Product Development: Need Gaps
India has a large repository of traditional foods which have a health benefit. There is a huge opportunity for developing and commercializing innovative forms of traditional Indian healthy foods with long shelf life for exports. e.g. herbal products, ethnic drinks and functional drinks.
Given the increasing demand for global food products in India, there is a need to adapt these products to Indian preferences, using local raw materials. This requires a detailed understanding of the Indian palate across regions and the role played by texture, rheology, mouth-feel and other related characteristics in making food appealing to consumers. They would need to develop appropriate products and packaging to gain competitive advantage in the global marketplace.
Apart from the domestic market, emerging trends in the international processed food market offer tremendous export opportunities to the Indian industry. However, in order to ensure the quality and safety of food with fewer or no additives and preservatives, novel packaging technologies are required
In addition there is a need to:
1. Set up laboratory scale processing plants to enable the food manufacturers to test their new products as well as the development processes.
2. Evolve certification processes for Halal, Vegetarian and Organic foods.
3. Developing food packaging materials.
4. Reduction of the taxes on processed food is also a necessity.
5. Safety and quality control methods.
