Snapshots of Food Industry News
Kioda to open 300 stores across India in next four years
Malaysia’s Korean concept retail chain, Kioda, is to enter India as a joint venture with Franchise India which is Asia’s leading franchising company. The joint venture will open its first store in New Delhi and a total of 300 stores across major cities in the next four years. Franchise India will invest about $10 million for expansion and marketing. For the Indian stores, Kioda will locally source 25-30 percent of their products while the rest will be imported from Malaysia.
Globally, Kioda has a presence in Singapore and China, apart from Malaysia, and plans to expand to 13 more countries by 2018. India with its burgeoning consumer base offers a huge market. Kioda is targeting the Indian middle class as they feel their product portfolio is the right fit for this market. However, their long-term goal is to source food and beverages from India itself. Kioda will soon become a leading retail brand as its price points are attractive for the price-conscious middle class.
Curcutint – a water-soluble natural food colorant launched
Medclear Healthcare Pvt Ltd has launched Curcutint, an innovative water-soluble curcumin liquid to be used as a natural yellow colorant. Depending on the pH of the formulation of the product, Curcutint gives off either light yellow or pineapple yellow shade, a dark yellow or a near-orange or mango shade. Curcutint, as the name suggests, has been derived from curcumin found in turmeric rhizome and is completely natural and safe. Unlike synthetic colors, it does not cause allergic reactions and is free from carcinogenic components. It is safe for the environment and biodegradable and causes no pollution. Curcumin has been established as safe and has been declared as a food additive (E100) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The active ingredient (curcumin, a turmeric extract) is an exempt color additive (21 CFR part 73) that is derived from the natural source and is therefore exempt from the FDA certification process.
Curcumin is likely to replace synthetic dyes FD&C Yellow No 5 (tartrazine) and D&C Yellow No 10 (quinoline yellow) as it meets the food regulatory requirements in most countries. It is soluble in water, so it can be used as a natural food colorant in aqueous foods such as snacks, noodles, chips, ice cream, cakes, jams, jellies, candies, beverages, confectionery and nutritional products. It can be used as an ingredient in cosmetic products like creams, gels, lipsticks, etc. Curcutint can also be used as a colorant in coatings of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products such as tablets. Medclear Healthcare Pvt Ltd has applied for a national and international patent for both process and technology as this is the first time such a product has been launched anywhere in the world.
Star Hyper a Trent Hypermarket opens in Hyderabad
Trent Hypermarket Pvt Ltd. is the joint venture joint between TATA and TESCO. They have recently launched a hypermarket store at Gachibowli, Hyderabad. The 22,000 square ft. Star Hyper offers a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables, groceries, household supplies, an extensive range of fresh meat, fish, and chicken. They offer a world-class shopping experience as well as the convenience of home delivery service for customers residing within 5kms of the store. They believe in fulfilling customer expectations of freshness, variety, and price.
The grand opening of Star Hyper through the weekend saw several special, limited-time deals and offerings like customers shopping for over Rs.5,000 on the weekend will get a chance to win a Honda Activa and 10 lucky winners to get 1gm gold coin each. There were special product offers for Eid with 50 percent off. Another exciting offer is that travel partner Ola will charge a flat Rs.50 on all rides to Star Hyper within 5 km radius. Star Hyper is Trent Hypermarket Pvt Ltd.’s second venture, the first being in Bengaluru and in line with their strategy to expand in strategic markets.
Zydus Wellness launches Sugar-Free Green
Makers of Sugar Free Zydus Wellness has launched its new variant called Sugar Free Green. This product is made from Stevia leaves, which is a 100 percent natural sugar substitute. Sugar-Free presently holds 94 percent of market share and with this launch aims to expand the use of natural sugar substitutes. Sugar-Free Green is available in powder and pellet formats. The powder is priced at Rs.199 for a 100g unit whereas the pellets will be available in two SKUs, 40 pellets and 100 pellets priced at Rs.45 and Rs.99 respectively.
Over the last three decades, Sugar-Free has grown at a steady pace after they first launched Sugar-Free Gold almost 30 years ago. The company believes in the formula of offering customers product choices that are safe and healthy and Sugar-Free Green is, therefore, a natural progression of offering customers a natural product. With Sugar-Free Green consumers do not have to give up their favorite foods so as to be able to maintain good health as the product is a zero calorie alternative which has health benefits too. They will be featuring Parineeti Chopra and Sanjeev Kapoor as brand ambassadors and also have a 360-campaign across print, digital, outdoor and television in place.
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