PepsiCo, a leading food and beverage corporation, has ventured into the millet-based snack market by expanding its well-known Kurkure brand into this category.

Through the launch of Kurkure Jowar Puffs, PepsiCo has joined other fast-moving consumer goods companies that have made their way into India's millet snack sector.

According to PepsiCo, India's culinary landscape is transforming as consumers reconnect with traditional ingredients, look for conscious snacking alternatives, and support domestic brands that benefit local communities and economic growth. The company noted that Jowar represents a traditional grain with deep connections to India's farming legacy.

PepsiCo stated that these changes, along with the increasing focus on millets, create a distinctive opportunity for PepsiCo India to modernize ancestral grains for contemporary consumers.

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The Kurkure brand, which originated in India in 1999 before PepsiCo expanded it internationally, leveraged comprehensive consumer insights when creating the Jowar Puffs product.

This development means that numerous FMCG companies, such as ITC, Britannia, Tata Soulfull, Marico, and Nestle, are now integrating millets into their offerings.

According to Aastha Bhasin, Director Marketing for Kurkure and Doritos, Kurkure Jowar Puffs represents their effort to transform a traditional grain into a format that is both approachable and delightfully enjoyable.

 

Government support and nutritional benefits have positioned millets as tomorrow's superfood.

Additionally, there is a growing consumer demand for healthy, environmentally friendly, and whole-grain food products, which has made millets an increasingly favored option.

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Millets are transitioning from specialty health sections to mainstream snack products. Ranging from ragi chips and foxtail-millet tortilla chips to chocolate-millet energy bars, major consumer goods companies, international corporations, and emerging businesses are exploring nutrient-dense variations of popular snacks and savory treats.

The food landscape in India is transforming as consumers reconnect with heritage ingredients and embrace conscious snacking choices. Within this movement, PepsiCo India's domestic brand Kurkure is celebrating its 25th anniversary by launching into the millet-centered snack market.

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For consumer goods leader ITC, the Mission Millets product range -- including flour, biscuits, instant noodles and snack foods -- aligns with its comprehensive 'Help India Eat Better' wellness initiative, demonstrating consumer demand for nutritious, convenient and occasionally indulgent options.