Indian Consumers Look to Juice Category for Refreshment and Nutrition

As Indian consumers take a more holistic approach to their well-being, fruit juice’s well-known association with high vitamin content has seen it benefit from increased concerns related to immunity since the COVID-19 outbreak.

- Tulsi Joshi*

In fact, nearly half of consumers, especially millennials, have increased their juice consumption, according to Mintel research.

JUICES ARE REINFORCING THEIR ESSENTIAL STATUS

The global pandemic has helped hit the refresh button for the juice category in India and has provided brands with a unique window of opportunity to remind consumers of what they already know: that juices are a source of essential, and immunity-supporting, vitamins. Globally,China tops the list for new juice product launches (6%), followed by the US and Germany (5% each) between November 2019-October 2021. While juice launches have dropped in India between November 2020-October 2021, nearly half of Indians are looking for immunity claims when buying a drink, demonstrating that consumers continue to be interested in products that can help them realize their health goals.

SUGAR CONTENT IS STILL A POINT OF CONTENTION

Globally, the share of drink launches featuring no added/low sugar claims continued to rise between 20192021, especially in juice and nectars. As consumers are increasingly becoming aware of sugar’s link with obesity and other lifestyle diseases, it is important for brands to strike a delicate balance between good taste and cleaner ingredients if they want to keep consumers with diverse sweetener preferences coming back for more. For example, brands can explore lower-sugar recipes by using vegetables, green coconuts or reducing the sugar content through filtration.