Food & Beverage Business Review (Dec-Jan 2019)

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EDIT ORIA L

Publisher cum Editor Rajneesh Sharma rajneeshhammer@gmail.com

Associate Editor Swarnendu Biswas Resident Editor Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai) Layout & Design Hari Kumar. V Abhishek Singh Rathore Production Assistant Mamta Sharma Advertising Sales Delhi: Debabrata Nath, Sumesh Sharma Director Sales Sanjay Anand Mobile: +91 9811136837

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ith consumer in India becoming more aware and demanding there is a constant flow of new products and services into the market these days by businesses to woo customers.

The consumer trend has led to continuous innovation to attract and retain customers in competitive market place. The consumer loyalty depends on what is new in offing. Seeing the changing consumer trend many foodservice establishments have now been more pro-active in understanding the consumer needs and constantly innovating. Increased awareness of health and wellness has completely transformed food demand and shifted eating habits. The demand for specialty, natural and organic products remains strong.

But what worry the business set-up is ROI’s on the cost they are incurring on innovation. Is consumer ready to pay the price for innovation?

It all ends up in profit and loss statement. This catch-22 situation needs smart handling to create a balance between consumer turnover and profitability. Understanding consumer trends is important for success in any business.

There are a number of established ways to understand your potential consumers. A carefully designed survey can be used to ask consumers what they want. While this is a good way to understand consumers’ attitudes and perceptions about products and services, its use is limited and does not account for innovation because people usually do not know what they want next until they see something new. In the current issue we have tried to discuss few possibilities which can help in understanding how the industry is coping with the consumer behavior. Very Happy New Year.

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Director Operations Rajat Taneja Mobile: +91 9810315463 Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi: Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 206, Samrat Bhawan, Ranjeet Nagar Commercial Complex, New Delhi-110008 Phone: 91-11-45084903, 45093486, 25704103 Mumbai: Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 105, 1st Floor, Aarpee Centre, Gufic Compound, 11th Road, MIDC, Near Tunga Paradise, Andheri (E), Mumbai-400093 Ph.: 022-28395833

Website: www.fbrmag.com E-mail: info@hammer.co.in © 2019 Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review is a bi-monthly magazine, printed, edited, owned and published by Rajneesh Sharma from 302, Himgiri Apartments, J-Block, Vikaspuri, New Delhi. Printed at Print Creations, C-112/3, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi.

Editorial Policy: Editorial emphasis in Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review magazine is on educational & informational material specifically designed to assist those responsible for managing institutional food & beverage business. Articles are welcome and will be published on the sole discretion of the editor.

Disclaimer: The editor and publisher believes that all information contained in this publication are correct at the time of publishing.

Content published not necessarily are the opinion or view of the editor and publisher. Editor and publisher declines any responsibility for any action taken based on the information contained in this publication, including liability for error or omission.

Annual subscription rate within India is Rs. 500 and for overseas it is US $110, for surface mail. Single issue is available for Rs. 90 in India and US $25 for overseas. Cheques are payable to Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

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Contents D EC E M B E R - J A N U A RY 2 01 9

Cover Story

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Departments

Buffets: Encouraging Appetites Event 04

Business

48 News 12

Eco-friendly Food Packaging

FEATURE

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Food Trends

agri

Report 32 60

The Fruit for All Seasons

processed food

Appointment 30

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Mayonnaise: A Versatile Condiment

BEVERAGE 68

Profile 76

Restaurant 78

Chef Voice

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Health & Nutrition

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India's Health Drinks Segment Lacking Boost Hygiene 88

confectionery Choco Evolution in India

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Ambiente 2019

8th-12th February 2019, Frankfurt, Germany

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mbiente is the leading international trade fair and the world’s number one in products associated with dining, cooking, household goods, gift items, jewellery, fashion accessories, interior decoration, ideas for the home and furnishing accessories. It is “The Show” for an entire industry. The breadth and width of Ambiente make its unrivalled product range unique throughout the world.

Ambiente 2017 featured around 4,460 exhibitors and attracted 141,000 trade visitors from 154 countries, presenting traditional and innovative products for five days. This most important global consumer goods exhibition offers a wide range of events, programmes for newcomers, trend presentations and award ceremonies.

The top ten visitor nations after Germany were Italy, China, France, United States, UK, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, Korea and Switzerland. Satisfaction ratings among visitors remained stable at an extremely high level of 96 per cent. Above-average growth in visitors’ numbers was recorded from China, Korea, Russia, North African countries, South Africa, South America, Turkey, Lebanon and Cyprus.

Messe Frankfurt is the oldest and perhaps the biggest trade fair organiser in the world.

Ambiente 2019 will take place at Frankfurt, during 8th-12th February 2019. India being an important participant at Ambiente every year, over 400 Indian manufacturers presents Indian workmanship at the global fair.

With around 4,500 exhibitors participating

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at Ambiente 2019, visitors from all over the world are guaranteed to find an international range of consumer goods. With so much choice, locating an individual product can be a challenge, so the fair offers a range of navigational tools to help visitors find specific products quickly. ‘The Ethical Style Guide’ lists manufacturers which produce in accordance with sustainability and fair-trade principles. ‘The Contract Business Guide’ helps visitors working in the contract business to find the right partners. And the special show ‘Solutions’ speeds up the process of seeking out innovative kitchen and household appliances.

India - Partner Country at Ambiente 2019 Ambiente 2019 has nominated India as the partner country. India remains one of the very few countries in the world that still creates textiles and crafts from the dexterity of its master weavers and artisans. With an aim to draw attention to Indian artisans and promote handicraft exports, Ministry of Textiles together with Messe Frankfurt India unveiled the India Design Concepts on the lines of ‘FUTURE IS HANDMADE’ as part of the Partner Country highlight at Ambiente.

This exclusive project will make way for Indian designers and artisans to showcase the best of heritage art & crafts infused with modern design thinking, and facilitate to position India on the world map of design & decor.

Jaipur-based designer Ayush Kasliwal and

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Bengaluru-based Sandeep Sangaru have been nominated to design the India pavilion, and the café respectively at Ambiente Frankfurt. The themes and design concepts will be curated by Sunil Sethi, President of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI).

Additional spaces have been awarded to the government to present the scope and various perspectives.

A design arena on the theme of ‘Timeless and Handmade’ will be curated by Jaipurbased designer Ayush Kasliwal and will be designed with gentle Indian shades; to be beautifully lit in the format of a design gallery.

It will be organised in two parts. The first Timeless and Handmade section will celebrate everyday crafted objects, some of which are authentic, timeless originals, and the second section will cover crafted objects which have evolved to respond to today’s expectations, and are more relevant to an international audience.

Bengaluru-based Sandeep Sangaru, will be designing the Café concept based on the theme of ‘Starry Nights,’ illustrating the usage of bamboo in his designs.

The other arena which has been accorded to the government to present the Indian design perspectives will be based on the themes of Crafts Forward, Crafts & Perspectives, and Crafts & Industry. The Crafts Forward arena will showcase the finest of Indian crafts, which will be a liberal mix of ancient objects from museums to collectibles of today.

The Crafts & Industry arena will depict products and enterprises that have got the two together. The products shall be showcased along with the craft process and with the details of the same. The intent here is to establish craft process as a value addition proposition, to buyers as well as manufacturers alike with the objective to present India as an ideal destination where craft, industry and the combination are readily available.

With India being the Partner Country for the 2019 edition of the show, the worldwide consumer goods sector has its eyes set on the future potential of the 3573 million USD Indian handicrafts export market, and the heritage art and crafts, that will be put together through the concept of ‘Future Is Handmade.’

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ion t a

A el e F

ns Se

Mfrs. & Exporters of Stainless Steel Cutlery, Hotelware & Lifestyle Products.

VENUS INDUSTRIES Office / Showroom 1-Basai Road, Moti Nagar, New Delhi - 110015, India Tel: (91-11) 43163300 Manufacturing Unit Plot No. 386, Phase -1, Industrial Estate HSIIDC Barhi, Sonepat, Haryana.

Email: v_khurana@venusindustries.in

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www.venusindustries.in

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Aahar 2019

Dedicated to Hospitality & Food Processing Industry 12th -16th March 2019, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India Aahar, the international food & hospitality fair, will be taking place at its regular venue of Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The 34th edition of the mega annual show for the food & beverage and hospitality industry would be taking place during 12th -16th March 2019. The forthcoming event is being organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).

Aahar is regarded as the largest trade fair in the food & hospitality sector in India.

The fair has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years and has become the ultimate destination for global vendors and sourcing professionals to visit in the month of March.

It is the perfect opportunity for the industry to network and establish business contacts.

Aahar 2019 will be demarcated into two separate but concurrent exhibitions.

They are ‘Hospitality India’ covering hotel & restaurant equipment and supplies, and ‘Food India’ covering food, processed food & beverage products.

Th e i m p ress i ve p ro d u ct ra n g es displayed at the fair would include fresh produce & dairy products, confectionery/ desserts, bakery products & ingredients and bakery equipments, organic & health products, frozen, canned & processed food products, meat, poultry & sea food, cheese and fine specialty food, snacks and convenience food, food ingredients, additives and preservatives, coffee and tea, syrups, juices & energy drinks. etc. The exhibition is also expected to showcase bar accessories, bed, bath and table linen, chafing dishes, tableware, cutlery, chopping boards, crockery, glassware, garden furniture, kitchen ware, spa amenities, stainless steel products, brass platters, toiletries, sanitary fittings, laundry

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equipment, dish washing machines and packaging machinery related to food products, among others.

The event is expected to be visited by a galore of professionals and entrepreneurs from the food & beverage and hospitality i n d u s t ry a c ro ss t h e g l o b e, w h i c h includes Executive Chefs and Executive Housekeepers, Hospitality Procurement Heads, Purchase Consultants among others. Like the previous editions of the show, Aahar 2018 is also expected to give an impetus to the business potential of Indian food service and hospitality industry. Besides facilitating business, Aahar also serves as a platform for the food & beverage and hospitality industry players to disseminate/gather relevant information and gauge evolving and futuristic trends which can greatly benefit many participants at the fair.

Going by the emerging and ongoing trends in the Indian food & beverage and hospitality industry, we can safely assume that the forthcoming edition of Aahar is expected to supersede even these impressive figures of Aahar 2018, and is poised to become a great success story.

The gross covered area for the event this year will be further reduced from last year due to renovation at the venue. The show will be organized only in Hall Numbers 7 to 12A. There won’t be any temporary structures as last year to accommodate the additional exhibitors. ITPO has this year created options of smaller stalls to accommodate as many exhibitors possible.

There will be two entrances to the show.

While one will be from Gate No 10, near Pragati Maidan Metro Station, the other will be from Gate No 1 on Mathura Road.

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SIAL China 20th Edition Set to Create New Records An estimated 4,300 exhibitors and 112,000 professional visitors are expected to attend SIAL China 2019 to be held in Shanghai from May 14-16

Sigep 2019 19-23 January 2019 Rimini Expo Centre, Italy www.en.sigep.it

SIRHA 2019 26-30 January 2019 Eurexpo, Lyon, France www.sirha.com/en

Gulfood 2019 17-21 February 2019 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Dubai www.gulfood.com Alimentaria Mexico 2019 5-7 March 2019 Expo Guadalajara Mexico www.alimentaria-mexico.com

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hen SIAL China 2019 opens on May 14 in Shanghai, it is set to be 23 times larger in scale, host up to 13 times more exhibitors and welcome eight times as many professional visitors than the first edition.

In preparation of the estimated 4,300 exhibitors and 112,000 professional visitors to attend the 20th edition of the three-day event, SIAL China will occupy all 17 halls and 199,500 sqm of exhibition space at Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) for the first time.

Since the first edition in 2000, SIAL China has constantly adapted to changing consumer demand and trends impacting Asian food and beverage industries.

“Support for innovation, emerging trends, and new sectors are important parts of SIAL China. Our flagship award, SIAL Innovation recognises the most innovative products and received a record 638 submissions in 2018. For the 20th edition, SIAL China will continue to adapt to the ever-changing food and beverage industry to promote business opportunities and innovation," said Jim Liu, CEO of SIAL China.

For the first time ever, SIAL China will host a “Functional Foods Hall” to address

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Aahar 2019 12-16 March 2019 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.aaharinternationalfair.com the growing popularity of healthy products across the region. In total, SIAL China 2019 will host 21 food sectors, of which meat, dairy, wine, and beverage will be designated zones to better meet the demand of these four high growth segments.

In 2018, meat was one of the highest growth sectors at SIAL China and attracted more than 350 exhibitors from 29 countries including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, India, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Uruguay, and the United States.

The growth of these four sectors is partially driven by consumer adoption of new retail, food e-commerce, and an increased demand for fresh foods, convenience, and imported goods. This has in turn encouraged companies to upgrade their cold chain logistics systems.

In support of these developments, SIAL China established the International Cold Chain Logistics Hall in 2017. Now in the third year, the hall will be co-hosted by the Cold Chain Logistic Committee again and attract roughly 150 exhibitors and industry service providers including JD Logistics, SF Express Cold Chains, HNA Cold Chains, and CJ Rokin Logistics.

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HOTELEX 2019 1-4 April 2019 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China www.en.hotelex.cn HICSA 2019 3-4 April 2019 Grand Hyatt, Mumbai www.HICSAconference.com

Bakery China 2019 6-9 May 2019 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China www.bakerychina.com

HOFEX 2019 7-10 May 2019 Hongkong Exhibition Centre, Hongkong www.hofex.com SIAL China 2019 14-16 May 2019 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China www.sialchina.com

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American Pizzeria Restaurant Chain Uno Enters India America’s Uno Pizzeria & Grill recently entered India through a master franchise agreement with Kolkata-based Ambuja Neotia Group and Dhunseri Petrochem to open and operate Uno Chicago Bar & Grill outlets across India.

The first Uno Chicago Bar & Grill restaurant in India was opened at Noida’s Gardens Galleria Mall in Sector 38. The first restaurant launch in Noida will be followed by opening of flagship Uno restaurants in Kolkata and Bengaluru, the Ambuja Neotia Group said in a statement.

Uno’s entry into India coincides with the brand’s 75 years of successful global operations. The Uno story began in Chicago in 1943 when Ike Sewell developed deep-dish pizza and opened a new type of restaurant. While the brand prides itself as the inventor of deep-dish pizza, it serves a number of UNO signature dishes right from appetizers, entrees, salads and grills to desserts.

The menu for India has been carefully curated and optimised to appeal to the contemporary Indian customer. The authentic deep-dish pizza is a star on the menu and the Indian restaurant brings the widest selection of the same for its customers in the country including Farmers Markets, Uno Cheese & Tomato, The Blazing Hot BBQ Roasted Mushrooms, Numero Uno, Prima Pepperoni and Chicago Meat Market, the Ambuja Neotia Group said.

UK-based Cider Brand Sheppy’s Now in India With an aim to create a new wave in India’s lucrative alcohol/beverage industry, UK-based cider brand Sheppy's has expanded its base to India through a partnership with Mumbai-based start-up Morgan Beverages.

Made from a variety of apples which are classified as sharp (like Crimson King), bittersharp (like Kingston Black), sweet (Sweet Coppin) and bittersweet (like Yarlington Mill), traditional English ciders can have an alcohol content varying from 1.2 percent to 8.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

Sheppy’s Classic Draught Cider, available in a 330ml bottle, was the first apple cider to be launched in India by Morgan Beverages.

“In the United Kingdom we are well established with our premium traditional craft cider and we’re excited to now bring our award-winning Classic Draught to India,” said David Sheppy, Managing Director of Sheppy’s Cider.

“With 200 years of cider making provenance behind the Sheppy’s brand - we are confident that our cider will appeal to discerning drinkers throughout Mumbai,” he added.

Being made from farm-grown apples, Sheppy’s Cider is also gluten-free.

"As per the latest consumer trends, more people are shifting towards lighter and better crafted beverages. With the introduction of Sheppy’s Cider, we are sure to see the health-conscious consumers of alcohol beverages definitely give cider the thumbs up,” said Rohan Nihalani, Founder of Morgan Beverages.

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AnnaMaya at Andaz Delhi Nestlé India Launches Instant Ranks Among Top Restaurants Tea Premix in 3 Flavours AnnaMaya at Andaz Delhi has made it to the Condé Nast Traveller and Himalayan Sparkling “Top Restaurant Awards 2018”.

Presented by multi-media luxury travel brand Condé Nast Traveller and mineral water brand Himalayan Sparkling, the “Top Restaurant Awards” lists premium restaurants chosen by a jury of over 100 renowned tastemakers — none of whom owns/co-owns a restaurant in India.

The list was unveiled at an event hosted by chefs Manu Chandra and Pooja Dhingra at St. Regis, Mumbai on 10th December.

AnnaMaya was ranked No. 20 on “Top Restaurant Awards 2018” list.

“With its focus on mindful eating, the restaurant champions produce that is sourced from India with a socially conscious bent where possible,” according to the description by Condé Nast Traveller.

The Bombay Canteen in Mumbai topped the “Top Restaurant Awards 2018” list, followed by Indian Accent at The Lodhi in New Delhi.

The Table in Mumbai, Bomra’s in Goa and Masque in Mumbai occupied the third, fourth and fifth positions respectively.

Talking about the second edition of the awards, Divia Thani, Editor, Condé Nast Traveller India, said, “We had an amazing response to the Top Restaurant Awards last year, both from the industry and our audiences. This year, the results are even more exciting—Mumbai has more restaurants than any other city by a big margin.”

“There’s a clear shift in taste: people care more about freshness, seasonality, local produce and regional cuisines. They also appreciate great ambience and service,” Thani added.

Switzerland-based food and drink multinational Nestlé has launched in India EVERYDAY Chai Life that offers instant tea experiences in three flavours —desi masala, saffron & cardamom, and ginger & lemongrass.

The instant tea will be available in convenient “sachet” and easy to carry “sachet in a cup” formats, Nestlé India said in a statement.

“To relish this perfect instant chai, just add hot water to the premix and reconnect with what truly matters in life.

“We truly believe that a perfect cup of tea can magically reconnect you with what matters in life, transforming everyday tea moments into meaningful reconnections and conversations,” said Arvind Bhandari, General Manager, Dairy, Nestlé India.

“With this latest innovation, Nestlé India continues its journey as a pioneer by redefining the mode of consumption to deliver ‘consumption on the go’ for today’s consumers,” Bhandari said.

Nestlé EVERYDAY Chai Life “sachet” and “sachet in a cup” will be priced at Rs 20 and Rs 30 respectively and will be available both in-store as well as on e-commerce platforms, the company said.

FSSAI Brings New Regulations to Curb Misleading Ads In an attempt to make food businesses accountable for claims/ advertisements, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has brought new regulations pertaining to claims and advertisements by food business operators in respect of their food products.

According to the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, food business cannot use the words/phrases such as “natural”, “fresh”, “original”, “traditional”, “authentic”, “genuine”, “real”, etc. on the food labels except under specific conditions. Such restrictions are primarily aimed at restricting an open-ended use of these words/phrases by food businesses on frivolous grounds, FSSAI said.

The new regulations also stipulate that if a trade mark, brand name or fancy name contains adjectives such as “natural”, “fresh”, “pure”, “original”, “traditional”, “authentic”, “genuine”, “real”, etc., appearing in the labelling, food businesses would have to provide a disclaimer on the label stating that – “This is only a brand name or trade mark and does not represent its true nature”.

Food business operator will have to comply with all the provisions of these regulations by 1st July, 2019, FSSAI said.

Any person, including a third party, who advertises or is a party to the publication of any misleading advertisement not complying with these regulations would be penalised with a fine extending up to Rs 10 lakh, it added.

In case an advertiser wants to make claims for which regulations have not been detailed, they will have to seek approval from the authority.

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Too Yumm Launches ‘Healthy’ Snack Range ‘Karare’ Too Yumm! - the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand of diversified conglomerate RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group recently unveiled its “healthy” snack range - Karare.

Karare is available in five variants – chilli achari, garlic peri peri, munchy masala, noodle masala and s o u t h e r n s p i c y.

With 40 percent less fat, Karare was introduced with an aim to put an end to the constant battle between health and taste, the company said.

“We are excited to introduce the all new Karare range. A unique offering in the snacking category, this launch will yet again break the myth that healthy cannot be tasty,” Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman of RPSanjiv Goenka Group, said in a statement.

“The whole new range from Too Yumm! furthers our commitment to offer an irresistible snacking options that are completely baked and not fried,” Goenka added.

Karare marks the launch of the brand’s sixth successful product type in the snacking category. The brand’s other products are – Wheat Thins, Fox Nuts, Veggie Sticks, Quinoa Puffs, and the most recently launched, Multigrain Chips.

Promising Indians Conclave & Awards 2018 The Promising Indians Society hosted the annual flagship event to bridge the communication gap between NRI’s, PIO’s and among Citizen of India. With more than 300 attendees and over 250 nominees, the 2018 conclave and 2nd Edition of Awards were organized. This year’s Promising Indian Conclave and Awards was held on December 24th at Silver Oak, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

The main aim of the society is to unite Indians globally and to applaud them together for their outstanding achievements. This event was categorised into two parts i.e. Conclave and Awards.

There was a session held which had the focussed sectoral discussion on Entrepreneurship, Hospitality & Tourism, Healthcare, India at a glance with special focus on ‘Make in India’, Social Activism and many more.

The hospitality & tourism session was a bench mark for the Hospitality Industry where the participation of leaders from the industry explained the crux and core to it. This year the event had the participation of Fraser Suits which provided a Hospitality Session and won an Award under Hospitality Category.

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GVK Lounge by TFS Wins Best Lounge Award Operated by Travel Food Services (TFS), the GVK Lounge at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Maharashtra was recognised as the “World’s Best Business Class Lounge” for the fourth consecutive year, at the World Travel Awards 2018.

Th e Wo r l d Travel Awards are considered one of the most prestigious and comprehensive awards in the industry and are attended by the sector’s key decision makers, figure heads and trade and consumer media.

The grand final Awards ceremony was held on December 1 at the Pátio da Galé in Lisbon, Portugal and witnessed some of the most renowned brands from the sector being recognised and awarded for exemplary service.

The GVK Lounge by TFS Performa bagged three awards at the event — World's Leading Airport Lounge - Business Class 2018, Asia's Leading Airport Lounge 2018 and Asia's Leading Domestic Airport Lounge 2018 “It is an honour to have successfully represented the Indian travel sector at a distinguished global platform like the prestigious World Travel Awards 2018. To have our efforts recognised and awarded motivates us further to work towards creating a better travel experience for travelers,” said Gaurav Dewan, Chief Operating Officer and Business Head, Travel Food Services.

Keventers Adds Sundaes to its Product Portfolio I n a b i d to d i ve rs i fy i ts business into complimentary verticals that are in line with its identity, India’s iconic dairy brand Keventers has added a new range of Sundaes to its Product Portfolio.

Priced between Rs 199 – Rs 249 (exclusive of taxes), the new range of Sundaes are available in four combinations.

“We are constantly trying to innovate and create new products and flavours for our guest’s palate,” Keventers CEO Tarun Bhasin said while explaining the purpose behind the introduction of the Sundaes.

“Keventers is thrilled to add this new range of Sundaes to our product portfolio and are confident that our loyalists will love these as much as our shakes,” Bhasin added.

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Meat Retail Company Fipola Wins Awards Modern meat retail company Fipola was recognised as the “Best Speciality Retail of the Year” by India Retail Excellence Awards at Chennai Retail Summit 2018 and also as the “Most Admired Retail Launch of the Year” at South India Retail Awards 2018 held in Bengaluru recently.

Fipola was launched last year in Chennai with a mission to redefine meat and seafood retailing in the country by delivering premium products and best-in-class customer service with hygienic and convenient s h o p p i n g e nv i ro n m e nt fo r customers across genders and age-groups.

Recently, it introduced a 24-hour recall policy to ensure freshness of meat and seafood.

“It is a greatly satisfying moment for us to be recognised for what we do. We started with an endeavour to provide a delightful experience to meat and seafood retailing and these two awards strengthen our cause and push us more to offer the very best to our customers,” said Sushil Kanugolu, Managing Director and CEO, Fipola.

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Lavazza Launches First Decaffeinated Coffee in India Italian coffee brand Lavazza recently launched Blue Espresso Dek, its first decaffeinated coffee in India. The product targets those dedicated coffee drinkers who want to limit the consumption of caffeine. It is made through a “natural” decaffeination process guaranteeing more body and a creamier taste, claims Lavazza.

Lavazza Blue Espresso Dek comes in a special air tight packaging with innovative one-way valve which helps preserves the aroma of the powder for up to 24 months.

USA Pears Celebrates World Pear Day in India To mark the World Pear Day on December 1, US-based Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) organised sampling sessions in Delhi and Mumbai which gave consumers a chance to taste and buy the USA Pears in person and online.

T h e Pe a r B u re a u Northwest was established in 1931 as a non-profit marketing organisation to promote, advertise and develop markets for fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon. Pears from these two states in the US are distributed under the USA Pears brand.

“USA Pears perfectly compliment the Indian Pear season. The Indian season ends in September and USA Pears arrive in the market from October giving consumers more choices,” Sumit Saran, Director of SS Associates and India Representative for USA Pears said on the occasion of World Pear Day. “Highly nutritional, delightfully juicy and elusively flavoured USA Pears add a whole lot of value to ones’ physical well-being.

Glad to share that these flavorsome fruits will now be available in your nearest retail stores across India,” Saran added.

Pears are an excellent source of fibre, providing about 24 percent of your daily needs. USA Pears contain Levulose, a natural sugar that can satisfy the sweet cravings for everyone, even for diabetics without guilt.

This season, USA Pears entered India with two varieties of Anjou — both green and red. Also, for the first time, a small volume of Starkrimson and Bartlett Pears were imported into the market.

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TFS Wins Contract to Revamp Dining Facilities at Goa Airport Travel Food Services, one of India’s leading travel, food, and retail companies, was recently awarded the contract for revamping the dining facilities at the Goa Airport and raise them to international standards.

the food court.

“In an effort to elevate the 360 degree passenger experience at Goa Airport we are happy to join hands with Travel Food Services, and look forward to opening more F&B outlets in coming months. By the end of this year, we should see a totally revamped Dabolim Airport,” said Bhupesh Negi, Airport Director, Dabolim International Airport.

Royal Stag Partners with ICC as Official Sponsor In an attempt to upgrade passenger experience of Goa Airport, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) came out with a policy to appoint master concessionaire for retail and food and beverage for select airports, among several others measures.

With support of AAI, Travel Food Services said it will be getting major international and national brands to the airport in an attempt to make the airport a global destination of sorts.

They have already opened over 13 outlets at the airport, and by the end of December, all the F&B outlets will be operational, including

Alcohol beverage brand Royal Stag has entered into a fiveyear partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to become the official sponsor of cricket's international events, including the upcoming big-ticket calendar events – the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup and ICC World Test Championship.

"The ICC is pleased to welcome Royal Stag on board as our Proud Pa r t n e r. W e look forward to working to g et h e r fo r the next five years in delivering a meaningful experience to cricket fans across ICC global events,” David Richardson, Chief Executive Officer, International Cricket Council, said in a statement.

Royal Stag is the flagship brand of Pernod Ricard India, a fully owned subsidiary of Pernod Ricard SA which is a fast-growing multinational alcohol beverage company.

“Our journey with cricket started in 2000 and since then we have only strengthened our brand associations with the sport, creating a huge impact on cricket fans across the country,” said Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India.

“We are delighted to partner with the prestigious International Cricket Council, and look forward to an action-packed calendar in the next five years,” said Guillaume Girard-Reydet, Managing Director, Pernod Ricard India.

Sumeru Launches Frozen Gourmet Meals In collaboration with Michelin star chef Alfred Prasad, Innovative Foods Limited (IFL), which markets its products under the brand name “Sumeru”, has launched its signature frozen gourmet meals.

The range includes four products – shahi paneer, millet khichadi, roasted chicken and pepper chicken.

Sumeru last year launched a range of products such as parathas, rolls and kebabs in the frozen meal category. The company has two manufacturing units in the country – one in Kerala and the other one is located in Andhra Pradesh.

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Wok Express Launches Dark Kitchen in Mumbai One of India’s leading pan-Asian quick service restaurant (QSR) chain Wok Express has launched its second dark kitchen in Mumbai.

Wok Express dark kitchen format is exclusively designed to cater to a wider set of audiences, who want to have their food delivered at homes or offices.

The concept helps manage the entire operational efficiency from food procurement, recipe preparation and packaging.

The kitchen is exclusively optimised for delivery.

Located in Jogeshwari, the new kitchen will cater to customers within a radius of three kilometres, facilitated by delivery apps.

The first fully equipped dark kitchen format was introduced earlier this year at Chandivali, Powai.

“We plan to open 10 dark kitchens across Mumbai’s neighbourhood in the next two years,” said Aayush Agarwal, Director, Lenexis Foodworks Pvt. Ltd. Wok Express delivery menu boasts of an interesting spread of pan-Asian cuisine like Chinese rice and noodle bowls, soups, baos, dumplings, chicken wings, appetizers and refreshing coolers.

Food Adulterers Face Life Sentence in Maharashtra The Maharashtra government wants to amend the Prevention of Food Adulteration (Maharashtra Amendment) Act to make food adulteration a non-bailable offence and to provide for life imprisonment to the guilty.

Under the existing law, food adulterers could face imprisonment of six months. The move to amend the law is seen as a step to deter food adulterers so that the dangerous consequences of the malpractice could be stopped.

Barista Planning to Open 300 More Stores in India in 3 Years New Delhi-headquartered coffee chain Barista is planning to ramp up its business in India by opening 300 more stores in three years, taking the total store count in the country to 500.

Barista currently operates over 200 Barista Cafes and Barista Express kiosks spread across the country. The company is likely to take the franchise route for opening most of the new stores.

The company has expanded its fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) offerings with the launch of honey, chocolates, instant coffee, cookies and coffee powder. These products are sold through modern retail. Barista wants to make its FMCG offerings available in over 10,000 retail outlets across the country in two-three years.

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Ne w s s c a n

Want to Work with Govt to Promote Restaurant Industry: NRAI Industry body National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), which represents nearly 6,500 restaurant operators, wants to work closely with the government to resolve the problems that the industry faces.

The restaurant industry came under intense pressure soon after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into force. But responding to the concerns of the industry, the GST Council later reduced tax rates on restaurants to five percent, from 18 per cent. But it also rolled back the input tax credit (ITC) benefits.

NRAI is arguing that the restaurant industry has been unfairly singled out for the roll back and wants restoration of ITC benefits for eateries. Moreover, it is also lobbying for making it easier to open a restaurant in the country as currently one needs to have a number of licenses for the purpose.

EDMC Wants Restaurants to Mention if Meat is Halal or Jhatka Restaurants and meat shops in east Delhi may have to mention if the meat is “halal” or “jhatka” as the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has passed a resolution to this effect.

The resolution was taken in view of the fact that different religious communities have different preferences when it comes to the method of slaughtering an animal. The resolution proposes that restaurants and shops selling or serving meat should display a board mentioning whether it is “jhatka” or “halal” meat.

Champagne Soirée at Sofitel Mumbai BKC Sofitel Mumbai BKC, the flagship property of the AccorHotels Group, recently organised a champagne soirée in an exclusive collaboration with the France Tourism Development Agency — Atout France — and Air France. The event was conducted at the luxury hotel’s new outdoor venue Hriday, which was accompanied by live musical performances and a vibrant art exhibition

by Béatrice de Fays, a renowned FrancoBelgian artist.

The evening showcased the signature destination of champagne, creating an epicurean journey of the discovery of French gastronomy renowned the world over.

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Ne w s s c a n

Revamping India Coffee Houses

Mahou Wheat Beer Now in Bengaluru

As part of its effort to revamp the India Coffee Houses (IHCs), government-run Coffee Board has invited bids from private players to run the outlets.

According to a report in The Times of India, Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) and Afoozo are vying for 13 of its outlets.

The Coffee Board plans to allow the successful bidder to run the outlets for a yearly fee. The Board, however, wants to reserve the right to fix the price of coffee and other items as it does not want the prices to shoot up too much.

Spanish brewing major Mahou Group has launched its wheat beer through its subsidiary Mahou India, which is the group’s first subsidiary outside of Spain.

The group entered the Indian market in August 2012. Its brands in India include Dare Devil, Mahou 5 Star and Mahou Clásica. Mahou India has its brewery in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan.

Service Charge Levied by Restaurants could be Taxed Taking Note of compulsory service charges levied by some hotels and restaurants in contravention to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has said that such charges are liable to income tax if the amount thus collected is not distributed among workers.

CBDT has instructed field offices to look into allegations of “under reporting” and “non reporting” of service charge by hotels and restaurants.

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Christmas Tea Party for Underprivileged Kids Keeping up with the season’s philosophy of spreading goodwill and celebrating the spirit of giving, Sofitel Mumbai BKC on December 24 hosted a Christmas Tea Party for underprivileged children from artist, philanthropist and entrepreneur Akshita Gandhi’s Dua Foundation.

Bollywood actress Chitrangda Singh joined the festivities, adding joy and cheer and bringing smiles to the faces of her little fans.

Chitrangda, along with Akshita, led the kids through an art session, where the children created ornaments for the Christmas tree.

“For me Christmas is all about cheer and joy. That’s also what childhood should be about. It’s great to be able to add a dash of happiness to the day of these beautiful kids,” said Chitrangda.

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Puratos India Launches Innovation Center in Bengaluru

Launched: 'Pepper Fry

by Kamats’ Multi Cuisine Restaurant

Puratos India, the subsidiary of the Puratos group has launched its third Innovation Center in India at Bengaluru. The Belgium based global food ingredient company presently has two state-of-the-art innovation centers in India at Mumbai and New Delhi. The new Innovation Center in Bengaluru is designed to provide Puratos’ customers in South India with access to concept developments, developing industrial applications, expertise and training.

Ashish Seth, Area Director South Asia, Managing Director Puratos India said, “We are extremely delighted to unveil our third Innovation Centre in India at Bengaluru.

With this new Innovation Center we wish to proactively respond to the demands of our customers in South India who recognize our technical expertise, innovative solutions and outstanding product quality. Given India’s

Pure vegetarian restaurant chain Kamats Group has now launched in Mumbai ‘Pepper Fry by Kamats’, a multi-cuisine restaurant that offers contemporary dining experience boasting of eclectic mix of Indian and international flares.

Variety of peppers and fresh ingredients are the key elements of food preparations at the restaurant located at Eastern Express Highway in Thane.

'Pepperfry by Kamats' was conceptualised as a fun and casual neighbourhood restaurant that celebrates a creative spin of world cuisine and regional flair.

The sweet aroma of spices from the kitchen and interactive dining elements create an inspiring vibe.

The menu comprises of a variety of authentic cuisines in south Indian, north Indian, tandoori, continental, and oriental.

Guests can try the Chef’s recommended flavours of pepper to pair with their favourite food that include parley, garlic ginger, chilli pepper, pepper mix and mixed herb pepper.

The restaurant offers choices of soups, vegetable mains, south Indian, fun tiffins, Chinese, pasta, sizzlers, grills, international flares, combo meals, Indian breads, rice meals and choice of desserts. The restaurant also serves refreshing mocktails with fresh ingredients.

growing love for bakery, patisserie & chocolate items we are extremely buoyant in developing products for the future, based on consumer preferences”.

Puratos Innovation Center has been developed to support their customers in bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors in creating the best finished goods. The center will focus on conducting customer engagement events, developing and showcasing new recipes, benchmarking products against competition and conducting trainings. The training and development at the center will cover every aspect of taste, freshness, texture, ingredient interaction, nutrition and food pairing. The new Innovation Center will also provide a dedicated space for presentations, seminars, workshops and product trials.

The facility will bring the company’s Sales, Marketing, Technical and Research teams together in a collaborative environment to closely connect with its customers. The center will showcase new product concepts, innovative applications, new product testing and even undertake sensory analyses. With a global team of over 500 technical advisors, Puratos Innovation Centers are committed to supporting customers on both a local and national level. This includes artisans and industrial manufacturers, quick service restaurants and large supermarkets among others.

Elanpro Introduces four Side Glass Display Wine Cooler

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Elanpro – one of the India’s leading commercial refrigeration company has introduced new variant in its portfolio - E4WC 400- a four sided glass display wine cooler. It offers an ideal option to store upto 81 bottles for sustained quality of wine. The design forward store & pour wine cooler displays wine bottles and enables it to be served directly from the cooler.

Elanpro E4WC 400 wine cooler has technology and design innovation available in two variants – black and white with temperature range of 5-18 degree C. The unique wine cooler range has industry exclusive features such as double layer anti UV tinted glass on four sides for enhanced visibility of stored wine, temperature controller and compressor on top to avoid any damage due to food residue. It also has Black PVC door frame along with anti-vibration zones for red wine separately.

The series is equipped with the pull out sliding metal shelves, four castors and two brakes for ease of use. E4WC 400 wine cooler provides controlled air quality and digital controls for stable environment and fine wines. The wine coolers is available on order at Elanpro dealer stores.

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APPOINTMENT

Paul Kinny T h e S t . Re g i s M u m b a i h a s announced the appointment of Chef Paul Kinny as Director of Culinary. He brings with him over 25 years of rich culinary experience.

An industry veteran, Chef Kinny’s career commenced at the legendary Zodiac Grill at The Taj Mahal Palace under the tutelage of celebrated chef Hemant Oberoi.

He rose in rank as Sous Chef and moved on to other restaurants to helm culinary operations.

His assignments over the next two decades included launching Sachin Tendulkar’s fine-dining venue and leading the culinary team at international hospitality organisations like InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and most recently, with Phoenix Mills Ltd.

Stephane Calvet S t e p h a n e Ca l v e t , h a s b e e n appointed as the Executive Chef of Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru at Embassy ONE. Spanning several years of culinary journey across his Catalan home in Southern France, Sweden and further East to Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand and now India, Stephane landed in the kitchen at Nordgarden Restaurant where he got a totally different perspective from the Bistro Cuisine style, that he was familiar with. After another tryst at a traditional French bakery, Le pain Francais in Gothenburg, Stephane traveled all the way to Asia and arrived in Hanoi followed by China, Beijing. He finally decided to move to Thailand, Bangkok. It was here that his glorious culinary journey with Four Seasons began. He joined the erstwhile Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok heading the pastry kitchen, and subsequently as executive chef in the picturesque retreat in Chiang Mai, overseeing the culinary operations of this sprawling resort.

Nitin Gupta The Novotel Pune Nagar Road has announcde its association with Nitin Gupta as Director, Food and Beverage. With an experience of 16 years in the hospitality sector, he has a deep understanding of operation management, inventory, and quality and relationship management.

A firm believer in core values and work ethics, Nitin Gupta has worked with brands like Oberoi's, IHG, Radisson, Taj and Starwood across different cities of India. His previous assignment was at Mercure Lavasa and Convention Centre as operations manager.

Nitin is an extremely experienced professional in the hospitality sector and at the Novotel Pune Nagar road; he will be responsible for setting up a new wave of transformation in the food and beverage arena.

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Tenzin Namkha Chef Tenzin Namkha; the newest member of the Sheraton Grand B a n g a l o re H ote l at B r i g a d e Gateway family has, as Chef De Cuisine, been entrusted to manage the culinary operations at South India’s highest dining destination, HIGH Ultra Lounge. In this role he will be responsible for overseeing the restaurant’s dining venues, catering and culinary events, as well as further enhancing the restaurant’s celebrated culinary offerings.

Chef Tenzin is a seasoned professional, known for crafting timeless culinary masterpieces for over 11 years. He started his career as Chef de commis with Leela Palace Hotel and Resort Bangalore and later on moved to Ista Hotel Pune and Hyderabad. He has also worked with Ananda in the Himalayas and Hyatt Hotel Ahmadabad where he was part of the pre-opening of their Oriental restaurant Nonya and took care of the menu planning and execution. Prior joining HIGH Ultra Lounge, he was working with Ritz Carlton Hotel Bangalore as their Sous Chef of The Lantern Restaurant and Bar taking over the entire operations of the restaurant.

Maneesh Vijaykumaran Maneesh Vijaykumaran has been appointed as the Director of Food & Beverage at the Sheraton Grand Resort & Spa. He brings with him more than a decade of expertise in the hospitality industry. In his new role he will be responsible for managing the overall operations of the food and beverage department.

Prior to joining Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa, Maneesh began his career at the Park Sheraton, Chennai as the Food Beverage Trainee after which he joined hotels like the Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai, JA Resorts & Hotels Dubai and JA Resorts & Hotels both in Dubai and Maldives.

He also served as operations manager at Deliverance in the UAE wherein he led various pre-opening operations from scratch to completion alongside Michellin star Michel Roth.

Amit Kobat Amit Kobat has been appointment as Manager of Food and Beverage at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. Amit comes with experience of over 10 years in restaurant management, and is all set to revolutionize the functioning of the hotel’s restaurants – Feast, The Persian Terrace, Bene, Alfresco by Bene and High Ultra Lounge, in addition to its banqueting facilities.

Prior to Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, Amit had handled the Food and Beverage operations at some of the country’s most renowned hotels, including but not limited to The Ritz Carlton Bangalore.

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I ONLY ACCEPT MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE !

Delta Nutritives Signed up with Savencia Fromage & Dairy Delta Nutritives has recently signed up with Savencia Fromage & Dairy France for marketing, import and distribution of their flagship brands Elle & Vire, Corman & Ile De France.

Also known to offer top-of-the-line products worldwide, Elle & Vire is a Dairy Cream whereas Corman offers extra Dairy Butter for Pastry, and Ile de France offers a range of French cheese.

The addition of all these world-class leading brands to the product portfolio of Delta Nutritives will only add to the existing value which they offer to multitude of brands across the country.

Delta Nutritives, established in 1995 is a leading importer and manufacturer of bakery ingredients and sole importer of Barry Callebaut, Ravifruit, Mec3, Dirafrost and Unifine fruit fillings. It is also into Artisinal Food Processing Machinery like Carpigiani & ISA, and has a Pan India presence with sales and warehousing network across the country.

Over the years, Delta has made a name for itself in offering specialty bakery ingredients to those who value taste and quality.

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Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) o rg a n i s e d fo o d - h u nt a n d a n informative meet at NCR to uphold the virtues of Malaysian Palm Oil. The event promoted the benefits of Palm Oil, which is a vegetable oil, produced from the oil palm fruit. Malaysia and Indonesia account for about 85% of the world’s palm oil production. Palm oil is found in almost 50% of food products in supermarkets; from chocolates to biscuits, cakes, crackers, cookies and peanut butter to ice-cream, besides being the cooking oil consumed in India and globally.

The entire event ensured that the benefits of Malaysian Palm Oil were shared with the participants; thus, enlightening them on how Indian food and especially North Indian cuisine can be best cooked in palm oil. The food-hunt created excitement and engaged different segments of the population, with emphasis on the youth and also the participating restaurants.

Speaking at the occasion, Bhavna Shah, Country Representative of Malaysian Palm Oil Council for India and Sri Lanka said, “The food industry loves palm oil because of its versatility, its ease of use in various food applications and ability to prolong shelf-life of food products. One of the important factors which appeals to food manufacturers is that palm oil is trans-fat free and can easily replace partially hydrogenated unsaturated oils, which contain trans-fat which are not good for the heart. Palm oil is fruit oil just like olive oil and is Non-GMO.”

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report

Thai Restaurant Brand Mango Tree Expands India Footprint Mango Chili Thai Café in Bengaluru becomes Mango Tree’s second outlet in India, following the popular Mango Tree Mumbai

L

eading Asian restaurant operator, Mango Tree Worldwide, is expanding its footprint in India with the launch of the country’s first Mango Chili Thai Café in Bengaluru in early 2019.

Located in the Prestige Shantiniketan Forum Mall on Whitefield Main Road, downtown Bengaluru’s main thoroughfare, the new restaurant is designed to become a vibrant social dining space where groups of friends and families can come together and enjoy contemporary yet authentic Thai cuisine.

The store will be operated by HMSHost International, leading provider of food & beverage locations at high traffic locations worldwide.

Mango Chili is the fun, exciting and authentic Thai restaurant concept from Mango Tree, allowing global diners to experience Thai cuisine just as the locals do.

The new Mango Chili Thai Café in Bengaluru aims to transport its Indian clientele back to the bustling streets of Bangkok, with bright yet rustic interiors fe at u r i n g ex p o s e d ce i l i n g s , p o l i s h e d concrete floors, Thai fabrics, modern

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artworks and installations — including a fullsize Thai tuk-tuk. Seating options include hanging rattan cocoon chairs.

“Indian consumers are developing a keen appetite and appreciation for authentic Thai cuisine. Thailand and India share several cultural similarities and many Thai flavours feel comfortingly familiar to Indian consumers – especially southern Indian ingredients such as coconut, chili and tamarind,” said Trevor MacKenzie, Mango Tree’s Global Managing Director.

“Our new Mango Chili Thai Café will allow the people of Bengaluru to enjoy high quality Thai cuisine in an exciting and casual setting, just as they would find in Thailand. The restaurant will benefit from significant footfall from shoppers at the Prestige Emporium Shopping Mall, as well as a wider audience of local consumers, families, groups of friends and IT and office workers on MG Road,” he added.

Thailand is growing in popularity among Indian travellers, due to its many attractions, close proximity and the rising number of direct flights between the two countries.

According to the Tourism Authority of

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Thailand (TAT), 1.4 million Indians visited Thailand in 2017, which marks an 18 percent jump compared to the previous year.

This means that huge numbers of Indians – including many millennial travellers and young families – are now enjoying real Thai food while on holiday and want to experience the same flavours when they return home. Mango Chili Thai Café in Bengaluru will allow these new Thai food enthusiasts to savour the true taste of Thai cuisine, exactly how it tasted in Thailand.

The menu will feature a range of Thai starters, including tom yum goong, Pad Thai spring rolls, sun-dried lamb with Sri Racha sauce, and crispy chicken wings. Diners can also enjoy a choice of classic Thai soup pots, including tom yum and tom kha; a selection of red, green and massaman curries; and stir-fried dishes such as pad grapow and chicken with cashew nuts.

The new Mango Chili Thai Café will also have a wide variety of vegetarian dishes to suit the Indian market. These include spicy okra salad, vegetarian spring rolls, tofu with tamarind sauce, and paneer cashew nuts.

All dishes can be accompanied by a choice of rice and noodles. Finally, diners will be treated to a selection of delectable desserts including Thai street ice cream and mango sticky rice cones.

Mango Chili Thai Café in Bengaluru becomes the company’s second outlet in India, following the popular Mango Tree Mumbai.

Mango Tree Worldwide now operates approximately 66 restaurant outlets in 12 countries around the globe. These include key locations in major shopping malls and transport hubs, such as international airports and railway stations. By 2020 the group expects to operate a total of 100 outlets worldwide. n

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report

PureCircle Plans to Curb 250 Billion ‘The Ashok Cake Calories in Indian Diet by 2020 Shop’ at - The Ashok, New Delhi

The inaugural of the new Cake Shop at The Ashok, New Delhi by K J Alphons, Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, Govt of India added sparkle and glitz to the New Year Eve Celebrations at The Ashok. The recently opened outlet will offer an array of new delectable bakery and confectionery delights that would combine exotic modern flavors for the contemporary palate.

Strategically located next to the tea lounge, The Ashok Cake Shop has added ‘Joie de Vivre’ by bringing the freshness and leisure-coated serenity with complete opulence. It has an elegant and vibrant ambience amidst the grandeur of The Ashok. Located at lobby level overlooking the lush greens and a beautiful view of the Tea lounge, Cake shop is a one stop shop solution for all your festivities.

Satyajeet Rajan, IAS, Director General (Tourism), Ministry of Tourism; Ravneet Kaur, IAS, Chairperson & Managing Director (C&MD), ITDC; Piyush Tiwari, Director (Commercial & Marketing), ITDC and various dignitaries were present to grace the inauguration.

Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Dutt, General Manager, The Ashok, Delhi expressed, “We are overwhelmed with the level of excitement seen in The Cake Shop with our new customers savoring freshlyprepared pastries and bakery products.

The Ashok Cake Shop is another feather to the gourmet world of the hotel. Marking the New Year, this patisserie is a souvenir to the city and guests visiting the hotel.”

The Ashok Cake Shop offers hand-crafted breads, croissants, tarts, chocolates and an elegant assortment of savory as well as freshly prepared cakes, pastries and truffles.

Unwind, Relish and Enjoy the experience amidst the ‘Notes of the Piano’.

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Stevia sweeteners producer PureCircle has announced its plans to expand its India footprint and commitment to help Indian companies reduce 250 billion calories in the Indian diet by 2020.

The company plans to achieve this by helping food and beverage companies in India to launch new low-to-zero sugar-added products with plant-based stevia.

“Stevia market is $200-250 million today, growing at 20-25 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). India has a tremendously important role to play in growing this market as it is one of the largest consumers of sugar globally. Stevia is a sustainable crop, which is in high demand by the global food and beverage industry,” said PureCircle Head of the South East Asia Region Navneet Singh.

New products launches with stevia in India are projected continue to see double digit growth this year, according to PureCircle.

Hot beverages, chocolate confectionary and dairy currently represent the leading category for product launches with stevia this year. PureCircle is expecting a whole host of launches in 2019 including those from major brands in powder soft drinks, flavoured milks, carbonated drinks, juices, condiments, nutraceutical products etc.

“PureCircle is the market leader in high purity stevia ingredients with 75 percent market share,” Singh added.

The company is also exploring new farming partnerships in multiple locations across India.

“PureCircle is test-farming at several locations in India with its Starleaf stevia variety which contains more of the besttasting stevia sweeteners than other stevia plant variants. India has the land,

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

climatic condition, farming expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to contribute significantly to global demand of naturallysourced stevia sweeteners,” Singh said.

As per a Mintel Global New Products database, global beverage and food launches with stevia are up sharply in 2018 with Asia Pacific witnessing an unprecedented 42 per cent growth year over year for the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year.

PureCircle said it was disrupting consumer health, agriculture and environment in India with zero calorie stevia which is 250-300

times sweeter than sugar and a healthier, natural alternative to artificial sweeteners.

Findings from Indian Council of Medical Research, The Public Health Foundation of India and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation suggest that that 72 million Indians suffer from Type-2 diabetes today and the number is expected to almost double to 134 million by 2025. Stevia can also act as a powerful tool for the country to come out of the infamous reputation of being “the diabetic capital of the world” As the result of ongoing innovation, research and development work with stevia PureCircle has so far been granted more than 100 stevia-related patents. These patents – plus more than 250 patents pending and other strong intellectual property — are directed to a wide range of stevia-related products and processes.

PureCircle has offices around the world with the global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.

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report

Easy-to-Use and Affordable

W

ith a vision to bridge the gap b e t w e e n l o c a l p l a y e rs a n d international brands, Fric Bergen is excited to launch a whole raft of products that capture the perfect blend of flavour and taste. Not only are these products moderately priced but also are available in convenient and easy-to-use sachets making them easy to carry and serve. No more stocking up on huge bottles of sauce, dip or dressing when you can purchase a sachet that you can grab and open one up only when you need to.

Founded by Vivek Singh, Vandana Singh, and Rohit Agarwal, Fric Bergen is currently engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of processed food categories that include sauces, dips, jams, and mayonnaise. The company, which prides itself on producing premium quality sauces and dressings that are not only a delight to your taste buds but are also easy on the pocket.

Commenting on the campaign launch, Vi ve k s a i d “Afte r o bta i n i n g a c l e a r understanding of the needs of our target audience, we decided to come up with the brand Fric Bergen which translates to saving money. We wish to establish ourselves as a company that offers premium quality sauces at an affordable price. All of our products are available in easy-to-use, single serve sachets that can be consumed on the go without the consumer having to worry about them spoiling.”

Just in 18 months of operation, Fric Bergen has managed to establish a good foothold in the retail market with more than 10,000 outlets in North India and now expanding all over the country with a focus on diversifying their product portfolio as well. The consumers have the option of trying out different variants of dressings,

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dips, mayonnaise, sauces in just Rs.10.

From Mexican dishes like nachos and tacos to Australian Barbeque meals, the brand continually aims at bridging the gap between different cuisines. The company plans on further expanding its presence in various segments – honey-based products, sugarfree sauces, and juice concentrate amongst others.

With continual demand for variety in terms of flavour, Fric Bergen is gearing up to promote their brand heavily. “We came

Vivek Singh

Rohit Agarwal

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

up with the idea of producing sauces and dips locally when we realized that they are mass produced in the international market.

These sauces, spreads, and dressings are the essentials that everyone is bound to stock up on for their next trip to the burger joint or their housewarming parties,” says Rohit.

Fric Bergen offers a range of attractive and delicious products that make for the perfect go-to-dipping sauce or dressing.

Fric Bergen is currently planning to strengthen the company's position in the distribution segment to achieve a more extensive reach in retail market and national presence in HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering) segment. The company aims at targeting innovative distribution channels such as retail outlets including dairy, bread network & other outlets selling daily need products.

As easy as it seems to launch a brand, most of us believe that listing the product on an online platform is enough to build sales and brand. But the founders of Fric Bergen believe that the easiest tasks are best saved for last and are focusing currently on building their retail presence strength that requires a lot more than e-commerce. “After having our products sold at B-class outlets, we asked ourselves, why stop here when we want to target consumers in rural areas and the smaller cities. What sets us apart is that we are always looking to target the mom-and-pop stores and we aim to expand our pan-India presence to more than 1 lakh outlets in the next 2 to 3 years,” say Vivek and Rohit.

A fully self-funded company, Fric Bergen's sauces are currently available in more than 60 cities around the country, and these include 10,000+ retail outlets, all this within a span of 18 months to 20 months.

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C OV E R S TO R Y

Buffets:

Encouraging Appetites Buffets have become an attractive force for the millenials as well as those who want to savour variety of dishes and want to pick and choose after having a look at the dishes. As the saying goes: you eat with your eyes first! So the lavish spread set out in front of you allows you to feast your eyes and then sate your appetite with all the delicacies. With increasing demand for buffets, more and more hotels are now laying lavish spreads for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

But can they afford these spreads at economic prices? Ashok Malkani tries to find out the secret behind an increasing number of hotels preferring to offer buffet and much more – like how they prepare the menu, and controlling food wastage, et al.

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B

e it marriages or Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) buffet seems to be the order of the day.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner, one finds several F&B outlets offering buffets. When a friend of this writer was asked why he preferred buffets he replied with a smile, “Have your fill. No worry about the bill.” Well, when one thinks about it the statement seems to be quite true. At buffets you eat at your will and pay a fixed amount, irrespective of the quantity.

But is this the only reason for the success of buffet. There are other variables which define the success and profitability of the buffet business.

Buffet is less expensive, with more food choices and it also allows you to socialize with the other diners. These three reasons are also the rationale behind why people hosting parties or organizing business meetings opt for buffets.

There is something magical about when you walking up a row of brightly lit fresh fruits with an option to pick and choose a few strawberries, a couple of chunks of pineapple, some pieces of watermelon plus some red and green grapes . And that’s just the first trip through the line!

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C OV E R S TO R Y So how did the concept of buffet start?

It is believed that it started in the 18th century, in France. The term buffet originally referred to the French sideboard furniture where the food was served, but eventually became applied to the serving format. It was in the second half of the 19th century, especially in the English speaking world, that buffets became popular for meals.

Today, buffets are popular for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So what is the reason for its popularity?

Debabratta Banerjee, F&B Manager Alila Diwa Goa, believes, “Buffets have become popular because it offers plenty of cuisine choices to suit every palate. Everyone likes variety and the ease of trying out different dishes in small quantities. It works especially well for time crunched guests who can quickly fill up their plates from the buffet spread and not wait for a-la-carte service.

Buffet is also considered an informal way of dining. Guests tend to be more relaxed, eat at their pace, try out everything. The live interactive counters and varying themes with live music add to the experience.”

P Daniel Koshy, Executive Chef at JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru, speaking about the popularity of buffets claims, “Generally most buffets are either Multi-cuisine or of a

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

specific region. This affords a lot of variety for the guest at a reasonable price point.

The guest is able to savor lot more variety compared to the a-la-carte price point.”

Sagar Kulkarni, F&B Manager, Hotel Marine Plaza, Mumbai, states, “There are various reasons why buffets are popular.

Most of the demand of a buffet is the prospect of being able to eat as much as you want, for a single price. People think that they are putting one over on the restaurant, because they eat more than they would normally be served. The different cuisines and their different and creative preparations have been appreciated around the world.

Key aspect of opting for the buffet is the live stations. Culinary teams always strive hard to think and offer something unique in their daily buffet affairs.”

Manoj Rawat, Executive Chef at Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square, says,” Main attractions of buffet style food are: • More variety of food/cuisines.

• Less or no waiting time as food is already ready and displayed beautifully.

• Better overall presentation.

• More economic than other options like a-la-carte K r i s h n a Ra o , F & B M a n a g e r, T h e Corinthians Resort & Club, Pune, declares,

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C OV E R S TO R Y “Buffets offer value for money, especially when you are not sure of what to order.

Here you can see the dishes and opt for the ones you like. Buffets offer you 5 course meal at an economic rate.”

Making Ends Meet With increasing number of F&B outlets, p a rt i c u l a r l y i n t h e u r b a n a re as , t h e restaurant owners have become competitive and are keen to attract guests to their restaurants. One of the interesting changes in the restaurant field is that more of them are serving buffet food, which only a few years ago existed solely in fine hotels.

Is offering guests a variety of dishes at economic prices to attract them is the aim of these dining places? If so how do these places make profit?

Daniel states, “The reason why more establishments are serving buffets is because they are aware that people don’t want to restrict themselves to a particular dish or the restrictions they face during a-la-carte ordering both in terms of portion size and cost. The price point is also very high and the variety they get to taste becomes a hindrance.”

He adds, “At JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru, we make them profitable by balancing our buffets by having cyclic menus and strictly following production cycles based on bookings. This ensures minimum food wastage.”

Krishna avers, “When you have the concept and strategy ready, the hotel is sure that it will get a certain amount of footfalls and this encourage them to start buffets.

The establishment’s strategy to target the market is: have planned cyclic menus, have live stations with raw ingredients and sauces, which will provide diners with hot and fresh food. It is all number game, when you have more footfalls than expected it works out, since the food cost comes down.

This happens especially in banquets when the number of expected persons goes up.”

S a g a r d e c l a res , “ Th e re as o n s fo r increasing number of establishments offering buffets is that they play a key role in increasing the property’s revenue as well as APC (average per customer). They help to reduce cost of running the outlets.

However to sell or to promote buffets you need trained people, elaborate plating and presentable structure of buffet. One trick I have often seen, especially in newly opened outlets is to put the cheap dishes with a twist and guests will often fill up the place.”

He further added, “You have to make

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unique offerings as compared to your co m p et i to rs . N owa d ays h ote l s h ave increased the offerings and also made them more appealing with colour combinations and introduction of local cuisines. If it is banqueting then theme becomes the main trend.“ Manoj iterates, “More and more eating out places are offering buffets because of the following reasons: • Running cost of buffet comes out to be more economic for establishments • Lesser operational challenges • More profitability even if discounts

Debabratta Banerjee

are given • The hotels achieve profitability because they are: • Offering variety of delicious food • Offe r i n g d i s co u nts o r b eve ra g e packages • Selection of thoughtful smart menus Debabratta believes that buffets are being increasingly offered by hotels as this format allows you to offer variety to your guests. The choice of so many different items and cuisines excite the guests and they come pouring in. It’s also a great way of showcasing the restaurant’s expertise in being able to cater to different palates and earn a reputation. The self-service model works specifically well when there’s high volume of guests as it helps keep labour cost low. You don’t need as much staff.

Debabratta says “Hotels can have profitability by proper planning of the buffet.

We must pay careful attention to guests’ preferences; highest consumed dishes etc. and plan the next menu accordingly.

Preparation in large quantities ahead of time, reducing wastage and striking a balance between the cost and quality of the food can go a long way in making buffets profitable.”

Food Wastage

P Daniel Koshy

Sagar Kulkarni

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Buffets are beautiful. You are tempted in by the abundant display of food in every shape and colour, your mouth waters at the aromas, and you cannot resist the prospect of trying a bit of everything. This is all highly appealing to guests, but it is also one of the top generators of food waste in India’s hospitality industry.

Manoj conceded “Wastage can’t be controlled to 0%. However with some smart techniques it can be reduced to great extent. For examples: • Cooking food in small batches.

• Going for easy live counters wherein chef can cook only what is required • Excellent storage equipments/fridges which can be used as dispensing and storage • Knowing the quantum of business/ bookings for better planning • Simple menus wherein food can be made faster if one runs short of the food Daniel declares, “At JW Marriott Hotel Bangaluru, the buffet food production is made as per the booking reservations we have. Yes there is a minimum quantity which is always made as per the serving sizes of the chaffers. We have chaffers of different sizes and we use it according to the day of

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C OV E R S TO R Y the week. For example, on Monday we use half and half chaffers to reduce the amount of food we lay out on the buffet, since it is traditionally a slack day. There is a certain amount of food which remains on the buffet at the end of the day, but that is taken as part of cost of doing business. We ensure that it is as minimal as possible.”

Krishna avers, “At Corinthians Resort & Club Pune we normally prepare buffet for minimum number of people – between 2530 persons – and when we find that the crowd is more then we cook afresh and keep adding in smaller quantities. If there are any left overs we give it to organizations like Robinhood Army, which distributes this food to the needy.”

Sagar states “Nowadays wastage of food is carefully monitored as it links to food cost as well. And if you have a creative culinary team then they are best ones to recycle the food in a creative manner.”

Debabratta adds, “Efficient planning can help reduce wastage and save cost.

Leftovers can be converted to leftover recipes like a Turkey Taco salad.”

Common Beliefs Leftovers, particularly from buffets, are common according to laymen who believe that these leftovers as well as other leftovers in the hotels are recycled in the form of Sunday brunch.

Sagar strongly negates this notion with the statement, “It is definitely not true.

Sunday Brunches have gone far ahead and left no stone unturned to impress the guest by its extravaganza theme, food, music, kids brunch. Especially for Sunday brunch, at Hotel Marine Plaza Mumbai, I have seen that planning and execution starts at the start of the month. Food and beverage teams sit together, brainstorm their ideas and the outcome is the innovative way of food presentation, innovative buffet set up, well planned marketing strategies. The result, hard work pays off when guests actually appreciate the buffet laid out for them.”

Daniel denies that there is such thing as recycling of leftovers. “At JW Marriott Bengaluru, on Sundays we have vibrant lunch buffets with a variety of special dishes which our patrons love to come and partake.

We don’t take chances with food quality and it is reflected in the feedback we get from our guests and the awards we have won, for the best Sunday brunch in town.”

Manoj adds, “Sunday brunch is most elaborated menu any establishment can afford to offer as it’s highly prized due to

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the offerings. So, it can’t be left over food.

In fact, it’s the most elaborate spread where chefs get opportunity to showcase their culinary skills.”

Debabratta also pooh poohs the idea of leftovers being offered as Sunday brunch.

Krishna Rao asserts “No hotel or restaurant of repute offers leftover food for Sunday brunch or any buffet. With FSSAI norms in place, it is not possible for any eating out establishment to do this.”

Another belief is that the restaurateurs organize the buffet table in such a manner that the expensive dishes are placed at the end of the service table because the guests normally take only from the first few dishes on offer at the service table.

Debabratta declares, “That wouldn’t be an effective strategy as it would lead to wastage anyhow. I’d prefer placing them on live counters to ensure it’s prepared a la minute. It also adds to the entire experience when you see it prepared in front of you.”

Manoj too has a similar view. He states, “There isn’t any good logic in this; for if I have to save the expensive dish I cannot do it this way. A guest who is having buffet would have seen the buffet before hand, and select what he is going to pick. I would rather put the most expensive dish in Live Station form as this would be the star of the buffet and I wouldn’t be wasting /over-

Krishna Rao

Manoj Rawat

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

producing it.”

Daniel disclosed, “At our hotel we have a structured layout for out buffet. We tend to have live counters which include the carving counters which are the expensive cuts of meats, right in front.”

Krishna avers, “Buffet are always laid visible to the guest and dishes will be placed as per their sequence. If there is nonvegetarian section, then we place the dishes in a systematic order – like chicken, lamb, fish & prawns. We cannot keep prawns in one corner because we want our customer to relish and come back. Anyone who is going for the buffet needs to check the buffet display before serving themselves.”

Several people tend to look down on buffet due to the notion that here quantity takes precedence over quality. But in the restaurant world, it must be realized that everything has its place and niche. Buffet offers diners a chance to sample multiple menu items in one sitting without going all in one entrée. And sometimes it is fun to pig out!

But to be fair, is this concept true?

Manoj is of the view that quality will always surpass quantity. “Quantity may be good for a while but quality is ultimate winner. I may take one dish and enjoyed it fullest if it is of quality and would definitely leave the plate full of 5 dishes if quality isn’t satisfying. And if its quantity with quality… that’s The Best.”

Debabratta states, “Favoring quantity over quality purely depends on the business model adopted. Economies of scale has always worked in a hotel industry because we cater to a large number of guests, however, quality is equally important. One cannot be compromised for the other. I personally believe that quality thrives over quantity. Small portions of a really delicious dish can be more satisfying than more of not so tasty food.”

Daniel too refutes this concept. He asserts, “This is certainly not true. We believe good quality food will always be appreciated over quantity in the long run.

Guests would initially be excited seeing the quantity on display but if the taste and quality is not consistent, they would never come back.”

However, Krishna concedes that there are a few chains operating on the belief that quantity is more important than quality. He states, “As an individual, I would personally go in for quality. If I have to invite a group of people, I look for both, quality & quantity with value for money.”

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Planning Buffet Menu Planning a proper menu is one of the essential things to make the buffet a success. Which cuisines would be preferred by the guests, the ingredients to be used, etc. are things which the chefs and F&B managers have to plan ahead carefully. So how do different hotels manage this?

Sagar says “Planning of menu requires proper strategy. The hotels have to decide the target clients who are going to opt for buffet and organize the menu accordingly.

In today’s world where the healthy eating and fitness is the majority goal, the chef has to keep a variety of options to satisfy different palates.”

He further added, “Variety of the buffet is always appreciated and is the only way to regularize the guests at the restaurants. Apart from North Indian now day’s hotels always keep International Salads & Soups. The most preferred cuisines are Continental, European, Thai, Vietnam, Japanese, Malaysian, Provincial cuisines.”

Debabratta reveals, “Buffet menu requires a lot of planning and modification based on past experiences and trends. It has to have a variety, not only in the cuisine but also the colours. It has to be appealing to the eyes first which attract the guests. It’s a mix of both cold and hot choices, soups, salad counters, breads, main course, dessert etc. The best thing about buffets is that it offers multiple cuisines. South Indian, coastal cuisine, heritage dishes and roasts are preferred.”

Krishna states, “Menus normally have a weekly cyclic circle. Change occurs if some

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ingredients are not available. Normally the menu comprises of multi cuisines, with Indian being the major part. Pan Asian takes the next priority. Besides that one can also add Italian, Mexican, and Lebanese. All this would depend on the kind of clientele that visit the hotel regularly.”

Daniel declares, “Hotels generally plan their buffet menus where Indian cuisine is showcased extensively like North Indian, South Indian, Maharashtrian, Rajasthani, etc. At JW Marriott Bengaluru, we also have other cuisines like Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Malaysian, Western, Mediterranean, etc.

The popularity of the cuisine dictates its presence at the buffet.”

Manoj says, “Generally buffets has multicuisine food base and that becomes the novelty factor. A lot of other factors like seasonal ingredients, budgets/food cost to be maintained, taste of the target client, geographical factor (local cuisine) play a vital role in planning buffet menus.

Apart from Indian cuisine, other cuisines mostly enjoyed are Chinese, Thai, Italian and Mediterranean. Buffet menus are generally done on cyclic basis in set of 6 or 8 menus wherein same menu is not repeated on same day. And it consists of starters/salad/ soup/mains/desserts pattern.”

Pros and Cons of Buffet Enter a restaurant buffet and you'll be faced with an overwhelming choice of appetizers, salads, vegetables, roasts, seafood, breads, rolls and desserts. This leaves on wondering how these restaurants

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

are able to earn profit from buffets and what are the pros and cons of a restaurants serving buffet?

Debabratta disclosed, “Proper planning is of utmost important for a buffet. We must pay careful attention to guests’ preferences; highest consumed dishes etc. and plan the next menu accordingly. Preparation in large quantities ahead of time, reducing wastage and striking a balance between the cost and quality of the food can go a long way in making buffets profitable.”

The pros and cons of serving buffet are: Pros • Helps to cater to a larger crowd, Convenience of handling bigger operation with buffet theme • Helps keep costs low, especially the labour cost, better profitability • Guests get a variety of cuisine and dishes to choose from • Rotation of stock of food is faster thus risk of food spoilage is controlled • It’s the ideal 4 course meal that comprises of soups, salads, main-course and dessert Cons • High margins on drinks • It leads to the wear & tear of crockery, cutlery and glass • More space required for buffet set up • More operational equipments and challenge to keep them in working and presentable condition • Wastage of food is likely more Daniel declares, “We balance our buffets by having cyclic menus and strictly follow production cycles based on bookings. This ensures that food wastage is minimized.

We have very good feedback on our buffets but we have to keep innovating to keep our guests excited to keep coming back. Guests want to see a mix of comfort food and some new dishes regularly.”

Krishna claims, “Profitability is a number game. When you have more footfalls than expected it works out. We can cater to larger numbers in buffet, serving fresh and hot food prepared in batches.”

Sagar says “Profitability is achieved by laying unique food as compared to the competitors. Hotels have started offering not only increased number of dishes to sate the diners’ appetite but also colour combinations to make the dishes more appealing.”

Future of Buffets Buffet style of food service has become a norm for several established eating out

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C OV E R S TO R Y places because it is easy, efficient and fast for the kitchen staff. But what may be a perceived efficiency in one respect could, inadvertently, be leading to a much greater inefficiency: food waste.

So what is the future of this trend?

Krishna is of the view that the word, ‘buffet’ would remain but concepts would change.

Daniel feels “Buffets are here to stay.

Guest would always appreciate buffets since they offer 5 course meal at reasonable price.”

Debabratta is also of the same opinion.

He states, “Buffets are evolving and adding local cuisine to their menu. In the future they may be accompanied by music, entertainment or themed decoration.

Guests will continue to patronize buffets, which would soon become one of the best outings for the family and friends.”

Manoj believes that in the future they would have Live and interactive stations and less of chaffing fish food. He adds, there would be creative and new style of presentation like induction buffets etc. There would be more of individuals and miniature presentation; less of bulky stuff.

With almost everyone believing that buffets are here to stay what one can expect

in future is possibly ways being devised to avoid food wastage. Reducing food waste in hotels isn’t rocket science. It’s a matter of rethinking past practices, embracing new approaches and implementing relatively simple solutions.

The first step to reducing food waste is to start measuring food waste. By consistently tracking waste, a site can identify how much and where food goes to

waste. In order for any food waste-reduction program to be successful, management must work to catalyze a culture shift among employees.

There is, however, little doubt that buffets will stay.

So have a hearty appetite and take your pick of the lavish spread laid out for breakfast, lunch and dinner at various eating out places. Bon appetite! n

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BUSINESS

Eco-friendly Food Packaging

Eco-packaging has been a major issue with the foodservice industry. With environment conservation acquiring new dimensions since the last few years, biodegradable packaging has gain more importance. With Maharashtra declaring plastics as unwanted product and levying penalties not only on establishments using plastic cutlery and bags but also on the users, eco-friendly packaging has once again has come into the limelight. The search for biodegradable packaging by the food & beverage industry has brought up a new investment opportunity for enterprising entrepreneurs.

Ashok Malkani takes a look at the evolution of market for biodegradable packaging and, also, at the alternatives for plastic packaging and cutlery being used by the foodservice industry.

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T

he ban on plastics in Maharashtra introduced few months ago has, according to analysts, not only taken a toll on the Foodservice establishments, who rely on to-go food orders from diners, but also, once again brought the eco-friendly packaging issue in the forefront .

Since most of the Indian foodstuff is gravy based, packaging it for carry-home service is becoming extremely difficult for the restaurateurs. Orders for takeaways and home delivery parcels have witnessed a drastic drop as the eateries now have to identify new packaging material which could not only be eco-friendly but also make economic sense for packaging foodstuff.

Traditionally food packaging industry comprised mostly of articles made from plastics, metals, glass or paper. However, as far as cooked meals are concerned plastics has been the major product, particularly for carry-home stuff doled out by the restaurants. The plastic ban in Maharashtra has affected the parcel business severely. The plastic ban in Maharashtra has, according to one report, affected the restaurants in Mumbai adversely with most of them reporting a 10 to 30 per

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

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cent dip in business ever since the plastic ban came into effect.

Santosh Shetty, president, Mumbai unit of Indian Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHAR) says "It is difficult to say the exact per cent of the slowdown in business but more than half of the takeaway orders have been affected." He is of the opinion that the state government should have made arrangements for alternatives before starting the complete plastic ban.

It is worth mentioning that twenty five Indian states/Union Territories now have some form of ban on polythene carry bags and other packaging material. Every day, Indian cities generate 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste, with about 66% being mixed waste – polybags and pouches used to pack food.

The Foodservice Situation With smart phone apps making breakfast, lunch, and dinner delivery available at the click of a button, restaurants that do a big takeaway business need to re-work on their packaging plan. While it’s crucial that takeout containers are spill-proof and easy to transport, restaurant owners have now to ensure that they are eco-friendly too.

Hardcastle Restaurants, master franchisee for McDonalds in West and South India claims that it has transitioned plastic to eco-friendly and biodegradable alternatives for items used for guest packaging. It avers that the company has already moved away from plastic in Maharashtra and key cities in Karnataka.

They are now working on a plan for a market-wide change in the coming months.

Hardcastle Restaurants asserts that McDonald’s now gives customers wooden cutlery which includes spoons, stirrers, knives, and forks instead of plastic ones. The company, in a press note, has claimed, "The plastic cups have been replaced by superior quality paper cups. The straws are either made of paper or other biodegradable materials that are derived from corn starch. In addition, Hardcastle Restaurants is testing various

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BUSINESS

alternatives to ensure the best experience to its customers."

While the restaurant chain has replaced products in its restaurants across key cities in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the company is working on alternative solutions for its delivery segment that can ensure safe and fresh food is delivered without spillage.

One may mention that this writer had found that disposing of waste in an ecofriendly manner has been uppermost in the minds of the hospitality industry for years – and many of them had started the practice of disposing their kitchen waste by using it as manure for their plants. However, the issue of eco-friendly packaging – which is a challenge for to-go service – has been brought into focus with the plastic ban in Maharashtra.

Global Issue The importance of eco-friendly packaging is not just an issue confined to Maharashtra – or even India – but it is a global malaise.

And it has been discussed over and over again since last few years.

W h e n A u s t ra l i a n B ro a d ca s t i n g Corporation’s “War on Waste” aired on TV in 2017 it unveiled an inconvenient truth: The daily takeaway coffee habits of the Australians were on the brink of causing an environmental disaster. The programme revealed that 52 megatonnes of waste were generated in Australia due to disposable coffee cups and food packaging. It exposed the fact that Australia ranked fifth highest globally for generating the most municipal waste.

Most of the Australians who viewed this programme had, till the programme was

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aired, believed that these coffee cups could be recycled. Unfortunately, “War on Waste” showed that due to the plastic lining of most of these cups, that was not the case.

Towards the end of 2017, the BBC’s Blue Planet II series spotlighted the extent of damage that plastic waste has done to marine life all around the world. The resulting outcry put the hospitality sector in the dock in two areas in particular: disposable cups, especially those used for coffee, which may in theory be recyclable but in practice rarely are; and the ubiquitous plastic straws dispensed from bars and food counters across the sector. In the face of public uproar, the industry’s voluntary response was swift.

Coffee brands such as Costa, Starbucks and most of the others started offering discounts to customers using reusable cups, while pub and bar groups have removed plastic straws from their premises.

Though removal of straws, to coin a phrase, may be like ‘clutching at straws’ there is little doubt that environment has become a major issue today. Though we are not aware, of any research being done on the quantity of disposables being used in India by the hospitality industry, Huhtamaki, the Japanese specialist in packaging for food and drink all over the globe, including India, has tried to do the same. According to the research done by the company, 73% of consumers are buying food to-go at least once a week, and 80% buy takeaway hot drinks, globally.

India generates 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste a day, of which about 60% is recycled, most of it in the informal sector. While the recycling rate in India is considerably higher than the global average

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

of 14%, there are still over 6,100 tonnes of plastic which are either landfilled or end up polluting streams or groundwater resources. While some kinds of plastic do not decompose at all, others could take up to 450 years to break down, leaving a vexing problem to address.

Afroz Shah, a lawyer who has been leading a citizens’ clean-up drive on Mumbai’s Versova beach since October 2015, says 95% of the 5.5 million tonnes of waste they have collected so far is plastic, much higher than the 62% globally.

The work which was initiated few years back has resulted in greater awareness of eco-friendly packaging products all over the globe. If one takes a look at the global scenario, one finds that US, Ireland and Australia were among the first countries to offer RecycleMe™ coffee cups. The cost of the product adds around 10 per cent to what would be paid for ‘normal’ cups.

However, this cost is expected to decrease as demand rises.

India’s Response In India too, the hospitality industry is slowly veering to environment friendly packaging.

Startups like Swiggy and Zomato are on an eco-friendly drive.

The Bengaluru- based food ordering and delivery platform, Swiggy, has launched ‘Swiggy Packaging Assist’, which is expected to help its restaurant partners access a range of innovative packaging solutions. At present, Swiggy has rolled out the option to partners in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune and is expected to make it accessible to the rest of the cities in a couple of months.

It plans to use packaging materials

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like paper and aluminium, which can be recycled. It has also introduced meal trays made of cornstarch and bagassse, the residue which is left after extraction of juice from sugarcane.

Swiggy’s eco friendly options are expected to suit their menu needs, at an economic rate.

The foodtech Unicorn is working with several design consultants and manufacturers to come up with innovations and enhancement to food packaging material offered on its platform and is encouraging the use of sustainable packaging right from the restaurant level.

Zomato is contributing to the eco-friendly drive by asking its restaurant partners to increase subscribers to its new “opt out of cutlery” feature. Zomato’s delivery partners use insulated, specially designed bags that keep food fresh without additional packaging layers. Deepinder Goyal, Founder and CEO of Zomato, has, in his blog post, stated that Zomato processes 16.5 Mn. orders a month and all the food aggregators in India combined process around 35-40 Mn orders a month. These orders add up to 22,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste being created every month.

New Packaging Options Materials used in the packaging industry are produced from fossil fuels and are non-degradable. Most of the traditional packaging materials contain varying amounts of plastics which makes it non eco friendly. As urban populations continue to increase and consumption patterns change, packaging waste management has become a contentious issue This has encouraged several entrepreneurs to come up with new eco-friendly packaging for food stuffs, which would prove utilitarian for restaurants looking on packaging of their food delivery orders. One of them is Rhea Singhal. Born in Mumbai, she moved to Dubai when she was only a year old. She was brought up in Dubai and London where she was working in a pharmaceutical company. After her marriage, when she moved to India, in 2009, she found that though people were talking about getting organic raw materials and preparing the healthiest meals, they were serving that food on plastic or Styrofoam plates. Rhea believes that if you eat healthy then what you eat out of should also be healthy for you. So she started Ecoware – a company that produces eco-friendly tableware to fight the ill-effects of plastic and its substitutes. This was done after a lot of research and study undertaken by her.

Ecoware was founded in 2009, with the factory in Uttarakhand, producing conventional bowls and plates – which

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BUSINESS

were till then, traditionally, made from plastic and Styrofoam. The eco-friendly range increased. The company’s products are made of plant biomass, that is, the leftover crop after the processing of rice, wheat or sugarcane. This raw material is crushed into a pulp and fed into a machine and placed in moulds. They are then heated and dried.

Abhishek Agarwal is another entrepreneur who has ventured into the arena for serving the hospitality industry by supplying it with ecofriendly products. Pappco, Abhishek’s greenware manufacturing company, uses sugarcane, bamboo and wheat straw to manufacture its disposables. Started in 2011 to provide a viable alternative to plastic cutlery/ containers in India, its core value is to produce disposable items that come from plants.

Bagasse is remoulded to a kind of paper that is used to make plates, cups and glasses. Abhishek says they have also recently started tapping into bamboo and wheat straw. Abhishek recalls "The first time we encountered these products was in Singapore.” Initially the company had negligible sales but they managed to revolutionise the market with the help of Anil Agarwal, Abhishek’s father, who supported the project.

Now, a couple of weeks back, a Mumbai based entrepreneur, Rajiv Kumar, has started supplying plates and other cutlery – made in South India, from betel nut leaf – to restaurateurs.

Eco-friendly cutlery is slowly gaining ground. Though it is slightly costlier than the plastic stuff, foodservice industry is slowly veering towards it. Biodegradable cutlery has emerged as a better alternative to plastics across the globe and Indians have been early adopters of biodegradable products. All kinds of plant biomass material such as bagasse, rice husk, coconut coir etc. are being utilized for producing eco-

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friendly cutlery, tableware and packaging products that could see a surge in usage in the coming decade.

Eco-friendly Products There are different types of biodegradable cutlery and packaging products which the harassed restaurateur in Maharashtra can turn to: Sugarcane bagasse products: Th es e products are widely accepted. Ecoware and Pappco are the pioneers in manufacture of these products on a large scale, through multiple manufacturing units across the country. Sugarcane biomass extracts are heated at high temperatures to be given the desired shape. The advantage with Bagasse products are that they can be moulded into any shape and thus help in catering to customized large orders. They are now being adopted by various well known cafés, food chains and airport food outlets across the country.

Areca leaf cutlery: These lightweight, elegant and easy to use and throw, plates are suitable for all kinds of food, which can be served at any temperature. Light on the purse (Rs 4-10 per plate) they are good alternatives for food caterers. Eco Palm Leaf Plates, Verterra Dinnerware, The

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Magnus, Ecovision are some of leading manufacturers of this cutlery.

Rice husk tableware: This is one of the most durable forms of biodegradable cutlery. This is re-usable cutlery but it is pretty expensive. They are sold online in the cost range of Rs. 600-800 per plate.

Starch granule products: Starch granules which are actually made out of Potato and Tapioca starch granules along with other biomass, are the latest innovation in the packaging industry. The bags made from this material look like plastic but are 100 per cent biodegradable On average, according to the industry, bio-degradable packaging such as bagasse plates are 18-20% more expensive than plastic coated ones, while glass bottles are 30% costlier and rice and corn starch based spoons and forks are 15% more expensive.

With innovative technology helping in sustainable packaging, there are sure to be many more eco-friendly options available in the near future. With government and municipal authorities rapidly coaxing the restaurateurs from different States to shift to eco-friendly cutlery and packaging, it is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to rise to the occasion and tackle this issue of plastic waste. n

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FEATURE

Food Trends During 2018

By Sharmila Chand

F

rom organic and sustainable food to local and regional delicacies, 2018 has been a huge year for food trends in India’s food service industry.

Millets and grandma recipes has taken centre stage this year as Chefs showcased their love for traditional, and tried to revive the forgotten grains of India.

The focus has been definitely on sourcing local ingredients and preparing seasonal specials, as Chefs worked on experimenting with the season’s best ingredients that may not be available the year round.

Here we talk to some industry experts who gave their views on what are the top food trends of 2018, in the context of India’s food service industry. They also aired what they do not wish to see in the year ahead.

The trend also allows one to explore micro-cuisines within a given cuisine s t r u c t u re , f o r e g . K o n a s e e m a o r Rayalseema food within the broader Andhra cuisine structure or Mapala cuisine within Kerala cuisine,” averred Marissa D’Rozario, Food & Beverage Manager, Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park.

“Additionally, exploring local home cooks, who cooks rustic local favourites, handed down by their families, has been quite a prominent trend this year. Exploring rustic buffet wares and service wares for a quintessential rustic yet avant-garde look and feel to the buffet and food presentations has been in vogue,” she added.

Happening Food Trends “Quite a few food trends have made a beeline during the year but among them going local is my personal favourite. Going local or ‘go local’ is all about sourcing local ingredients from local farmers and food suppliers, and staying close to the source.

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FEATURE “This trend in 2018 has been all about showcasing and bringing back the forgotten cuisines. It is also about the nostalgia of reminding us that we have moved away from roots and need to come back to understand and explore it better,” she analysed further.

“Food trends range from new culinary philosophies and innovative approaches to mere fads. As a professional Chef, while one must be cognizant of new F&B trends, the overall potential of such trends must also be gauged and assessed holistically by him/her. I always keep a close watch on innovative ingredients and techniques that could be of practical use to me,” asserted Atul Upadhyay, Executive Sous Chef, Taj Palace, New Delhi.

“2018 has seen the influx of locally sourced ingredients in professional kitchens. Comfort food, healthy bowls and soulful cuisine have been also very popular this year. Also, with social media ruling our lives, Instagram-worthy food has become popular this year,” he opined.

“In all our efforts to ensure minimal food wastage, root-tostem cooking will surely be the next big thing. Secondly, regional cuisine has gained much momentum of late. Unknown flavours, lost recipes, age-old ingredients will soon take centre stage,” Atul proffered.

“In my opinion, the biggest food trend of 2018 in India’s food service industry is going organic. People have become more conscious about their food habits, which has brought about a big mind shift in terms of food trends. Much emphasis went into choosing the type of farms from which to source the food from.” aired Daniel Koshy, Executive Chef, JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru.

“More and more people have realised the harmful effects of pesticides; how they penetrate the food chain and the dangers they pose to human lives,” he added.

“This year has seen lots of innovation in terms of concepts, experimentation, food pairings, ingredients sourced, food techniques used and presentation. India’s food and beverage industry has also taken its game a notch higher to meet the expectations of evolving consumers; people who are well travelled with discerning palates,” affirmed Swaminandan, Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla.

“Locavore movement and seasonal produce have seen a huge surge in popularity during 2018 and so has the advent of the global movement towards zero waste and sustainable produce,” expressed Deepanker Khosla, Executive Chef/Co-Owner at Karma Kismet, New Delhi.

“Organic food has become one of the most sought after food trends of the year, in India’s food service industry. A lot of focus has been given to in-house produce. For instance, at ChaoBella, our Italian and Chinese restaurant, the pasta that we roll or tofu that we prepare is made from the scratch. Gut- friendly food which includes probiotics such as kimchi, miso and kefir, and prebiotics such as onions, garlic and other alliums, has been a key trend in the industry,” elaborated Swaminandan.

“A special shift has been observed towards alcohol- free drinks owing to the health consciousness among millennials.

Talking about healthy food, the cuisines which have witnessed great amount of popularity are Pan Asian, Japanese and Peruvian. Our humble tea has become the new hot trend of the season. And I am not talking about just basics like a regular masala chai, green or black tea. Nowadays there are a plethora

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FEATURE

Deepanker Khosla of wellness tea options to choose from such as hibiscus, turmeric, blue tea, matcha, etc. which are endowed with significant health benefits,” Swaminandan observed.

Ingredients Which Ruled “As far as ingredients that ruled the food scene in India’s food service industry during 2018 go, I would say this year has been all about going back to the basics. Ingredients like turmeric have caught international attention for its medical and herbal properties,” Marissa pointed out.

“And this year, Chefs, mixologists, baristas alike have explored turmeric in unique ways like turmeric lattes/cappuccinos, turmeric flavour risottos and soufflés, etc.,” she expressed.

“The other ingredient that has gained popularity in India’s food service industry is activated charcoal that has been used extensively in many food items, ranging from ice-creams and sorbets to breads and pastries,” Marissa affirmed.

“The ingredients which have ruled the roost during 2018 are various organic

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lettuces such as chard, Lolo antonet lettuce, red butter head lettuce, deer tongue lettuce, green oak leaf lettuce,” Daniel averred.

“The organic wave has witnessed great change in terms of consumption patterns.

People have shifted to salad consumption in a big way and that has led to farms cultivating lettuces of different kinds; these lettuces have great textures with varied tastes. Micro greens and baby vegetables have also made their mark this year in a big way,” he elaborated.

“As far as the popular ingredients for 2018 go, I would say avocado has been hot and so has been wagyu,” conveyed Deepanker.

“Avocado, turmeric, Latin American purple potato, timut pepper, aged meat and matcha are among the ingredients which have been very trendy in India’s food service industry during 2018,” aired Swaminandan.

“As far as food ingredients are concerned, our consumers are now looking for ethically sourced produce, which are grown and purchased in responsible and sustainable ways,” he added further.

Ideas Which Failed “As far ideas that didn’t work in India’s food service industry during 2018 go, I felt some types of exotic food didn’t went well in our markets as people were looking for a bit of familiarity in what they tried and experienced,” Marissa explained.

“South American and African cuisines have not exactly worked out in India as people are a bit apprehensive to try them, probably due to the unfamiliarity of the ingredients and dishes as such,” she elaborated further.

“Short-term fads never sustain and 2018 has also seen too many such typical instances across India’s food service industry. The extensive use of ‘trendy’ ingredients such as activated charcoal does

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Swaminandan not seem to work too well,” disclosed Atul.

“The trend of micro restaurants has not work well in India’s food service industry during 2018,” Deepanker disclosed.

“Guests have drastically reduced their meat intake; they have become very selective in meat consumption patterns.

White meats are preferred over red meats during the year, across India’s food service industry,” proffered Daniel.

“Luxury dining is not the trendiest thing in the market anymore. Not many people are keen to attend the Michelin-starred meals at fancy restaurants or black-tie and tuxedo dinners. Especially the millennials are preferring casual, chic and trendy five course meal at places where they can drink and let their foot loose a bit,” asserted Swaminandan.

Food Trends Which Should Go “Food trends that involve using a lot of artificial colours and flavouring in food and beverages like the Whole Unicorn or Rainbow trend should be discouraged. It doesn’t project a healthy food image for children and young adults, as it makes normal, healthy, nutritional and tasty food appear bland and undramatic,” asserted Marissa.

“The use of too much edible flowers, without really pairing them with dishes is a trend which I want to go in 2019,”pointed out Deepanker.

“The advent of processed meats is one big trend in India’s food service industry which I don’t wish to see in 2019. It is often very unhealthy in the way it is made, which can lead to lifestyle health problems. High salt content in most of these products result in health issues and people don’t realise that all things which taste good are not necessarily good for health,” lamented Daniel. n

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FEATURE

Food Trends 2019

By Sharmila Chand

Gaurav Narayan

As 2018 comes to a close, the food and beverage industry is all set to embrace new trends that will dominate in 2019.

This year, there is a clear conscious move towards sustainable practices, organic produce and reviving forgotten and lost ingredients. As new flavours are on the horizon, drawing inspiration from worldwide regions, we talk to well known chefs and find out what they have to say about top food trends.

Chefs now days are proactive in catching up with future trends based on consumer behaviour and feedback and guest expectations from the food service industry. We talked to few Chefs: Chef Gaurav Narayan, Executive Chef, Novotel Guwahati, Chef Rajiv Malhotra, Corporate Chef – Chor Bizarre Restaurants and QSR & Casual Dining Habitat World, Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma, Executive Chef, Novotel Ahmedabad and Chef Swaminandan, Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla, who forecasted the trends and resolution for 2019.

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Rajiv Malhotra

Ravi Shankar Sharma

Key Food Trends 2019 Chef Gaurav Narayan For any hotel, food and beverage definitely are key drivers and it is our responsibility to keep evolving new and unique offering for our guests. In my opinion the top four trends the food industry will see this year are: Living the Organic way- We have seen an increased focus towards fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. This translates into guests demanding for organic fruits, vegetables and naturally grown produce. Of course, while eating with organic produce, guests expect that flavours are maintained without compromising on taste.

Back to Basics- Back in the early days, spices such as ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, sage and parsley were not just used to enhanced taste but also for health benefits and recovery. Resorting to such healthy and flavourful spices in our daily food preparation will be one of the major trends this year.

Indulging more into naturally occurring Probiotics or Pro-biotic ingredients like homemade granola bars, cereals, jaggery etc will also be seen in the menus.

We can also expect to see a variety of gourmet versions of retro treats, made with higher quality ingredients and as per the guest’s requirements.

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Swaminandan

Chef Rajiv Malhotra Fusion Food Organic Produce Health Foods (Super Foods) More focus on Vegetarian Diet Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma Major trends we see shaping the food and beverage industry in 2019 are: Nutrition is key: The shift from junk eating to healthier food is quite prominent and we have seen guests asking for a wholesome nutritious meal including green and organic produce.

Gluten free: Food and health is connected undeniably, and gluten-free options are one of the trends which will continue to be here to stay.

Sustainable products: Our efforts have always been to reduce food waste including using products and brands which helps minimal wastage of any kind.

Vegan-ism: People have understood that plant-based food is a good start point for a healthy living and have turned to naturally available products.

Chef Swaminandan Food and Beverage industry is all set to take its game a notch higher to meet the expectations of ever evolving consumers. This year, Plant-based proteins will gain traction as more consumers will opt to reduce meat and dairy .We can expect noteworthy shift towards more environmentally sustainable

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FEATURE meat and protein alternative. Gut friendly food which includes probiotics such as like kimchi, miso and kefir and prebiotics such as onions, garlic and other alliums will be most sought after. Consumers may also demand for multifaceted transparency of the source as far as food is concerned.

Information on genetically modified products, the seal of fair trade, producers who have grown products and the good treatment of animals all will be factors influencing consumers standing in the grocery aisle. Regional flavours will also be a key food trend to watch out for as more chefs will try to innovate in that area.

Focus on Menu Planning Chef Gaurav Narayan My focus this year will be to handcraft dishes with fresh, locally available produce, packed with nutrients.

Chef Rajiv Malhotra I would like to focus on including the dishes prepared with Super Foods like Bajra, Quinoa, Ragi, Brown Rice, Flax Seeds, Foxtail Millet, Oats, Organic Pulses, etc. in the menu which will increase the options & also can easily cater to the health conscious guests.

Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma This year we will focus more on providing authentic ethnic flavours.

Chef Swaminandan I would personally like to innovate and experiment more with sustainable ingredients, local produces and plant based proteins in my menus. Owing to active and fit lifestyle our guests aspire for, low carbohydrate/fat food will be a thing to look out for in my ideations.

What is ‘In’ and what is ‘Out’ in 2019 Chef Gaurav Narayan It is very difficult to comment on what is ‘In’ and what is ‘out’ as the food trends these days keep evolving through the year. Moreover, there are segments of guests who still love the way their Dal, Chicken Hyderabadi Biryani, Novo Burger and Cheese Cake are prepared. However, there are a few guests who love to explore and give a flavourful break to their palate.

Chef Rajiv Malhotra Although organic ingredients are little expensive, but of course, it will see a growth in the menu inclusions. Definitely Gluten free diet will be in many options like Pasta, Breads, few desserts, etc. I

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believe, now-a-days, people are moving towards healthy diet which will see a rise in the consumption of baked products resulting which the focus on fried items will see a downfall.

Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma Guests have become curious about the ingredients used in their meal and even sourcing of the products. With the digital savvy generation, it is important to be transparent with guest and serve them best and fresh food items.

Chef Swaminandan W i t h i ts Ja p a n es e, C h i n es e a n d Spanish influences, Filipino food will be the next big thing to look out for. Its rich flavors, fragrant aromas and fresh ingredients will earn it international spotlight. Indian cuisine will also take one step ahead in the global food circle. Faux meat snacks, probiotics will see a growth trend. Veganism is expected to become a new lifestyle trend totally.

Processed food, endangered meat and dish products will definitely not be the first choice of the consumers. Guests are also done and dusted with food covered with glitter, activated charcoal etc and this will witness sharp decline.

New Year Resolution as a Chef in 2019 Chef Gaurav Narayan As a chef, my New Year resolution is and will always be to host my guests for a sumptuous meal, each time they visit our hotel Novotel Guwahati, GS Road.

Chef Rajiv Malhotra My New Year resolution as a Chef in 2019 is to focus on the health of the guests & to re-create products/ menus with the new healthy ingredients. Also, I would like to create dishes which will focus on curing health through the medicinal properties of various Indian herbs in the dishes like Ayurveda Cuisine.

Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma My New Year resolution would be to support the local farmers and local produce by procuring the ingredients directly from them and designing the menu including these ingredients.

Chef Swaminandan As a chef, I would like to travel more, experience diverse cuisines, cultures, experiment and innovate and experiment lot with the food. My focus will be to understand the region, its history, its cuisine and culture as a whole to be able to do justice with my food. n

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AGRI

The Fruit for All Seasons

By Swarnendu Biswas

B

anana is one of the most common edible fruits found and eaten by all and sundry, and it has amazingly wide applications for the food & beverage industry. However, I wonder whether many among us know much about the myriad health benefits and other facets of this fruit, which in botanical terms is a berry. Bananas grow in clusters on the banana plant. According to Wikipedia, bananas are produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa.

of the bananas have their inside in cream or pinkish colour too.

There are broadly two kinds of bananas; one is the dessert banana which is sweet to taste and can be eaten raw, and the other is cooking banana or green banana which is used for cooking. The latter are starchier than the dessert bananas. The cooking bananas or green bananas are often loosely referred to as plantain, though not all the cooking bananas are plantains. Plantain is a type of cooking banana.

Basics on Banana

Bananas were first domesticated in southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea. The history of banana cultivation dates back to 8000 BC that is since the dawn of human civilisation.

Africa also has a long track of history of the usage of banana as does the Middle-east.

Portuguese brought bananas from West Africa during the 16th century, and in turn

Bananas vary in size and firmness but are mostly elongated and curved in shape. Its outer skin or rind comes in yellow, green, red, and purple colours. Overly ripe bananas can also have brown colour skin. The inside of bananas or the flesh of the bananas is mostly white, and it is rich in starch. Some

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Past and the Present

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

introduced them to the Americas. During 15th-16th centuries, Portuguese colonisers started banana plantations in Atlantic islands, West Africa and Brazil.

It is surprising that even as late as the mid- nineteenth century, the usage of bananas in Europe and in the US was not extensive, though the fruit was known in the continent and the US much before then.

Presently, banana is grown in more than 130 countries of the world. In terms of annual production and consumption, it is the second most popular fruit in the world, after tomatoes. India is the largest producer of bananas, followed by China. The Philippines, Ecuador and Brazil are among the other major producers of banana.

In India, bananas grow all round the year.

According to World Atlas, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are the states of the

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AGRI country where banana is being grown widely.

Cultivation Requisites Banana can be grown in all seasons, which is perhaps one of the major reasons behind its abundance and popularity. The ideal pH for soil for banana cultivation varies between 6.5 -7.5 and deep, rich loamy soil is most suitable for the cultivation of this healthy fruit.

Soils with adequate drainage, adequate fertility and moisture are suitable for banana cultivation. There are other conditions too.

“A soil which is neither too acidic nor too alkaline, rich in organic material with high nitrogen content, has adequate phosphorus level and plenty of potash is good for banana,” observed National Horticulture Board.

Spread Across Dishes... and Glasses Banana has a wide variety of culinary applications. Of course, dessert bananas are eaten raw. Bananas are also used in fruit salad and are used in making cakes, pancakes and jam. Banana jam and banana jelly can be healthy, delightful and uncommon addition to our breakfast tables with more frequency.

Banana chips can be a wonderful teatime snack that needs more extensive usage in our coffee cafes and other eating out outlets. These are particularly popular snacking option in Kerala.

In fact, Kerala has used banana in varied number of ingenious ways. Banana porridge for babies, raw banana roast, banana coconut payasam are only some of the banana-based delicacies from the southern state, known for its awesome tourist appeal.

In Kerala, cooking banana is even used in

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the preparation of dosas. These culinary delights deserve more widespread usage in India’s food service industry.

In the Philippine cuisine, banana is an integral part of dishes like maruya and turón, Maruya is a type of fritter generally made of saba bananas. It may also be served with slices of jackfruit, p res e rve d i n syrup or icecream. In Bengal, kolar boda or b a n a n a f r i tt e r i s a d e l e cta b l e s we et dish that should never be excluded by the restaurants and hotels thinking of hosting a Bengali food festival. Across Bengali households, this dish is often a creative way to use overripe bananas, which are no longer tasty enough to be eaten raw.

According to Wikipedia, Pisang goring, which comprises bananas fried with batter similar to the Filipino maruya, is also a popular dish in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. In the UK and the US also banana fritters are being partaken.

Cooking banana is used as a vegetable in West Bengal, and is often had to cure upset stomach. Plantain curry in Kerala is a delicacy. Sticky rice with curd and jaggery; topped with banana pieces is a breakfast dish named Jolpan in Assam.

As fa r as b eve ra g e g o es , b a n a n a shake and banana smoothie are tasty and nutritious beverages which should gain more popularity as breakfast options in Indian homes. Banana wine and banana beer are banana-based alcoholic beverages.

Banana beer in Kerala is known as urwaga.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

Bananas can be used to concoct some wonderful cocktails too. Banana daiquiri is a popular cocktail.

Banana is Health Banana is endowed with several health benefits. According to USDA, bananas are a rich source of protein, potassium, carbohydrates, and dietary fibre.

What is more, bananas have n e g l i g i b l e fa t a n d n o cholesterol. The fruit is rich in potassium, which helps in re g u l at i n g b l o o d p ress u re. B a n a n as are also sufficiently spruced with fibre, which gives you a feeling of being full for a long time. Therefore bananas are often partaken during breakfast. Bananas are also good for the heart health.

The high iron content in bananas helps them in addressing anaemia. Intake of bananas with its high fibre content can also contribute towards reducing stress on the cardiovascular system. Research also suggests that banana consumption can facilitate metabolism. So we can see that overweight persons can lose weight by consuming bananas on a regular basis; of course in moderation.

A banana a day can also help in keeping osteoporosis at bay, which is a frequent malady of old age. Yes, the chances of getting afflicted by osteoporosis get reduced by the regular intake of bananas.

Bananas can help to prevent ulcers and according to a recent research, do play a role in preventing kidney disorders too.

Owing to its high fibre content, bananas can also be used to treat piles. That is not all. Bananas can play a role in alleviating eye related problems like macular degeneration, cataract, and night blindness. The intake of this fruit on a regular basis can also contribute to the health of the eyes.

With such amazing health benefits and with such a wide variety of culinary applications, bananas should feature more prominently in our restaurant menus in more and more creative avatars, especially when our consumers are tending to be moving towards health conscious age. The health benefits of banana should be highlighted in the banana-based dishes served at the restaurants. This exercise would not only raise long-term public consciousness but also short-term revenues of food service outlets in the process. n

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p rocesse d foo d

Mayonnaise: A Versatile Condiment W

ith the teeming numbers of urban Indian consumers of post-modern age with busy lifestyles, who are having less and less time to prepare elaborate and tasty meals at home, and with perceptible improvement of economic indicators among middle class India due to significant enhancement of disposable incomes during the last decade-and-a-half, it seems quite natural that the Indian food service industry is growing at an impressive rate. It is expected to thrive in the near future, and with it the market of condiments is also expected to prosper.

The role of condiments in today’s food service industry cannot be over emphasised.

They can be added to the dish or can complement the dish. Though condiments in themselves are seldom partaken, but they play huge roles in adding value to the quality of dining experience. Mustard, tomato ketchup and mayonnaise are some of the important condiments which are playing a significant role in our present day Indian food service industry.

Though their definition may vary, with some definitions of condiments even including herbs and spices in their ambit, but about their importance there is hardly

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any dispute.

Condiments to Thrive The shift in modern Indian palate towards global dishes has also contributed towards giving a fillip to the Indian condiments market.

“The deep penetration of international dishes like pastas and other noodles has boosted the regular consumption of sauces and ketchups across all ages,” stated a Technopak report on the Indian food

Akshay Bector

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

processing industry. And this trend is only expected to gather momentum in the years to come.

Euromonitor International in its report titled Sauces, Dressings and Condiments in India,, observed that busy lifestyles prompted time-crunched consumers such as working men and women in urban India to look for easy solutions such as cuisine-specific ready mixes with detailed instructions on how to cook them on the product packaging.

According to the report, facilitating this trend was the growth of the middle-income consumer base, growing disposable incomes and growing numbers of nuclear families.

In addition, high aspirations for food apart from the daily norms such as other Indian regional, Chinese and Italian cuisines, helped sauces, dressings and condiments business to grow in the country during last few years. The situation in urban India has hardly changed in this regard during the last two years.

Akshay Bector, the Chairman and M a n a g i n g D i re cto r at C re m i ca Fo o d Industries Ltd., rightly believes that "Without scale and experience in the local market it is difficult for players to make a mark in the Indian condiments business."

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p rocesse d foo d Moreover, with the growth in demand for condiments in India during the recent years, the competition in this segment has also increased. At the same time, during the last decade, there has been a significant enhancement in the numbers of discerning consumers aware of global food & beverage trends in the Indian food service industry, which together necessitates the players in the Indian condiments business to become even more quality conscious than before.

One can say that without placing a huge premium on the quality of condiments and snacks, the players operating in this segment of India’s food & beverage industry would find difficulty to make their niche in the competitive market in the long-run, a market now teeming with increasing numbers of discerning consumers and clientele.

The passionate entrepreneur is optimistic about the future of condiments business in India, but he laid great emphasis for the industry to become more quality conscious in order to effectively cater to the fast evolving consumers.

Made for Mayonnaise In the Indian condiments market, mayonnaise comprises an important segment. Without

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mayonnaise, your burgers and pizzas are likely to lose much of their taste. It can be a great accompaniment while savouring fried vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Mayonnaise was possibly the fastest growing table sauce in India. “Mayo market in India

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has been growing at a steady pace. It is now entering a phase of maturity and with the entry of an array of new players competition in this sphere is becoming intense,” said Bector.

According to the report named India

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p rocesse d foo d Vegetarian Mayonnaise is Popular

Mayonnaise & Salad Dressing Market Outlook, 2021, published by Bonafide Research & Marketing Pvt. Ltd., the mayonnaise and salad dressing market is emerging as one of the rapidly growing, dynamic markets in the food services sector in India. The report observed that due to the increasing standard of living and changing lifestyle, the demand for sophisticated taste in meals was becoming a growing trend in the food industry in India that was making a positive impact on mayonnaise and salad dressing markets in the country.

According to the same report, India’s mayonnaise and salad dressing market is predicted to increase at a CAGR of 24.72 percent over six years. The research report stated that India’s mayonnaise & salad dressing market was growing with a CAGR of 21.54 percent from last five years and was projected to triple by 2021 due to growing trend of international food, brand awareness, increasing disposable income, growing demand among middle class people and increasing numbers of international food chains in the country.

According to the market research company, Canadean, the mayonnaise market in India is expected to reach Rs.1000 crore by 2020, which is a three-fold jump in six years.

Cremica Food Industries is an important Indian company in the already crowded mayonnaise market of the country, and among the multinational players, Dr. Oetkar, a Germany-based company with more than hundred years of legacy behind it, is a huge mayonnaise player in the country’s food service industry.

Globally, Dr. Oetkar is renowned for producing baking powder, cake mixes, dessert

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powders, ready desserts, yogurts, frozen pizza, and muesli.

Delhi-based Dr.Oetkar India Pvt. Ltd. has an array of mayonnaise under its ambit.

They are Mayonnaise Veg, Mayonnaise Classic, Mayonnaise Green Mint, Mayonnaise Tandoori, Mayonnaise Garlic, Mayonnaise for Burger, Mayonnaise Diet, and Mayonnaise Olive Oil. Here it deserves a mention that in December 2008, Dr Oetker bought Delhibased Fun Foods, the makers of packaged food products such as mayonnaise and sandwich spreads. The move seemed to give a huge impetus to the revenue growth of Dr.Oetkar India.

Veeba Food Service Pvt. Ltd. is also a major player in this segment. The company has developed multiple variants to suit the Indian demand.

The company also manufacture eggless myonnaise along with ketchup, sauces & dips, pizza & pasta sauces, dressings, mustards for the same market segment.

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As India has a huge population of vegetarians, vegetarian mayonnaise can have great demand in the Indian market. Already eggless mayonnaise is dominating the India’s mayonnaise market along with its various variants. According to the industry sources, the sales of eggless mayonnaise does account for around 80 percent of the overall mayonnaise sales volume in the country.

“Mayonnaise is well suited for the Indian market; Cremica has developed vegetarian mayo, which is unlike egg-based mayonnaise being sold all around the world. This is a very different product and its consumption will rise with time,” proffered Bector. The Vegetarian Mayo Squeeze Pack of Cremica Food Industries is developed to make it easy to store and portable for its consumers, which in these times of increasing demand for user-friendliness, can give the product an additional market edge.

“In the realm of mayonnaise, we have launched some exclusive flavours in the Indian condiments market namely butter mayo, basil pesto mayo, English cheddar mayo, etc. These are useful in creating exclusive sandwich, pizza, pasta, burger, wraps, etc. Our mayonnaise products have been widely accepted in the industry,” explained Bector.

Overall, one can say that the present day socio-economic environment of the Indian food service industry with its QSR segment slated to grow impressively, is just ideal for the established and emerging players in the mayonnaise segment to thrive. However, innovative quality, diversification in terms of offerings, and pocket-friendly prices seem to be the primary decisive factors behind the enduring success of the various mayonnaise players operating in India’s food service industry, in the years to come. n

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beverage

India’s Health Drinks Segment Lacking Boost

By Swarnendu Biswas

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ith rising health consciousness in the urban Indian society during the recent years, apparently it seems that the health drinks market in the country is likely to soar impressively. But it is not happening in reality. However, the future for health drinks in India is full of potential,

which needs to be creatively explored.

One of the major types of health drinks in India is the malt-based milk drinks.

According to the renowned market research firm, RedSeer, “Health food drinks (HFD) in India are primarily malt-based milk drinks that act as taste enhancer along with

nutrition fortification of milk. Earlier known as malted food drinks (MFD), the category was introduced in India in 1950s through launch of Horlicks and started strengthening its position in 1960s with the successful launch of Operation Flood.”

Diversified Market According to a recently published report, market leader GSK accounted for more than 50 percent market share in India’s malt health drinks market. Two of its major health drink brands, which attract nationwide popularity, are Horlicks, Boost and Moltova. Horlicks is a household name in urban India across several generations.

Mondelez International with its Bournvita brand is another important player in the malt-based drinks category.

Besides the malt-based drinks, supplement nutrition drinks is another important category of health drinks.

Complan is a major brand in this subsegment. According to a news report in a leading business daily,in October 2018, Zydus Wellness announced the acquisition of Heinz India's consumer wellness business, which includes brands like Complan and Glucon D.

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beverage Abbott Nutrition with its Pediasure brand is another big player in India’s health drinks segment. Nestle’sre-launched Milo, Danone’sProtinex Grow are among the important new entrants in the crowded health drinks segment of the country.

Here it deserves a mention that according to a recently published news report in a leading business daily, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), the Indian unit of Unilever Plc, will merge GlaxoSmithkline Consumer Healthcare with itself. The merger is expected to be completed in a year.

Today, India’s health drinks market is a matured one, with different health drinks catering to different age groups. For example, according to Horlicks website, the Junior Horlicks is tailor-made nutrition for growth and development of toddlers and pre-schoolers whereas Women’s Horlicks is positioned as a bone nutrition specialist designed for women. According to the same website, Horlicks Protein+ is a scientifically designed high protein nutritional beverage for adults; Horlicks Growth+ is a paediatrician designed, advanced nutrition which helps children catch up on growth;Horlicks Cardia+ offers

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Sluggish Growth Trend

advanced nutrition to support lifestyle modification for adults with risk factors.

Similarly, within the brand ambit of Complan, there is ComplanNutrigrow which is tailored for toddlers between 2-6 years; there is Complan Memory, which is specially formulated with nutrients that are known to facilitate cognitive development. It claims to provide the right boost for children’s brain, so that they can continue to satiate their curiosity and thirst for learning.

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According to the report from Research and Markets titled ‘India Malted Health Drinks Market Overview, 2018-2023’,it is expected that during the forecast period the malted health drinks market will grow with a CAGR of more than 10 percent from 2017-18 to 2022-23. The report was published in August 2018.According to the report, “Market leader GSK controls more than 50 percent market share in India’s malt health drinks market.”

However, the observation of RedSeer doesn’t indicate such an optimistic scenario for malted health drinks market in India.

According to RedSeer, HFD in India was an 860 million USD market in 2017; while the category grew at a good pace of 10 percent year-on-year till 2015-16, since then the volumes have remained stagnant in India.

Market size of HFD in India is expected to be greater than 1 billion USD by 2020, growing at 5.6 percent CAGR. Overall, the health drinks market in India is experiencing slow growth during the present times. According to Euromonitor International, the growth of malt-based drinks in India has markedly declined from

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beverage

13.2 percent in 2014 to 8.6 percent in 2017.

According to Euromonitor International, even in the supplement nutrition drinks category for India the growth has slowed from 21.3 percent in 2014 to a not so encouraging 11.5 percent in 2017.

Some may think that selling of two huge brands Horlicks and Complan can create much impact in the health drinks market of India, but that in itself is unlikely to trigger a change in momentum unless new market routes are being explored upon vigorously by the industry players.

However, India is the largest market for malt-based hot drinks in the world. In an article in July 2016, posted on the Market Research Blog of Euromonitor International, it was noted that “By 2020, India is expected to account for 47 percent of global malt-based hot drinks retail volume sales, up from 41percent in 2015.”

To Bring Back Health Now what is the reason behind low energy in the health drinks segment in India? That can be result of the fact that the existing market for the health drinks in India is in the process of getting saturated, and there is an urgent need to explore new markets.

In fact, larger the market is there is more likelihood of getting it saturated sooner.

At the same time, entry of new players

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has intensified the competition in India’s health drinks segment. Moreover, RedSeer has predicted that “Going forward, the competition in the HFD segment in the country is expected to intensify not just due to launch of large number of similar products but also due to rise in substitute products such as RTD flavoured milk, chocolate syrups among others.” This may lead to loss in the market share of the existing giants.

India’s health drinks segment could expect saturation and is facing intense competition. One of the ways to address this imminent saturation and competition is finding new market niches and avenues.

If the above cited cause for the present sluggish growth in India’s health drinks segment is proven to be right then the solutions, in retail terms, can be addressed by the health drink giants by tapping the relatively unexplored rural markets in an aggressive manner.

For this of course, two of the prerequisites are more affordable pricing and more economical packaging options. They are of course, easier said than done and require substantial investments in R&D and marketing endeavours.

In institutional terms, the health drink giants can also tap our food service industry more creatively by coming up with new-age

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and high-end health drinks (such as protein shakes with organic ingredients, etc.), which could cater to the guests at the fine dining and casual dining restaurants across the country. I think they can be lapped up by a segment of the health conscious crowd visiting our restaurants, whose numbers are not that negligible, and are likely to increase in the years to come.

Our restaurant industry can also come across with more and more of its own varieties of health drinks, which can be prepared with the combined collaboration of expert Chefs, dieticians and nutritionists.

This in turn can give an indirect boost to the retail health drinks segment in the country.

The high sugar content in our maltbased drinks in general is perhaps another reason for the sluggish growth of health drinks market in India, during the recent years. This can be addressed by lowering the sugar content in the malt-based drinks, which can address the growing sugar phobia in pockets of urban India.

For example, according to Nestle India’s website, MILO RTD has low sugar with less than 10 grams of added sugar per pack of 180 ml.MILO Ready to Drink is a cocoa-malt milk beverage crafted specially for growing children.This type of more smart measures is needed in the market of malt-based health drinks and other health drinks in India. n

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CONFECTIONERY

Choco Evolution in India

T

ill few years back chocolate products in India were primarily meant for the consumption of children. Since the mid ‘90s, chocolates began to get popularity among the adult population in urban India. Today, the growth of modern retail is giving an impetus to the adult chocolate consumption in the country. With wide range of locally made and imported chocolate brands visible on retail shelves and large population travelling abroad and getting exposed to world of chocolates, Indians are now getting more aware and thus engaging more with chocolate.

Chocolates are known for their rich, sweet lingering taste. The next stage in the evolution in the consumption of chocolates in urban India was the graduation of chocolate products into gift items in celebrations and festivities. This trend coalesced during the first decade of the twenty-first century.

In urban India, the concept of gifting chocolate products instead of traditional mithais, especially during festive occasions

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is becoming popular. This could be because of the relatively longer shelf life of chocolates as compared to traditional mithais and the ease of delivery that chocolate products can offer along with novelty, which the traditional sweets do not generally offer.

Parallel to the trend of chocolate

products being used in celebrations, the trend which is gaining in developing Indian chocolate market is that chocolate products boost energy or satiate hunger. They also supply nutrients and work even as medicine.

Handcrafted and customised chocolates are gaining currency in the upper echelons of urban Indian society in a big way. Now one’s imagination can be reflected in chocolates, which can enhance the celebratory mood in birthdays and festivities.

The Health Factor But there is also a stigma attached to chocolates. People believe that chocolates affect your health adversely. However, any chocolate connoisseur will tell that this confectionery whose appeal transcends age groups and geographies can uplift your mind and your spirit; in a way very few foods can. Many researchers, which include nutritionists, food scientists and cardiologists, have shown that chocolate is good for your body.

The sweet taste of finished chocolates

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CONFECTIONERY is contrasted by their bitter origins. And the wonderful present of chocolates is complemented by their fascinating history.

The chocolates of the world owe their birth to the cocoa beans, which are dried and fully fermented fatty seeds of the cacao trees. The seeds of cacao tree are intensely bitter in taste. The cultivation of cacao can be traced back to around 1100 BC. The tropical rainforests of South America, Mexico and Central America have been the traditional cultivators of cacao tree.

Though the commercial production of chocolates is a twentieth century happening, the history of chocolates dates much beyond a mere hundred years. The knowledge of chocolate’s health benefits is not new. The ancient Aztecs discovered a ‘divine drink’, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of the refreshing and nourishing drink, made by crushing the seeds of the Theobroma cacoa tree, permitted a man to walk for a whole day without food. Thus the idea that chocolate is bad for health seems to be a misconception.

Chocolates are not bad for health as is the popular opinion. In fact, chocolate with

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high cocoa content is quite healthy and has nutritional value. When eaten in moderation and supplemented with regular exercise, chocolate can contribute to a healthy overall diet. Research has also shown that chocolates can facilitate blood flow and reduce cholesterol levels.

Th e h i g h co nte nt of a nt i ox i d a nts of Theobroma cocoa beans has been considered to be responsible for the health benefits of chocolates. 50 gm of dark chocolate contains about 19 mg caffeine and 250 mg theobromine. Cocoa products, which are rich sources of flavonoids, have been shown to reduce blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Although in short-term intervention trials, dark chocolate has been reported to reduce total and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) with no major effects on HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), its regular consumption has been found to be useful in increasing the HDL cholesterol, and producing favourable effects on lipoprotein ratios and inflammation markers.

Throughout the years, chocolate has received bad publicity because of its fat content, and its consumption has been

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associated with acne, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and diabetes.

However, the recent discovery of biologically active phenolic compounds in cocoa has changed this perception and stimulated research on its effects in ageing, oxidative stress, blood pressure regulation and atherosclerosis. Today, chocolate is lauded for its tremendous antioxidant potential.

Dark and Healthy With the demand for chocolate products increasing in small but significant pockets of urban India, consumers with greater health consciousness are going for dark chocolates. In fact, dark chocolates can present the chocolate lovers who are determined to curb their cravings for creamy chocolates; scared of the ill effects of chocolates, to satiate their sweet tooth in a healthy manner.

Dark chocolates are especially healthy.

They are rich in anti-oxidants and are rich source of nutrients. The benefits of dark chocolates are innumerable. It can improve brain functionality, can lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and can improve weight loss. They can also act as foe of

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CONFECTIONERY diabetes.

Dark chocolate has Theobromine, which acts as a mild stimulant. It can help to suppress coughs. Dark chocolate is nutritious.

It contains a number of vitamins and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, copper and iron which are useful for the body. The copper and potassium in dark chocolate help prevent against stroke and cardiovascular ailments. The iron in dark chocolate protects against anaemia, and the magnesium in dark chocolate helps prevent type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Dark chocolate also contains several chemical compounds that can have a positive effect on your mood and cognitive health.

Consumption of dark chocolate, in controlled quantity that is twice or thrice a week, can help lowering blood pressure. Dark chocolate improves blood flow and prevents the formation of blood clots. Dark chocolate may also prevent arteriosclerosis. It also protects skin from UV, can boost appetite.

In fact, dark chocolates contain lower sugar.

Cocoa, which is used to make chocolates, provides phytochemicals.

These can improve health by acting as antioxidants. Darker the chocolate, higher is the phytochemical content. Eating antioxidant rich foods like dark chocolate can protect from different types of cancer and slow the signs of aging.

But of course, you cannot go all out and overindulge in chocolate every day.

It is evidently loaded with calories. Dark chocolates contain some sugar, but the amounts are usually small; darker the chocolate, the less sugar it will contain.

Moreover, dark chocolate can increase blood flow to the brain as well as to the heart, so it can help improve cognitive function.

Foodservice Market With many of the Chefs declaring that consumption of chocolate is advisable in measured quantities, what about the desserts that they concoct? Chefs believes chocolate is the heart of confectionery.

Often it is the main ingredient in building up a dessert. With so many single origin chocolates available all around the globe, chocolate has become a niche product like a vintage wine.

The best thing is, chocolates are easily available and one can experiment and give variations while using chocolates in baking and making desserts. 95 percent of cake orders are of chocolate flavour. Moreover, chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, the same chemical your brain creates when you

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from natural sources and are trans fat free.

The Challenge

feel like you are falling in love.

There are three kinds of chocolate in use – dark, milk and white chocolate – for desserts, but dark chocolate has its versatility of use. Dark chocolate is used in most of pastries as glaze, fillings, mousse, fudge ganache, moulded chocolates, garnishes, etc.

The Commercial Market Most of the premium chocolate products made in India are made using cocoa butter, which is largely being imported. These chocolate products are sold at a premium because of the high pricing of cocoa butter and due to demand and supply gap. This high price consideration is one of the main factors which motivated researchers to find replacers for cocoa butter.

This led to the development of many other types of replacer fats that were mixed with cocoa components and other materials to make chocolate confectionery. These fats not only reduced the high costs of production of chocolate confectionery but also allowed the manufacture of tailor-made products for specific applications. The replacer fats not only need to be economical, but also need to possess the premium characteristics of cocoa butter with no compromise on taste.

These fats came to be termed generally as specialty fats.

India has become a major hub for production of these specialty fats which are also called cocoa butter substitutes, c o c o a b u tt e r re p l a c e rs a n d c o c o a butter equivalents (CBS, CBR, and CBE respectively). These specialty fats are widely used to make economical and affordable confectionery products as they are derived

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India being a tropical country, experiences extreme weather conditions during summers when temperatures can go as high as 4548 degree centigrade in some places of the country. At this temperature, if the chocolate products are not stored in cool conditions, they tend to melt and stick to the wrappers. Inadequate cold chains, erratic power supply, other facets of poor infrastructure in rural and semi-urban areas are the biggest challenges that we are witnessing in terms of production and distribution of chocolate confectionery, and these factors tend to affect the business for small and medium scale enterprises in Indian chocolate business.

These factors have prompted chocolatiers to develop heat resistant chocolates. These contain ingredients (specialty fats) which render the chocolate thermally stable and retain the shape even at high temperature.

These chocolates have a good melt profile with excellent flavour release and overall good organoleptic properties. There are many patents published by companies who are proactively working on this concept of thermally stable chocolates that won’t melt in hands but will melt in the mouth instead.

However, every growth is associated with several challenges. Thus boosting the productivity of cocoa beans, improving the cold chain infrastructure and more research and innovations pertaining to processing and manufacturing of chocolate products are the need of the hour in India.

Encouraging small scale industries engaged in the creation of chocolate confectionery by the government is also needed.

The Law According to FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), chocolates are products obtained from cocoa butter only and no other vegetable fat. According to this definition, chocolates made from CBS, CBR and CBE are called compound (imitation) chocolates. These chocolates are chocolate-like but cannot be termed as pure chocolate by FSSAI’s definition and fall under proprietary foods.

In India, representations have been made to FSSAI for allowing CBE to be added at 5 percent level, which is under consideration.

The Indian chocolate industry needs to have in place legible declaration on the labels to differentiate imitation chocolates from pure chocolates. n

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PROFILE

Ensuring Quality, Perfect Taste & Impeccable Service

By Sharmila Chand

Sinan Torunlar Director of Sales & Operations French Bakery Pvt. Ltd.

A

What do you enjoy most about being associated with L’ Opera in Delhi?

proven business development leader with a keen eye on f&b operations, a flair for fine dining concepts and rich experience in hospitality, Sinan Torunlar is currently working as the Director of Sales & Operations at L’Opéra in New Delhi. A son to a diplomatic father and a restaurateur mother, Sinan studied and travelled across Europe and the Middle-East, and followed his path in the footsteps of his mother in the field of hospitality. He studied International Business and Marketing while working in the family restaurant business.

He later attended the Culinary Arts Academy in Istanbul (MSA), which is considered the best institute in the region, and graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management. He has an extensive experience in fine dining restaurants in Mediterranean and European cuisines, having successfully run various establishments both from the kitchen and the management’s standpoint.

He brings with himself to L’Opéra his broad practice of kitchen and restaurant skills in a phase where the company is undergoing substantial expansion and refresh.

He plans to evolve the brand’s ‘Salon de Thé’ concept with a new and vibrant savoury menu to all their outlets in Delhi NCR. Prior to joining L’Opéra, Sinan was working with veteran hotelier Dilip Puri as Assistant Director of Business Development as part of the opening team of the newly launched ‘Indian School of Hospitality’.

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Almost everyone has a sweet tooth and every instance you tell somebody you work at L’Opéra the common reply you receive is, “Oh, I love your croissants” or “I love your macarons”, and they say it with such a mouth-watering emotion that at that point you know you’re doing something right. Man or woman, regardless of your gender, a way to a person’s heart is through their taste buds, and that is why I feel extremely lucky to be doing what I’m doing, because you can see it in people’s eyes when they speak about your products.

You have curated the menu for L’ Opera. Can you elaborate on some of the key points you kept in mind while curating the menu?

We worked day and night with the kitchen team and the management to develop a new menu for our ‘Salon de Thé’ outlets. We wanted to keep the French roots of the brand while attempting to keep in touch with culinary trends. We try and use organic and fresh products to be able to get the best flavours from all the ingredients. We also attempted to create an all-day breakfast menu, which is something we believe everybody enjoys, and now almost a month after opening our latest outlet in Green Park Market, Delhi, we are able to see that we can attract a lot of guests during the morning hours to try our new breakfast items.

Everyone seems to be enjoying a fresh breakfast.

How have you catered to vegetarians and vegans?

We try and maintain a balanced menu to address all of our guests, whether vegetarians or not. We have an array of vegetarian food options on our new menu and have also included some items in particular our new selection of soups where we don’t use any animal products at all for our vegan conscious patrons. We also serve a wide range of vegetarian products in our salads, sandwiches, tarts, and puff pastries.

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Is your job challenging? Can you point out a couple of key challenges?

Any job that doesn’t challenge you is a waste of time. I enjoy the challenges we face because it allows us to improve within ourselves and to focus on issues which are very close to our hearts. In any food service environment, or actually in any service environment, it’s quite impossible to satisfy all your guests, you do your best to maintain a healthy balance. For example, not everybody is going to enjoy a particular flavour as much as the other person, so while developing a new menu, you take risks in certain areas and then play it safe in other areas. Another challenge we face almost every day is keeping up with our standards of operations. We have been very lucky to be able to serve our guests for the last 10 years with the same quality and precision, whether it be the quality of our products or the guest services of our staff, however to be able to do this, let me say that you sometimes do end up having a few sleepless nights. But it’s all worth it, so you don’t complain.

Can you suggest any tips or insights to strengthen your team?

One key aspect within our brand, we pay tremendous attention on teamwork. We strive on the success of our teams, so we always keep in constant communication and build on our motivational and leadership skills to support each other.

What is the USP of your F&B outlets / brand?

Quality, Quality, and Quality. We always ensure the best quality, whether it be the quality of food, the quality of products, or the quality of service, we always aim to deliver the best we can in every aspect.

Anything else you would like to say?

These are busy times for us now because we’ve just signed agreements for five new locations within Delhi NCR, and hope to launch these outlets in the next few months. The outlets will be in Greater Kailash-2, Defence Colony, Aerocity, Rajouri Garden in Delhi and Max Towers, Noida. These are really exciting times for us since we will be refreshing our brand image with the opening up these new outlets. Also we will be strengthening presence in our current locations. We want to deliver maximum we possibly can and showcase more and better products from our French heritage every day. I’d like to wish everybody a very happy new year full of love, health, and prosperity, and hope to be able to meet more people in 2019.

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R estaurant

Feast In Style !

TCK by The China Kitchen, Cyber Hub, Gurugram

By Sharmila Chand

A

fter serving patrons exceptional and authentic Chinese cuisine for over a decade, The China Kitchen at Hyatt Regency New Delhi now sets out to extend the premium dining experience beyond the hotel premises with the launch

of ‘TCK by The China Kitchen’ in Cyber Hub at Gurugram.

The venture is a collaboration between three leading entrepreneurs - Amritesh Jatia, Non-Executive Director of Asian Hotels (North) Limited and Abhishek Khaitan, Managing Director of one of the largest spirit companies, Radico Khaitan Limited along with Padmanabh Mandelia.

Spread across 278 sq m (3,000 sq ft), on the ground floor of the hub, the restaurant can host up to 80 guests.

The ambience is warm and inviting with the buzz coming from the diners and the action from the show kitchens.

Design The restaurant reflects traditional elements of a Chinese house in an opulent yet understated contemporary style. The design is based on the concept of ‘dining around the kitchen’ with a Peking duck oven, a dumpling and noodle station, a steamer, three woks, wide selection of teas and an impressive dessert station. Additionally,

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there is an interactive stage at TCK where bartenders and chefs love to create magical desserts and cocktails. The vibe of the restaurant is truly bustling with energy.

Chef At The Helm Chef Zhang Hong Sheng, Head Chef, ‘TCK

by The China Kitchen’ is instrumental in curating the menus at the restaurant.

He also heads The China Kitchen, Hyatt

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R estaurant Restaurant at A Glance:

Amritesh Jatia

Abhishek Khaitan

Regency Delhi and has played a key role in ensuring the constant popularity of the food across the city. Chef Zhang Hong Sheng heads a team of three expat chefs and presents a stunning menu consisting of a diverse spread of culinary classics such as Peking duck, gongbao chicken, braised tofu and broccoli, and spicy mapo tofu amongst others at TCK by The China Kitchen.

Chef Zhang hails from Tongzhou city in Beijing, China and endeavors to bring the exquisite flavours of the dishes from the gastronomically blessed streets of Beijing

to guests at TCK by The China Kitchen.

While being completely abreast with his roots, he has a fond liking for Indian cuisine and culture, especially because of the emphasis on spices and chilies in both cuisines.

He has an experience of 21 years in the culinary world, out of which for 7 years he has been with The China Kitchen at Hyatt Regency Delhi. He has previously worked with Grand Hyatt, Beijing and specializes in Sichuan and Hunan cuisine.

“TCK by The China Kitchen embodies

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Authentic Beijing street- style cuisine.

80- seat restaurant with menu curated by renowned Chef Jack Aw Yong.

Design concept of ‘dining around the kitchen’.

Opulent, lush and modern interiors with an interactive stage, Peking duck, crêpe, dumpling and noodle stations and a dessert station depicting traditional elements of a Chinese House.

Signature dishes include Peking duck, gongbao chicken, mini pumpkin and barbecue veg puff.

our innovative vision and confirms our position at the forefront of the country’s culinary evolution. It will offer a fabulous range of exceptional dishes to satisfy your taste buds,” said Amritesh Jatia at the launch.

Abhishek Khaitan added, “Whilst being truly authentic, TCK is expected to quickly become a hotspot amongst all. TCK will be the ideal venue for both dining with friends or entertaining business colleagues.” n

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c h ef voice

A Trend Setter!

Chef Sujan Sarkar Chef and Partner - Baar Baar How do you define yourself?

I am a workaholic.

What is your philosophy of cooking?

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ith a global footprint of his culinary work, Chef Sujan Sarkar continues to explore and re-imagine the future of Indian cuisine. His ability to experiment and stretch the boundary of traditional Indian food has earned him accolades such as ‘International Chef of the Year’ by Elite Magazine and Times Chef of the Year in 2016. Currently, he is Chef and Partner of two successful modern Indian restaurants, ROOH and BAAR BAAR. His first international restaurant ROOH, opened in San Francisco in early 2017 and is already one of the most critically acclaimed Indian restaurants in the US, earning a stunning three-star review from SF Chronicle shortly after launching.

Soon after ROOH, he opened a first-of-its-kind Indian Gastrobar called BAAR BAAR in New York. BAAR BAAR brings a fresh new approach to New York’s Indian restaurant scene and has taken the city by storm. He has also cooked dinner at the prestigious James Beard Foundation twice.

Chef Sujan has had an illustrious profile prior to his days across the Atlantic as well. As Executive Chef of the renowned Olive Bar and Kitchen – in Delhi & Mumbai for over three years, he was awarded the Best Chef, European Cuisine, 2014 in the shortest stint possible, after joining in 2013. He has also conceived, created and launched TRESIND, a unique concept restaurant in Dubai in late 2014. Chef Sujan opened India’s first Artisanal cocktail bar called Ek Bar, voted as the best new Cocktail Bar in the world by CondeNast Traveller.

As a young chef, he has personally interned under the best Chefs at the finest establishments to understand various cooking styles and techniques. Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen; Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef Peter Tempelhoff, Freemasons at Wiswell, Viajante, Cipriani are just few names that shaped his career and defined his own distinctive culinary style. He has served as Head Chef at Automat in Mayfair, London, and soon after, successfully opened and run the adjoining Almada – a celebrity hotspot in Berkeley Street, London. He took up further challenges by competing in the London chef of the year finishing as a proud Finalist consecutively for two years in 2008-09, and National Chef of the Year shortlist in 2011 and 2013.

He has also showcased modernist Indian cuisine at Hyatt Andaz, London and even at the prestigious Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity for Google, at Cannes, France and many more.

In a candid conversation with Sharmila Chand, he talks more about himself and his work:

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It’s tough to define my philosophy of cooking in stringent terms.

There are definitely aspects that could be called ‘Progressive Indian’.

Sometimes, I like to jokingly call it “freestyle Indian” – because it’s just me and what I want to present on the plate. I’ve learnt and built my skills over the years, and so now I simply draw from my experiences and do things my way. What I believe in above all, is to preserve the integrity and backbone of the cuisine I work with.

Had you not been doing this then what?

I have always been fascinated and inspired by art and design, so I had briefly considered a career as a fashion designer.

What is your source of inspiration?

Travel, stories and art.

Any awards achieved?

Times Chef of the Year 2016 International Chef of the Year by Elite Magazine London Chef of the Year finalist (2008-09) National Chef of the Year shortlist in 2011 and 2013

What has been the most rewarding moment in your career?

I have been fortunate to cook dinner at the prestigious James Beard House twice.

How has the journey been so far?

When I started cooking Indian food in my style, so many senior chefs and critics were skeptical and had serious doubts about my future projects.

What skills are necessary to be a good chef?

Technical proficiency and the right attitude- you must master the basic skills, put in as much time in the kitchen as you can, be hungry to learn and also foster the right attitude. One without the other is not as effective.

What prepared you the most for your career?

No turning back.

Your Strength?

Turning simple dishes into something amazing.

How do you de-stress yourself?

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c h ef voice Music and swimming

If you had to describe yourself in one word?

Passionate

How do you rate yourself as a chef?

Tough …maybe 8 out of 10

Fav Spice: Vanilla

Fav Dish: Ramen

Fav Equipment?

Vacuum-packing machine

Fav Restaurant / food joint?

Bellota San Francisco

Your Hot Selling item?

Duck Seekh Kebab with Berry Achar and Fennel Salad

The Best Compliment you have received?

“Your macaroni is better than my mommy’s” from a three-year old girl when I was running Automat in London.

Your philosophy of work?

Planning and thinking ahead.

Lessons learnt in the kitchen?

Anything can be hot.

Last meal on earth: What would you choose?

Calcutta Mutton Biryani

10 years from now?

A restaurant in a farm, where I can produce 100 percent local and sustainable cuisine.

What are your future plans?

Make Indian food more accessible around the world

What is the position of chefs today in India?

I think career prospects for chefs are booming in India today.

Aspiring chefs are no longer restricted to 5-star hotels anymore – you can be a chef for a standalone restaurant, a chef on a TV show, a menu consultant, a food stylist and the list is never ending.

What are the problems and challenges faced by chefs?

Supply chain and hygiene standards in India.

What is the best career advice you have received?

Passion should be backed by hard work and dedication.

What would you recommend to someone interested in working in your field?

Focus on “smart work”. Work hard and try to maximize your time by putting in a few more hours to learn as much as you can from masters.

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Healt h & N utrition

Protein:

The Quintessential Nutrient

By Dr. Sadhna Sharma

P

rotein is an essential macronutrient for humans. They are required for g row t h a n d m a i nte n a n ce. Th ey are the fundamental building blocks of muscles, bone, cartilage, skin, hair, and cellular components. Proteins are needed to help muscles contract and relax, and help repair damaged tissues. They play a critical role in many body functions as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies. Proteins may also be used as an energy source by the body and gives 4Kcal/g.

The demand for proteins is increasing as more and more consumers are accepting it as essential part of their regular intake, due to its important role in a healthy diet. Also rising incomes are contributing t ow a rd s t h e i n c re as e d d e m a n d fo r

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protein, since consumers prefer diet of expensive foods, such as meat, seafood and plant-based protein, such as nuts. With rapid urbanisation and fast-growing middle classes in developing countries, suddenly the world’s protein demand has reached critical levels. As we have been observing over the past years consumers have a growing appetite for all things protein.

In fact people say high protein is now an important attribute to consider when buying food for their households. While the popularity of plant-based proteins is certainly growing, data shows that consumers are still choosing traditional sources of protein such as meat, eggs and dairy as their primary source. The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams

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of protein per kilogram of body weight.

This amounts to 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man and 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.

According to a recent IMRD report, 84% of the Indian consuming vegetarian foods are deficient in protein, while the number reduces to 65% for the non vegetarians. This is due to the fact that 93% of the Indian are unaware about their ideal protein requirements. The scenario is really unnerving when we look at the consequences it is creating in the life of people leading to impaired muscle function, fatigue and poor metabolic health. More so because the people do not consider this a serious health condition and it is often ignored. It is time we address this

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Healt h & N utrition problem and take initiative to overcome this grave situation and have a better lifestyle. On the backdrop of this alarming data, IDA (Indian Dietician Association) have taken initiative to encourage people to increase their protein intake everyday and educate them about the importance of adequate protein in their body. The overarching objective is to deliver safe, nutritious and affordable protein sources, which will be imperative if the world is to withstand increased protein demand.

Animal Sources Animal products such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk are naturally high quality protein containing all the essential amino acids which cannot be synthesized by our body.

This makes it easier for people who consume animal products to meet their daily protein needs.

Eggs, Meat and Fish These are complete proteins as they contain all of the essential amino acids in one protein source that can be easily used by the body. Eggs provide about 13grams (g) of protein in 100g whereas chicken gives approximately 18.3 g in 100g body weight. Lean beef and pork are rich

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in protein providing about 36 and 30g in 100g of product. Although Tuna/Salmon provide 26g of protein /100g weight but are much healthier option because of their low fat content.

Milk India is a major producer of milk and milk based products such as butter, cheese, curd etc. Indians traditionally believe milk as a major constituent of their regular diet,

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which provides complete nutrition for a healthy body. Milk products also contain high quality proteins such as yogurt which has 6 g in 100g product and cheese with about 32 g in 100g. Casein, a protein found only in milk, contains all of the essential amino acids. It accounts for 82 percent of the total proteins in milk and is used as a standard for evaluating protein of other foods. The whey proteins constitute about 18 percent of the protein content of milk. Both are high-quality proteins, according to sciencebased rating scales, and both contain all essential amino acids in amounts sufficient to support the multiple roles of protein in the body. Both casein and whey proteins are present in milk, yogurt, and ice cream.

In most cheeses the casein is coagulated to form the curd, and the whey is drained leaving only a small amount of whey proteins in the cheese. Whey is the simplest form of protein that contains essential amino acids and gets absorbed very easily balancing the protein requirement of the body. Not only that, it increases the strength, helps to gain muscles and lose significant body fats and clears skin. Whey proteins are used as a protein source in high protein beverages and energy bars targeted

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Healt h & N utrition Protein Content of Various Foods and Beverages

to athletes and bodybuilders. Some other uses of whey proteins are as binder to retain water in meat and sausage products, to provide a brown crust in bakery products, and to provide whipping properties that replace a portion of egg whites.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the demand for food will rise by 70 per cent by 2050.

Interestingly, the demand for animal proteins is rising even faster than this.

Increased demand for animal proteins means more meat products are being introduced to in the market. It is though good news for the meat industry, but not so for the environment. The challenge is that increased demand of meat puts greater cost on each unit produced.

This means greater losses if food does not make it to consumption. Food waste can be caused by improper handling, packaging and distribution. However, today more people are shifting to vegetarian or vegan diets or reducing their use of animal products. A shift away from animal products is getting easier with more fortified and nutritious plant-based foods available. Even so, getting enough protein and essential vitamins and minerals can be harder for people who do not eat meat or animal products. The right plant-based foods can be excellent sources of protein and other nutrients, often with fewer calories than animal products. Vegetarian or vegan diet can lower the risk of some diseases, such as certain forms of heart disease and cancer, and may promote weight loss. A diet free of animal products requires planning and research to ensure a person's nutritional needs are met. For some, this is a benefit, as it encourages them to think about their diet and understand the

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Food Group Food Meat and Alternatives Beef sirloin steak, 75 g

Tofu, firm, raw, 75 g

Pork tenderloin, 75 g

Chicken, skinless breast, 75 g

Tuna, canned light, 75 g

Eggs, whole cooked, 2 large

Kidney beans, boiled, 175 mL (¾ cup)

Lentils, boiled, 175 mL (¾ cup)

Almonds, 60 mL (¼ cup)

Milk and Alternatives Cottage cheese, 125 mL (½ cup)

Cheddar cheese, 50 g (1¾ oz)

Milk, 250 mL (1 cup)

Yogurt, 175 mL (¾ cup)

Protein Content 26 g 21 g 21 g 20 g 19 g 13 g 12 g 13 g 8g 15 g 12 g 8g 8g

Grain Products

Whole-wheat pasta, cooked, 125 mL (½ cup) Whole-wheat bread, 1 slice Brown rice, cooked, 125 mL (½ cup) Oatmeal, prepared, 175 mL (¾ cup)

4g 3g 3g 3g

Vegetables and Fruit

Potato, with skin, cooked, 125 mL (½ cup) Broccoli, cooked, 125 mL (½ cup) Butternut squash, cooked, 125 mL (½ cup) Banana, raw, 1 medium Apple juice, bottled, 125 mL (½ cup)

5g 2g 1g 1g 0g

Bolded foods indicate high-quality, complete protein sources. nutritional content of the foods they eat.

For others, it can prove challenging and lead to nutritional deficits. Even producers of meat products are homing in on the trend. Tyson Foods Inc., the largest meat company in the United States, is investing in the development of plant-based meat.

Addressing protein shortages will also rely on a focus on the animal feed industry.

This follows recognition that more than half of all the plant-based protein produced on Earth is eaten by cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry. Providing more sustainable animal feed could free up more plant-based protein for human consumption.

Plant Source Plant or vegetable proteins are not of the same quality as animal proteins because of their low content of some of the essential amino acids. However, a combination of cereals, millets and pulses provides most of the amino acids, which complement each other to provide better quality proteins.

People who prefer vegetarian food should

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eat a varied diet of plant-based foods to get the required range of amino acids. This includes high-protein foods, such as tofu, tempeh, lentils, nuts, seeds, and quinoa.

Among the plant foods soybean is the richest source of protein, containing over 40% of protein. Soy beans and quinoa contain all nine essential amino acids that humans need.

Soy Products Soy products such as tofu, tempeh, and edamame are among the richest sources of protein in a vegan diet and can be used in place of meat. They are all delicious and can be used in a variety of ways. The protein content varies with how the soy is prepared: • Firm Tofu (soybean curds) • Edamame Beans (Immature Soybeans) • Tempeh Tempeh is Indonesian staple, made by fermenting soybeans in banana leaves until a firm, earthy patty forms. It has been a common meat substitute since around the 12th century. Tempeh contains more protein

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Healt h & N utrition an excellent source of magnesium as well.

Vegetables & Fruits Many dark-colored, leafy greens and vegetables like broccoli, spinach, green p e as , g re e n b e a n s , As p a ra g u s , ka l e, mushrooms, baby greens contain protein.

Some roots and tubers like potato also provide about 2% protein. Eaten alone, these foods are not enough to meet daily protein requirements, but a few vegetable snacks can increase protein intake, particularly when combined with other protein-rich foods.

The increase in vegetarian and flexitarian diets will certainly assist in curtailing animal protein shortages, aided by innovative ideas surrounding plant proteins.

Alternative Sources (31 grams per cup!) and dietary fiber than tofu, and its mild nutty flavor works great in a wide array of recipes. Tofu takes on the flavor of the dish it is prepared in so that it can be a versatile addition to a meal.

People can try tofu, as a meat substitute.

These soy products also contain good levels of calcium and iron, which makes them healthy substitutes for dairy products.

Seitan Also known as wheat gluten or wheat meat, seitan first appeared during the sixth century as an ingredient in Asian cuisine and has been a common meat substitute for more than a thousand years. Traditionally, seitan was the product of rinsing and cooking wheat dough to remove the starch, leaving a proteindense substance that turned out to be an excellent meat alternative. Since it has high wheat content, should be avoided by people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

Lentils & Grains Red or green lentils contain plenty of protein, fiber, and key nutrients, including iron and potassium. Cooked lentils contain 8.84 g of protein per ½ cup. Lentils are a great source of protein to add to a lunch or dinner routine. They can be added to stews, curries, salads, or rice to give an extra portion of protein.

Wheat and rice has about 7% protein content whereas cereals and millets provide about 10% protein. ‘Oatmeal’ has three times the protein of brown rice with less starch and more fiber. It’s also a great source of magnesium, calcium, and B vitamins. ‘Quinoa’ is a grain with high protein content, and is a complete protein.

Cooked quinoa contains 8 g of protein

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per cup. This grain is also rich in other nutrients, including magnesium, iron, fiber, and manganese. It is also highly versatile.

Peas & Beans Cooked chickpeas are high in protein, containing around 7.25 g per ½ cup.

Chickpeas can be eaten hot or cold, and are highly versatile with plenty of recipes available online. Black eyed peas might seem boring, but they pack 8 grams of protein in just 1/2 cup. Like most other beans, they’re also a great source of iron, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins.

Black beans are one of the richest sources of antioxidants and one of the healthiest beans of all beans and legumes. Their dark color indicates their strong antioxidant content and they also have less starch than some other beans.

Nuts & Seeds N u t s a n d s e e d s a re l o w - c a l o r i e foods that are rich in fiber and hearthealthy Omega-3 fatty acids. Peanuts are protein-rich, full of healthful fats, and may improve heart health. They contain around 20.5 g of protein per ½ cup.

Peanut butter is also rich in protein, with 8 g per tablespoon, making peanut butter sandwiches a nourishing protein snack.

Almonds offer 16.5 g of protein per ½ cup. They also provide a good amount of vitamin E, which is great for the skin and eyes. Chia and Hemp seeds are good source of protein that can be used to make smoothies, yogurts, and puddings.

Chia seeds contain 2 g of protein per tablespoon whereas Hemp seeds offer 5 g of protein per tablespoon. Pumpkin seeds are one of the most overlooked sources of iron and protein out there, containing 8 gram of protein per 1/4 cup. They also are

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The food and biotech industries are b re a k i n g n e w g ro u n d s t o p ro d u c e innovative protein products. The newly available unconventional sources of protein are Spirulina, a leaf protein and single cell protein like yeast. Future of the global food market depends on these alternative protein sources, considering the rising global warming and increased demand for food. Not only large companies are part of these food innovations, but also are many young start-ups with their new ideas. The future of food is changing and we are looking forward to it.

Consumers make 60% of their purchase decisions at the shelf. So as consumers continue to hone their specific diets and shopping habits, manufacturers and retailers have a real opportunity to tout protein content right on-pack or with instore signage, even for products where it seems obvious. Protein can now be found in so many different areas across the store. Some protein powders are plant-based. Depending upon the plants used to make the powders, they may be complete or incomplete proteins. While food supplements can help people meet their daily nutrition goals, eating a wide variety of nutrients rich in protein is usually a better strategy for meeting daily goals. Some protein supplements may also be high in sugar or sodium to improve the taste, so it is important to read the nutrition labels.

The author is A. Professor, Zoology at Miranda House, University of Delhi

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4 – 9. 5. 2019 Frankfurt am Main

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H Y G I ene

Food Hygiene Standards for New India

To protect the premise from fly and other insects / pests / animals, windows, doors and all other openings of food establishments should be well screened with wire-mesh or insectproof screen as applicable

By Jyotismita Sharma

A

s India readies itself to embark on a journey to unleash its untapped potentials to shine in the world stage and become a formidable voice in the international community, the need to bring in changes in all aspects of life has never been more imporantant than it is now. This includes the areas of food hygiene and saftey as well – both in theory and in practice. For, will India be seen as an ideal destination if it is continued to be viewd as a country with inadequate sanitation and food hygiene standards? The answer is definitely “no”. The “New India” of tomorrow will therefore need renewed efforts to implement the hygiene standards that are already in place or those that will come.

But it is alsways easier said than done, especilally in India as the issues involved here are way too complex than what they seem from outside, especially in view of the fact that a large part of the country's food businesses are run by the unorganised sector. That does not mean the goals of making an image makeover for the country is unachievable. However, it deserves here a mention that hygienic practices are integrally connected to ensuring food safety. Therefore

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it is even more important to ensure that the best practices are followed.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSA) has alredy started the New Year by brining in a new regulation to make food consumption in the country safer.

FSSAI’s new packaging regulations were notified in the first week of January 2019.

“The new packaging regulations would raise the bar of food safety in India to the next level,” said FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal.

These regulations address all concerns that came out of the two studies conducted

by FSSAI recently through the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Mumbai and the National Test House (NTH), Kolkata.

These two studies had shown that the packaging material used by the organised sector is largely safe, but there are concerns about the use of packaging material by the unorganised/informal sector.

Further, there are serious concerns about safety of loose packaging material.

Thus, these regulations prohibit packaging material made of recycled plastics including carry bags for packaging, storing, carrying or dispensing articles of food.

Further, taking cognizance of the

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carcinogenic effect of inks and dyes, these regulations also prohibit the use of newspaper and such other materials for packing or wrapping of food articles and includes respective Indian standard for printing inks for use on food packages. The food businesses shall have to comply with these regulations by 1st July, 2019.

General Hygienic and Sanitary Practices The FSSAI requires that an establishment in which food is being handled, processed, manufactured, packed, stored, and distributed by the food business operator and the persons handling them should conform to the sanitary and hygienic requirement, food safety measures and other standards.

Location and Surroundings The country's top food regulator requires that food establishments should ideally be located away from environmental pollution and industrial activities that produce disagreeable or obnoxious odour, fumes, excessive soot, dust, smoke, chemical or biological emissions and pollutants, and which pose a threat of contaminating food

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H Y G I ene areas that are prone to infestations of pests or where wastes, either solid or liquid, cannot be removed effectively.

In case there are hazards of other environment polluting industry located nearby, appropriate measures should be taken to protect the manufacturing area from any potential contamination. Moreover, the manufacturing premise should not have direct access to any residential area.

Layout of Food Establishment Premises As far as possible, the layout of the food establishment should be such that food preparation / manufacturing processes are not amenable to cross-contamination from other pre and post manufacturing operations like goods receiving, preprocessing (packaging, washing / portioning of ready-to-eat food, etc), according to the food regulator.

Floors, ceilings and walls must be maintained in a sound condition to minimise the accumulation of dirt, condensation and growth of undesirable moulds. They should be made of impervious material and should be smooth and easy to clean with no flaking paint or plaster.

Doors should also be made of smooth and non-absorbent surfaces so that they are easy to clean and wherever necessary, disinfect. The floor of food processing / food service area should have adequate and proper drainage and shall be easy to clean and where necessary, disinfect.

Floors should be sloped appropriately to facilitate drainage and the drainage should flow in a direction opposite to the direction of food preparation / manufacturing process flow. A food establishment should also ensure that adequate control measures are in place to prevent insects and rodents from entering the processing area from drains.

To protect the premise from fly and other insects / pests / animals, windows, doors and

all other openings to outside environment should be well screened with wire-mesh or insectproof screen as applicable. The doors be fitted with automatic closing springs. The mesh or the screen should be of such type which can be easily removed for cleaning.

Equipment and containers that come in contact with food and used for food handling, storage, preparation, processing, packaging and serving shall be made of corrosion free materials which do not impart any toxicity to the food material and should be easy to clean and /or disinfect (other than disposable single use types).

Equipment and utensils used in the preparation of food should be kept at all times in good order and repair and in a

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H Y G I ene clean and sanitary condition. Such utensil or container should not be used for any other purpose.

Every utensil or container containing any food or ingredient of food intended for sale should at all times be either provided with a properly fitted cover/lid or with a clean gauze net or other material of texture sufficiently fine to protect the food completely from dust, dirt and flies and other insects.

Food establishments should ensure that no utensil or container used for the manufacture or preparation of food is contaminated. Equipment should be so located, designed and fabricated that it permits necessary maintenance and cleaning functions as per its intended use and facilitates good hygiene practices inside the premise including monitoring and audit.

Appropriate facilities for the cleaning and disinfecting of equipments and instruments and wherever possible cleaning in place (CIP) system shall be adopted. Equipment and containers for waste, by-products and inedible or dangerous substances, should be specifically identifiable and suitably constructed. Containers used to hold cleaning chemicals and other dangerous substances should be identified and stored separately to prevent malicious or accidental contamination of food.

If required, a waste water disposal system / effluent treatment plant should be put in place. All items, fittings and equipments that touch or come in contact with food must be kept in good condition in a way that enables them to be kept clean and wherever necessary, to be disinfected.

FSSAI recommends that food businesses use chipped enameled containers. Stainless steel /aluminum / glass containers, mugs, jugs, trays, etc., suitable for cooking and storing should be used. Brass utensils should be frequently provided with lining.

Water Supply How food manufacturers use water is critical to food safetty. The country's food regulator recommends that only potable water, with appropriate facilities for its storage and distribution should be used as an ingredient in processing and cooking.

Water used for food handling, washing, should be of such quality that it does not introduce any hazard or contamination to render the finished food article unsafe.

Water storage tanks shouldbe cleaned

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periodically and records of the same should be maintained in a register.

Non potable water can be used provided it is intended only for cleaning of equipment not coming in contact with food, which does not come into contact with food steam production, fire fighting and refrigeration equipment and provided that pipes installed for this purpose preclude the use of this water for other purposes and present no direct or indirect risk of contamination of the raw material, dairy products or food products so processed, packed and kept in the premise.

Non potable water pipes should be clearly distinguished from those in use for potable water.

Cleaning Utensils / Equipments/ Raw Materials Adequate facilities for cleaning, disinfecting of utensils and equipments should be provided. The facilities must have an adequate supply of hot and cold water if

emptied and washed daily with a disinfectant and dried before next use.

The disposal of sewage and effluents (solid, liquid and gas) should be in conformity with requirements of Factory / Environment Pollution Control Board.

Adequate drainage and waste disposal systems should be provided and they should be designed and constructed in such manner so that the risk of contaminating food or the potable water supply is eliminated.

Waste storage should be located in such manner that it does not contaminate the food process, storage areas, the environment inside and outside the food establishment and waste shouldbe kept in covered containers and should be removed at regular intervals.

Periodic disposal of the refuse / waste should be made compulsory. No waste should be kept open inside the premise and should be disposed of in an appropriate manner as per local rules and regulations including those for plastics and other non-environment friendly materials.

Restroom Hygiene

required.

Adequate facilities for washing of raw food should be provided. Every sink (or other facilities) for washing food must have an adequate supply of hot and/or cold water.

These facilities must be kept clean and, where necessary, disinfected. Preferably, sinks which are used for washing raw foods should be kept separate and that should not be used for washing utensils or any other purposes.

Drainage and Waste Disposal Food waste and other waste materials should be removed periodically from the place where food is being handled or cooked or manufactured to avoid building up. A refuse bin of adequate size with a proper cover preferably one which need not be touched for opening shall be provided in the premises for collection of waste material. This should be

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

The FSSAI requires food businesses to have separate lavatories, of appropriate hygienic design, for males and females. They should also have changing facilities for employees and such facilities should be suitably located so that they do not open directly into food processing, handling or storage areas. It is especially important to ensure that rest and refreshments rooms stay separate from food process and service areas and these areas should not lead directly to food production, service and storage areas.

While having adequate number of toilets — depending on the number of employees (male /female) – is a must for an establishment, they should also make sure that employees are aware of the cleanliness requirement while handling food.

A display board mentioning do's & don'ts for the workers should be put up inside at a prominent place in the premise in English or in local language for everyone's understanding, according to FSSAI. Besides these requirements, the food regulaotor also offers guidelines for hygienic and sanitary practices related to ventilation requirements, lighting, procurement of raw materials, packaging and distribution services, management and supervision, food testing facilities, personal hygiene, pest control systems, and other related areas. n

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H YGI E N E

Ozone – An Effective Food Sterilizer?

R

ecently it has been found that large number of fruits & vegetables available in markets are contaminated or are dirty which may cause food-borne illness. They contain traces of pesticides and other harmful chemicals higher than desired levels. The major source of the contaminations are either come from water, soil, fertilizer, or by unsanitary processing methods, when food is handled or prepared.

Heavy use of fertilizers and water contaminated with heavy metals used for irrigation, especially from rivers polluted by industrial waste, food regulators in India are concerned about the safety of fresh fruits & vegetables and processed food products.

The need is to prevent contamination from pathogens and chemical both in raw as well as processed food, using the raw material.

This highlights the importance of good devices or substances which help remove the traces of such harmful contents from fruits and vegetables we consume regularly.

Traditionally the fruits and vegetables are cleaned by agitation process in water along with the use of chlorine. But it has been found that by agitation process it is possible to clean dirt to certain extent but pathogens and other contaminations can hardly be removed by this process. Also chlorine can lead to contamination of the product with chlorinated chemicals. This is the reason why developed countries have now switched their disinfection process to ozone and have installed ozone generators.

Ozone is more powerful disinfectant than chlorine. It is effective against a wide range of pathogens including bacteria, viruses, cryptosporidium, giardia, etc. More importantly, ozone has a lifetime of only 1020 minutes in the water after which time it breaks down to oxygen. Therefore it does not leave behind harmful by products as do chlorine or chlorine dioxide. This prevents contamination of the fresh product with disinfection byproducts and also allows for easy discharge of the used wash water.

Ozone is a broad-spectrum biocide a g a i n s t v i r u s es , b a cte r i a , f u n g i a n d protozoa— none of which can build up a resistance to ozone, because ozone disinfects by oxidation processes. Ozone does not act as a poison to microorganisms,

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Caution

but rather, destroys them by oxidation and it is impossible for a microorganism to build up any resistance to oxidation. Today, ozone technology is effective as an additional intervention in the food industry.

Ozone has 1.5 times the oxidizing potential of chlorine and 3,000 times the potential of hypochlorous acid (HOCl).

Contact times for antimicrobial action are typically 4-5 times less than chlorine. Ozone rapidly attacks bacterial cell walls and is more effective against the thick-walled spores of plant pathogens and animal parasites than chlorine, at practical and safe concentrations.

Benefits O z o n e h as b e e n s h ow n to i m p rove taste and appearance of fresh cut salad for the RTE market while controlling food borne pathogens. Due to reduced counts of bacteria which lead to food spoilage, increases shelf life and shipping distances. When combined with filtration, ozonation can increase the amount of time water can be used before it must be discharged versus similar operations using chlorine. This is because besides being an outstanding disinfectant, ozone can oxidize organic contaminants in the flume water.

In addition, ozone has a micro flocculent activity which enhances filtration.

U n l i k e c h l o r i n e , o z o n e d o e s n ot create chlorinated by products. European regulations control the residual of these by product on food. The chemical oxidizing action of ozone can breakdown toxic chemicals such as pesticides on food making them biodegradable.

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

There are arguments for and against the use of ozone for fruits and vegetable cleaning. Ozone is highly toxic, and can be more damaging to health than pesticides found in fruits & vegetables. Ozone being highly reactive triplet oxygen molecule can chemically destroy almost anything that it comes in contact with. Experts also believe that this action is not just on pathogens or pesticides, but anything else that it can oxidize and act on. This includes vitamins, nutrients and plant natural compounds of the fruits and vegetables themselves. This may also reduce the nutritional values of the foods. Ozone destructive action also includes damaging the DNA, cells, tissues, organs and body systems.

The usage of ozone is restricted since the general belief is that water itself as universal solvent would be far more efficient. It can clean any water soluble substance sticking on any surface. It can wash insoluble oils, sand, mud and even germs and pesticides.

Ozone is an environmentally friendly disinfectant but it has to be applied by persons having expertise because the logic of "bigger is better" may cause problems. An overdose of ozone may cause decolorizing & this will drive off the public from consuming ozone-treated vegetables & fruits.

The ozone system should be designed to maximize the transfer efficiency of the ozone into the water. The system should also provide for degassing of the water and decomposing any excess ozone before it enters the work area or the general environment.

Ozone gas is generally made on-site by a generator via an electrical charge or from oxygen using the same process. The gas is pumped into water, and this water is used as a rinse, mist, spray or bath. The ozone stays for few minutes before decomposing into ordinary oxygen.

The control techniques used are similar to chlorine, using redox measurement to control the dosage of ozone applied. Ozone concentration should be controlled in order to maintain precise levels of ozone in the wash water at all times

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Think Meat, Think Good To Go

Trend-setting Porcelain

All around the world, food is what brings everyone together.

Good to Go is the quintessential solution to score delectable meat, that is freshly procured everyday brought to your table at unsurpassed prices.

Ve r y w e l l ro ot e d i n t h e wholesale market, with a history of b r i n g i n g fo o d to your tables via the kitchens of some of the finest restaurants and hotels in around. The quality of meats is peerless as it has already passed the standard quality check processes of hotels like the Hyatt, Oberoi, Shangrila & Claridges, just to name a few.

Good to Go cater to all tastes in our selection of food, every form and size too! With a liberal sourcing network build in the last 52 years.Good to Go are one amongst the largest importers of seafood in the country, proudly so! Talking of hygiene, we process your selection in the most fresh and healthy way possible. For everything else, we have mammoth walk in freezers (and not freezer counters) where every form of the meat is stored separately and well spaced. With Good To Go you will enjoy- Free home delivery- A hassle free return policy- Delivery in less than 2 hours- Easy payment options like Cash on Delivery, Credit / Debit Card and Netbanking. The company claim reliable, fast and affordable order and delivery workflow will ensure a happy customer Good To Go Store info@goodtogostore.com

Founded in 1975 in Girona (near Barcelona, Spain), PORDAMSA is a trend-setting porcelain manufacturer known for its high level of innovative designs for an ever-changing global marketplace.For PORDAMSA, designis about creating experiences for end users, but it is also about giving Chefs, waiters and waitresses functional and inspiring tools. Serving to 1, 2, and 3 Michelin star Chefs around the world, PORDAMSA gives Chefs a medium to be as creative as their imagination and expresstheir ideas through their presentation. Designed for Chefs who actively seek for aesthetic and functional value to their presentations, PORDAMSA has created a selection of exceptional articleswith their skilled artisans and designers. Each piece is unique due to its traditional manufacturing process being able to appreciate light singularities in shape and texture. All PORDAMSA products meet the strictest quality standards to satisfy the demands of the most exigent hospitality professionals. With easy to clean products, a warehouse in Spain that always has each item in stock, and the most exclusive style, PORDAMSA brings a breath of fresh air to the F&B market. With more than 40 years of innovation and dreams, porcelain and gastronomy come together at PORDAMSA through passion and fusion.

Soft Sensations Pvt. Ltd. info@softsensations.net

Advancing Technology Pride equipment is one of the leading suppliers of commercial food service equipments for hospitality Industry in India. Its objective is to provide the best product and service to satisfy the needs of its clients. The company has been dealing in both imported and fabricated kitchen equipments and a wide range of F&B service items.

The professional team of the company has vast experience and Indepth knowledge of the h o s p i ta l i ty i n d u s t ry. I t believes that advanced technological resources and a clear client-based focus are essential to meet the future demand of hospitality service professionals. Its partners have an average experience of 22 years in the industry.

The company's mission is to distribute and manufacture top quality equipment & accessories for the food service industry, based on its experience, know-how, specialised manufacturing potential and market research.

Pride Equipment info@prideequipment.in

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Versatile Tableware METINOX India is a dynamic company manufacturing and distributing kitchenware and tableware. The company is headquartered in Delhi with modern manufacturing and distribution facility. METINOX created new standards in quality and design in its products development.

The extensive range of kitchenware and tableware is created to the satisfaction, effectiveness, durability and versatility for the users. The company values customer’s expectations and deliver on a timely basis.

Being present pan India, METINOX offers its comprehensive range at viable price range. METINOX optimizes product range, design and service to keep pace with the times thereby achieving excellence.

The company maintains and follows quality managements to make ideal products. Internal quality control team equipped with advance testing facilities deliver quality products.

It regularly performs assessments on products and its standards. The research team is always remain well versed with market conditions and trends, to upgrade its range. It has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, CAD software, and CNC machine workshops, advanced production process, and experienced engineers & technicians. The company keep investing in R&D and frequently updates the designs defining new trends.

The products are manufactured with high grade stainless steel and the range of cutlery and kitchen tools is synonymous with quality, durability, and class. The range includes cutleries, tableware & serves ware, kitchenware, turners and spatulas, tongs, chef helpers, wire ware, hotel ware.

METINOX India metinoxindia@gmail.com

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Mustard Sauces Veeba presents an enticing range of mustard sauces. It is one of India’s leading sauce, dips and dressing company. Tantalise your taste buds with these flavoursome mustard sauces and dressings ranging from spicy to sweet; available in three variants — Honey Mustard Dressing, English Mustard, an American Mustard Sauce.

Veeba has always endeavoured to bring authentic flavours from across the world that are tasty and better for you. Indians love spices and once again Veeba has added a bit of twist to the mustard sauces to tempt the Indian consumers while keeping their authenticity. So, be it salad or glazed veggies, whip in some mustard sauce and enjoy the lip smacking taste from Veeba.

Honey Mustard Dressing (300gm): The mellowness of honey with the tang of mustard, makes for the most interesting combination to power up salad.

American Mustard (310gm): Veeba's American mustard is made from one of the world’s best mustard powder. Goes best with sandwiches, hot dogs and pizza.

English Mustard (300gm): This classic mustard sauce has the potential to add zing to any meal, any snack. The pungent flavour is a great accompaniment to fried food.

Veeba is one of the leading condiments & sauce company in India. Their focus is on quality, innovation and ‘Better for You’ products, which has helped Veeba stand out in a very cluttered retail market. With a pan-India distribution network, it offers fresh and the most authentic flavours. Extreme focus is put on procuring the finest and most authentic ingredients from across the globe and then the products are manufactured in a world class ISO 22000 certified manufacturing facility. Veeba started of as a B2B sauce & condiments company and its client list includes some of the biggest global names in QSR & coffee industry.

Veeba Food Services Private Limited www.veeba.in

Innovative Kitchen Products

New India was established in 1946 and since then have been serving the industry amidist its ever expanding customer base all over India, which includes some of India’s premier hospitality houses.

New India offers a wide range of

commercial kitchen equipments specially for Italian cuisines like Pasta Machines

by IMPERIA (Italy) for making fresh hand made pastas and raviolis, Multipurpose Machine by REBER (Italy) with optional attachments like tomato strainer for f res h to m ato p u re e, w h i c h ca n b e used to make pizza and pasta sauce, Meat Mincers, Sausage Fillers, Pasta Press, Vegetable and Cheese Slicers, Shredder & Graters among others.

The New India Electric & Trading Co. nietco@hotmail.com

Crafting Impeccable F&B Equipments Kumar Equipment (India) Pvt. Ltd. is one of the largest manufacturers of commercial kitchen, refrigeration and bakery equipments in India. Its product range includes hot and cold equipments, bakery equipments, bar equipments, beverage equipments, dish washing equipments, cake pastry and icecream displays, salad display, racks, storage equipments among others. Kumar Equipment (India) is a certified ISO 9001: 2008 and a ‘Trust Passed’ accredited company.

KEI specialises in providing consultancy, designing, layout plans with complete technical details of F&B equipments for commercial kitchens, canteens, bakeries & messes, etc. on turnkey basis as well as on individual product basis. The company’s services also extend to designing, layout and

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installation of exhaust and fresh air systems as well as LPG pipeline, for facilitating the safety and economy of the projects.

KEI has been associated with kitchen equipment industry for well over two d e ca d es , a n d h as b e e n s u ccessf u l l y providing its expertise to hospitality industry, residential schools, learning institutes, hospitals, messes of Armed Forces, industrial canteens, clubs, cafeterias,

Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review

etc. Its operations not only spans across India but is also extended abroad. KEI has two manufacturing units in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan well equipped with latest state-of-the-art plant and machinery. Robust infrastructure, highly skilled and dedicated workforce, and sound R&D are the company’s strengths.

Kumar Equipment (India) Pvt. Ltd. info@kumarquipment.net, kumar_equipments@yahoo.co.in

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

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Advertiser’s Inde x Company

Page No.

akanksha international pvt. ltd.

29

AKASA International

79

Allied Metal Works

77

ANI Glass Corporation

18

Chandra Engineers

14

Constellation Projects

73

Cremica Food Industries Ltd.

FIC

Delta Nutritives Pvt. Ltd.

61

Elan Professional Appliances Pvt Ltd

63

Epicure Frozen Foods & Beverage Pvt. Ltd.

15, 31

European foods indiA

26

Famous Enterprises

20

Food n Hotel India (ubm)

85

Food Solution (India) Limited

07

GPA Capital Foods Pvt. Ltd.

13

Hindustan Refrigeration Stores

89

Hospitality Appliances Pvt. Ltd.

06

Hotelex 2019 Shanghai

95

IFB Industries Ltd.

67

IFFA 2019 (Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt. Ltd.)

87

India Exposition Mart Ltd.

91

Inquve (olives from Spain)

01

ITW India Pvt. Ltd. (hOBART INDIA)

35

Kanhaiyalal Tandoor Pvt. Ltd.

75

King Metal Works

09

KPL International Limited

65

Krome Dispense Pvt. Ltd.

55

Loomcrafts Furniture India Pvt. Ltd.

39

M.P. Enterprises

33

Makrey Exports

51

Mastech Services

69

Metal Avenues

83

Metal Kraft

19

Metinox India

17

MKN INDIA

32

M.M FISHERIES PVT. LTD.

37

Mod Kitchen Equipments Pvt. Ltd.

21

Munnilal Tandoors Pvt. Ltd.

53

P lal & Sons

71

Perennial Foods

22

Pride Equipment

59

Rajkiran Kitchen Equipment

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Rans Technocrats India Pvt. Ltd.

45

Reliable Equipment

49

Remington Steel Arts

96

Shamsons Food

41

Sial China 2019

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Soft Sensations pvt. ltd.

11

Solutionz Consulting

97

Stec Hotelware LLP

81

Sterling Agro Industries Ltd. bic Sterling Solutions

12

T&S Brass

47

Techmate Industries

99

The New India Electric & Trading Co

97

Tropilite Foods Pvt. Ltd.

24

Veeba Foods bc Venus Industries

05

Vivan Foods Pvt. Ltd.

25

Washmatic India Pvt. Ltd.

57

Windsor Chocolate

23

Winterhalter India Pvt. Ltd.

43

Zanuff Industries LLP

27

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