Marico enters soya chunks to strengthen food presence

FMCG firm Marico Ltd on December 4, 2020, announced that it has forayed into the plant protein category with the launch of Saffola Mealmaker Soya Chunks. The product has been launched in line with the company's strategy to strengthen its presence in the healthy foods segment.

Sanjay Mishra, chief operating officer (India sales) and CEO (new business), Marico, said, "Today people are increasingly opting for a healthier lifestyle which in turn is fuelling a trend towards the inclusion of immunity-boosting foods and higher levels of protein in our diet. Soya Chunks are a great source of vegetarian protein, high in fibre and low on fat. They are also very versatile and can be cooked in multiple ways to suit all taste. As per our research, some consumers have found existing products to be chewy and hard in texture and do not absorb any flavour easily. Keeping this in mind, we have introduced Saffola Mealmaker Soya Chunks using Super Soft Technology which makes the texture soft and spongy while absorbing all the flavours when cooked, keeping the nutritional value intact."

He added, "These newly launched Soya Chunks mark our entry into the plant protein category. We have emphasised our focus on taste, texture and nutrition while developing this differentiated product as we want to ensure that plant-based products such as Saffola Mealmaker Soya Chunks are tasty enough to become a regular part of consumers' diets." After the coronavirus pandemic, Marico is on product offensive and has introduced several new products.

It has ventured into segments such as honey and the ayurvedic segment with the Saffola Immuniveda range of Kadha Mix and Golden Turmeric Milk Mix and Saffola Arogyam Chyawan Amrut.

It added, "Going forward, Marico will continue to launch quality offerings in the health, hygiene as well as food segment in India and other geographies."

Interestingly, the launch comes at a time, when consumers are proactively looking forward to integrating healthy and protein-rich foods into their daily routine.

The company has said, today, consumers are proactively seeking healthy and protein-rich foods that can easily integrate into their daily routine. In addition, the need to boost one's immunity has further accelerated consumers' preference towards plant-based protein choices. Soya Chunks are one of the best vegetarian sources of protein and the new Saffola Mealmaker Soya Chunks provides 53 grams of protein for every 100 gram of product; it also has 13 per cent fibre and less than 1 per cent fat, making the product extremely healthy and nutritious.