Consumers’ Choice of Functional Foods: A Case Study of Millets in India
Sujatha Manohar and Varisha Rehman
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
Volume 12: 2017, pp. 117-134; ABSTRACT
Krishna Kumar, the new CEO of AFL Foods Pvt. Ltd. was facing a challenge. Seeing the health craze of the affluent Indian youth, he strongly felt that it was time to introduce a new line of business that sold healthy functional foods. He engaged an R&D firm to study the market for such foods in India and to identify the factors influencing the choice of functional foods. The firm adapted an innovative and mixed method of research. They observed the preferences and eating patterns of the guests at a feast that offered both traditional and millet based foods. To further strengthen their findings the R&D team held a focus group discussion with a few selected guests. The findings of the study revealed the underlying factors determining healthy food choices, which were also synchronous with the Food as Well-Being (FWB) factors. The R&D firm indicated that there was a strong need for focusing more on the planning and designing of an exhaustive Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) plan, which had to be in line with the findings of their study, in order to make the product line a success. Krishna Kumar reviewed the options suggested by the R&D team and met with his Marketing Head. They must decide on the feasibility and execution of the appropriate strategies for the implementation of a successful IMC plan.
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