity, while government support has been encouraging too.

GFI India aimed to identify the profile of the Indian vegan consumer through a collaborative study with Kantar World Panel, looking at who was likely to regularly purchase alt-meat, dairy and eggs, as well as pay more for these products. It is this survey that the think tank is publishing in full now, covering 2,535 Indians aged 24-60 and earning over ₹50,000/$600 per month.

Here are 12 key takeaways from the report:

1) Awareness about plant-based meat and dairy is higher in certain quarters

Nearly half of the Indians surveyed are aware of plant-based dairy, and 27.5% know about meat alternatives. Awareness about these products is highest in metro cities and among those earning between ₹100,000/$1,200 and ₹150,000/$1,800 per month. The demographic is similarly skewed for vegan dairy too.

2) Social media drives consumer awareness

For people who are familiar with plant-based alternatives at an “unaided level”, the internet is the biggest driver of awareness, with social media platforms and website ads making up 50% and 44% of the sources for vegan meat and dairy, respectively. Word of mouth is also strong, but print ads and store posters are the least convincing sources.

3) Vegan product trials are low

Despite the relatively high amount of awareness, there’s still some way to go when it comes to adoption. Of those who are actuated with vegan alternatives, 23% have tried milk analogues, while only 11% have given alt-meat a shot. But 82% of Indians who have bought plant-based milk in the last six months say they’ll consider buying it again, with a similarly high figure (72%) for vegan meat too.

4) Trying one category paves the way for the rest

The GFI-Kantar survey revealed that 40% of respondents who tried meat analogues purchased vegan dairy as well, with 10% doing so the other way round. “Among the plant-based meat, dairy and egg [categories], plant-based dairy is the strongest entry point into the consumer’s household,” the report read. “Once consumers try plant-based dairy, they experiment with other products within the plant-based category.”

5) Purchase intent is high for both meat and dairy analogues

Of the households familiar with plant-based dairy, 43% intend to buy a product from the category again, with higher-income groups (earning over ₹100,000/$1,200 per month) and younger people (aged 25-44) showing more promise here. In terms of meat, this figure stands at 33%, with 42% of non-vegetarians likely to meat alternatives again.

6) Supermarkets rule e-commerce

Despite the boom in online shopping, when it comes to food, supermarkets are king for Indians. 57% of households bought alt-meat products from supermarkets, compared to 26% purchasing them from e-commerce platforms. This was in even starker contrast for vegan dairy: 65% in supermarkets, 18% on e-commerce.

7) Chicken is the name of the game

All of the top nine alt-meat products tried by Indians centred on chicken. Chicken seekh kebabs have been sampled by 26% of Indians – the most tried meat analogue – followed by popcorn chicken (20%), and chicken samosas and biryani (17% each). Meanwhile, 72% of these consumers purchased animal-derived meat products too.

8) Soy milk is the most common, but almond is catching up

As the original (and cheapest) milk alternative, soy milk has been trialled by 80% of the respondents, with almond milk falling not behind at 55%. 39% of Indians have sipped oat milk or eaten tofu too. In terms of vegan cheese, 54% of respondents have tried it. Plus, 89% of alt-dairy consumers also buy conventional dairy items.

9) Nutrition, health and social factors dictate alt-meat consumption

Having a good amount of protein is the number one factor driving Indians towards plant-based meat, with nearly half (47%) citing it. Convenience (33%) and easy cooking and cleaning (30%) are similarly important. But the largest barrier deterring consumption of these products is that other family members aren’t keen on trying them, holding 33% of consumers back. For 24%, these products aren’t relevant.

10) Protein, health and affordability key for vegan dairy adoption

Protein content is most important to Indians (52%) when it comes to alt-dairy too, highlighting a gap in messaging and marketing around plant-based analogues. For 43%, the fact that they’re healthy is key. On the other hand, over a quarter of Indians (27%) find these products too expensive, while 25% say an exclusively e-commerce presence is a hurdle, reiterating Indians’ reluctance to buy groceries online.

11) Health and nutrition remain paramount for Indians

It is general consensus that for Indians, health is the biggest driver for vegan food consumption (over environmental or animal welfare reasons). This is reflected by GFI India’s poll, which shows that being healthy and nutritious is important for 64% and 60% of alt-meat consumers, and 66% and 58% of plant-based dairy users, respectively.

12) Taste is a huge barrier for repeat purchases

As in other countries, flavour carries a huge influence on Indians. Poor taste attributes (and high costs) deterred many from buying plant-based meat and dairy again, with texture and dryness also cited as reasons for alt-meat. Meanwhile, ‘naturalness’ and the addition of artificial flavours and preservatives are other reasons here. Finally, not being compatible with coffee and/or tea is another issue, exhibiting consumers’ need for more barista-friendly milk alternatives in India.

“To encourage trial and repeat purchases, it is crucial for manufacturers to focus on the trifecta of taste, affordability and convenience,” says Rajyalakshmi Gummadi, market and consumer insights advisor at GFI India. “Like any new category, initiatives, including sampling, online campaigns, social media engagement, and strategic retail displays, can contribute significantly to greater awareness and broader adoption. Our goal is to empower manufacturers and industry players with essential consumer insights that can drive the advancement of the sector in India.”

India is ‘quintessentially flexitarian’

Asked why people say plant-based alternatives are not relevant to them, Gummadi tells Green Queen: “Meat and dairy have been an integral part of consumers’ lives for generations. Dairy is consumed by both vegetarians and omnivores and is driven by health and nutrition. Meat consumption is still aspirational in India – it is consumed not only for taste but also for nutrition/protein content.

“With the increase in affluence, the per-capita consumption of these categories is on the rise. On the other hand, consumer awareness of animal cruelty and the impact of animal agriculture on the planet is limited. This, coupled with the current product range of plant-based meat and dairy, which scores low on taste, price, and convenience compared to the animal-derived counterparts, makes the category not so relevant for consumers. Creating awareness of the benefits of plant-based products along with working on taste, price, and convenience is the key to the category growth.”

Gummadi also touches upon why Indians have a greater preference for buying groceries at supermarkets over e-commerce channels, compared to products like clothes, books and medicines. “Many food items in India, including fruits, vegetables, and staples, are not standardised, and consumers are conscious about picking and choosing the right quality rather than ordering them online,” she explains. “The convenience of having a supermarket/grocery/kirana [corner] store in every neighbourhood, along with the option of browsing through a large variety, adds to this.”

She calls India’s population “quintessentially flexitarian”, with most Indians consuming meat daily, weekly or occasionally. “On most occasions, meat is consumed as one component of a diverse plate (thali), rather than as a standalone entrée or the meal’s centrepiece. While per capita consumption is low, the demand for conventional meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy is expected to increase further with rising incomes in developing countries like India,” Gummadi notes, citing a UN FAO report predicting that India’s poultry consumption is set to grow by 850% by 240.

“In India, meat consumption is not homogenous and changes from region to region based on tradition, access, affordability, and local supply chains. Cultural, and religious differences also play a part in people’s consumption of animal products, particularly beef and pork. Other times, people don’t consume meat on certain days, festivals, or during specific seasons.

“These nuances and sensitivities pose a challenge for the alternative protein sector but, at the same time, present an opportunity that is unique to India – to diversify regional formats, provide alternatives for those who abstain on certain days, and options for mixed groups of vegetarians and non-vegetarians and those who would like to experiment with meat-like textures for the first time.”

A 2019 cross-country survey by GFI India found that 63% of Indian consumers are “very or extremely likely” to purchase plant-based meat, while the latest Kantar study shows a 72% repeat purchase intent for those who have tried meat alternatives.

Reflecting on this, Gummadi says: “The Gen Z and millenial generations are increasingly making lifestyle choices that reflect their values around planetary health and sustainability. These young consumers, who will be the biggest age group by 2040, are shifting rapidly toward smart protein for various reasons, including health, lifestyle choices, animal welfare, and environmental concerns, among others.”

This story was updated on January 16 to add GFI India’s interview with Green Queen.

The post What Do Indians Want From Vegan Food? New Survey Reveals Sector Challenges & Potential appeared first on Green Queen.

An increasing number of diaspora startups in the US are championing their South Asian heritage with offerings that pay homage to their culture while catering to a broad audience.

When I lived in the UK, my bedroom was always known as the spice market. I genuinely had more spices than clothes, stocked in big batches because they were never from my local supermarket. Instead, I’d always get them from India, filling an entire bag with all the spices every time I was travelling, alongside chips packets that I would find for five times the price in London, and Maggi. Because always, Maggi.

It’s a reality many South Asians will know of and relate to. Moving out of home to a new country is always a challenge, so it’s really helpful to have food – also known as instant happiness for many – that you’re familiar with and reminds you of home. Whether that’s homemade paranthas destined for the freezer, family recipes and condiments passed down multiple generations, or spices that we grew up around.

In the US, there’s now a plethora of brands catering to people like this, alongside citizens of South Asian heritage and the wider American population, sharing a taste of the subcontinent’s best offerings and entrepreneurial talent.

Here are some of the trailblazing US brands championing South Asian culture (shoutout to culture magazine The Juggernaut, a media platform dedicated to stories and news about the South Asian diaspora that showcases many of these startups):

Diaspora Co.

Since we’re talking about spices, Diaspora Co. is a company I would have loved to have in the UK. Founded in 2017 by then-23-year-old Indian expat Sana Javeri Kadri, it sources single-origin spices straight from India and Sri Lanka, paying farmers four times the commodity price on average. It’s an elevated experience for South Asian cuisine fanatics – almost what I’d call specialty spice – with everything from ground varieties and whole spices to dried chillies, jaggery and tea.

Diaspora Co. also sells merch and accessories like chai caddies and masala dabbas (spice boxes found in every Indian kitchen), alongside gorgeously illustrated, bright tins of proprietary spice blends. Each individual spice has tasting notes and details about the harvest year and origin too. Plus, there’s a really neat Build Your Own Spice Shelf feature to personalise your rack.

You can buy Diaspora Co.’s products online via its website for $10 per pack.

Brooklyn Delhi

Founded 10 years ago by first-generation Indian American Chitra Agrawal and her now-husband Ben Garthus, Brooklyn Delhi is a condiment company putting outstanding vegan twists on traditional Indian sauces like tikka masala, cashew butter masala and coconut cashew korma. On top of that, it offers two hot sauces based on Indian chillies, alongside chutneys and achaars (South Asian pickles).

The company uses clean-label formulations for its preservative-free products, with all ingredients being carefully sourced to suit each recipe (down to the kind of coconut cream and variety of mangoes). It’s also been endorsed by Canadian Indian influencer Lilly Singh – need I say more?

You can buy Brooklyn Delhi’s products online via its website for $10 per pack.

Paro

One of the newer brands on this list, Paro was founded by Umaimah Sharwani earlier this year, named after her mother. The company makes Pakistani-inspired meal kits that can be prepared in under 30 minutes, with both of the dishes being vegan.

Sharwani. who moved to New York from Pakistan for her education, always wanted a piece of her mother’s cooking, carrying ziplocked boxes of her lentil and spice mixes. Now, she’s spreading the love with meal kits for Kitchari and Masoor Dal. And if you’re not vegan, there’s a South Asian chilli crisp named after the South Asia tempering technique, Tarka, which uses ghee.

You can buy Paro’s meal kits online via its website for $10 per pack.

Bollygood

If you’ve ever had nimbu paani, you know that stuff hits different. To help you get a taste of the real thing, Bollygood makes a range of sparkling drinks inspired by the classic Indian lemonade, which is light on ingredients but heavy on flavour.

It was founded in 2021 by Maxie Henderson, who grew up in Canada in a South Asian household, spending summers visiting her grandparents in India. She launched the brand after realising there was a lack of representation of Indian beverages in US supermarkets. Bollygood has two flavoured lemonades and limeades that pack more than a punch, with the bubbles taking the refreshment to the next level.

You can buy Bollygood’s products online via its website or Amazon, or in select US retailers for $29.99 for a 12-pack.

Peepal People

South Asians love – and are known for – their heat. With that in mind, Alyzeh Rizvi and her husband Ahmer Zaidi launched Peepal People, a fermented hot sauce company, in 2020. It’s an ode to their Pakistani roots with a nod to their American home. Hot sauces aren’t something you find in Pakistan as a traditional food. Americans, though, love a good hot sauce. So they decided to blend Pakistani flavours into an American condiment for a beautiful marriage of culinary cultures.

Peepal People – named after the fig tree native to the subcontinent – offers three hot sauces, with a milder green chilli base, a fruity and versatility yellow chilli variant, and the extra-spicy red chilli version with bhut jholakia (ghost pepper).

You can buy Peepal People’s products online via its website, or in select US retailers for $12 per sauce.

Kanira

Snacking is ingrained in South Asian food culture, and bringing a piece of that to the US is Vishal Ramakrishnan with his biscuit brand Kanira. The company makes healthful vegan biscuits (cookies, if you’re American) with ingredient sourcing and quality a high priority. It champions millets as an environmentally friendly and farmer-supporting food group – these require two to three times less water than grains like oats, wheat and corn, and can withstand higher temperatures.

The clean-label biscuits come in three flavours, all with a gluten-free base. They’re packed with prebiotic fibre and 4g of plant protein per serving, with half the sugar and carbs found in conventional biscuits.

You can buy Kanira’s products online via its website for $19.99 for a three-pack.

Bonus: Mango People

Okay, so this isn’t a food brand, but it’s a fantastic cosmetics company that we had to include. Growing up in Canada, Sravya Adusumilli struggled to find makeup that reflected her skin colour, and realised it’s a wider problem faced by the South Asian community in North America. So she launched Mango People in September 2020.

The brand’s name is a direct translation of the Hindi term for ‘common man’, with vegan makeup products inspired by Ayurveda and powered by adaptogens. The company claims it’s carbon neutral and its products are “infinitely recyclable”, given the packaging is made from recycled aluminium.

You can buy Mango People’s products online via its website or at Sephora.

The post Beyond the Ethnic Aisle: 6 Vegan-Friendly US Brands Championing South Asian Culture appeared first on Green Queen.

In what is one of the largest acquisitions in the Indian plant-based sector, superfood player Nourish You has acquired vegan dairy brand One Good. Ahead of a planned Series A next year, CFO Radhika Datt pulls the curtain on the why and how of the deal.

Hyderabad-based superfood maker Nourish You has acquired 100% of Bangalore-based plant-based dairy startup One Good for an undisclosed sum, the largest M&A deal in India’s booming alt-dairy sector. The move strengthens Nourish You’s position as one of the leading businesses in the space, leveraging One Good’s strong online presence to complement its increasing retail footprint.

The acquisition was conducted via a share swap. Speaking to Green Queen, One Good co-founder Radhika Datt confirms that while the brands will remain separate, operations will merge and there will be restructuring involved.

It’s big news for India’s biggest plant-based market. According to the alt-protein think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) India, nearly two-thirds (65.8%) of vegan companies are focused on dairy alternatives (with almond milk brands topping the list). And more Indians are familiar with plant-based dairy (49%) than meat (28.5%) or eggs (19%).

“One Good’s journey is revolutionary. It was born with a vision of creating the next big dairy company, devoid of animals,” said Nourish You co-founder Krishna Reddy, who added that the deal helps Nourish You evolve “from being a superfood brand to a plant-based brand”.

New roles, no layoffs

Founded in 2015, Nourish You has an extensive range of superfood grains and products, including millets, seeds, mueslis, snack bars, speciality flours and quinoa – it prides itself on mainstreaming the latter in India. The company, backed by investors like Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath, actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Darwinbox’s Rohit Chennamaneni, and Triumph Group’s Y Janardhana Rao (among others), also ventured into the alt-dairy world with a range of millet milks earlier this year.

So it makes sense that One Good was on its radar. Beginning as a door-to-door delivery service, the company (founded in 2016 as Goodmylk) has ridden the success of its flagship cashew-oat-millet milk, expanding into vegan alternatives to ghee, butter, mayo and peanut curd (it’s India’s leading dairy-free yoghurt brand). As it grew, it acquired other plant-based businesses to broaden its portfolio: nutrition brand Pro2Fit, and cheese makers Katharos and Angelo Vegan Cheese.

Now, with the Nourish You acquisition, the two South Indian startups will hope to consolidate their foothold in India’s non-dairy sector. It’s something One Good has been exploring for a while, as Datt explains: “As a brand, we have been on the lookout for the right strategic partnership for some time now. I think it’s a conversation that is constantly being had. Nourish You has been aware of our work since our inception, and has also entered the vegan space through their millet milk. So when this conversation came about, it was a natural fit.”

Datt confirms that there were no redundancies as a result of the acquisition. “The teams complemented each other well and there was immediate synergy,” she notes. All of One Good’s senior management employees, meanwhile, have assumed titled roles in the new entity. She is now the chief financial officer, (One Good co-founder and CEO) Abhay Rangan is a co-founder, and (former COO) Dhivakar Sathyamurthy takes up the position of supply chain head.

“We will continue to remain two separate brands,” adds Datt. “One Good’s mission of providing affordable, accessible Indian vegan products will endure. There is vertical and horizontal integration on product lines, which will increase economic efficiency. Overall, customers can expect to see both brands in more channels, and at competitive prices.”

Path to price parity and upcoming Series A

That last point is pertinent. Despite dairy’s dominance in the plant-based sector, cost remains a key hurdle for many Indians – a GFI India and Ipsos survey revealed that it’s the least influential reason for buying milk alternatives in India. Plant-based milks can be two to four times more expensive than cow’s milk, which is expected, given the country is home to the largest dairy industry in the world.

But One Good has made massive strides here. Its cashew-oat-millet milk is already much cheaper than most oat and almond competitors, selling at half the price. And in its home city of Bangalore, it continues to offer door-to-door delivery of fresh milk – while obviously hard to scale, this is where it achieved price parity with conventional dairy a year ago, with a litre of its plant-based milk available for ₹59 (70 cents).

Datt describes how a combination of Nourish You’s growing retail presence – its products are available in over 2,500 stores nationwide – and One Good’s strong D2C engagement positions can make them the “go-to destination for innovative plant-based alternatives in India”.

“We have years of hard work coming up to really leverage the scale and operational excellence of Nourish You to our advantage,” she says. “We are excited about expanded operations, working with new talent and delivering a combined value to the consumers.”

Nourish You certainly does have the platform – it’s aiming to close the fiscal year with a revenue of ₹30 crores ($3.6M), and aims to reach the ₹100 crore ($12M) mark by 2025. And given the dominance of the ₹250 crore ($30M) Indian alt-dairy market – it’s valued 2.5 times higher than plant-based meat – it will be hoping to grow exponentially. Plus, there’s government support: the country’s Science and Engineering Research Board (part of the Ministry of Science and Technology) has announced a funding call centred on making millet-based meat, egg and dairy proteins.

All this makes its case for its upcoming fundraiser stronger. Having raised $2M in seed funding earlier this year, Nourish You aims to secure ₹60 crores ($7.2M) in its Series A round, which is expected to close by mid-2024.

Next year will also see One Good hoping to expand its presence in more stores and widen the reach of its cost-competitive fresh milk. Additionally, apart from household consumers, it wants to be available to more institutions. “The funds will be used to expand our distribution for sure,” says Datt. “Through One Good’s warehouses, we’re currently already present in all five major cities in India, but our footprint in these locations needs to increase. We’ll want to invest more in offline presence and customer awareness.”

After capping off a big 2023, it seems Nourish You is embarking on One more Good year.

The post Inside India’s Largest Plant-Based Dairy M&A: Why Nourish You Acquired One Good appeared first on Green Queen.