Why Biscuits & cookies: Finding the sweet spot between health & indulgence

Biscuits have an almost universal appeal in India, with more than 8 out of 10 Indians claiming to have consumed different types of biscuits or cookies in the past 3 months, according to Min tel research. It enjoys a fairly wide market reach while being in a highly competitive snacking category. Many biscuits makers have expanded their product portfolios to incorporate different biscuit formats such as salty crackers, sweet cookies, healthy digestive biscuits, and so on.

 Covid-19 brought about a change in consumer priorities. It was observed that there is an increased focus on preventive health, physical fitness and psychological wellbeing. Nearly half of Indians say they put a lot of thought into what they eat and are actively seeking ways to reduce stress. This demand for mental wellness and psychological wellbeing has also amplified the need for indulgence, with 44% of Indian consumers are reported regularly eating indulgent foods in 2020.

 As a result, there is a rise in consumer demand for health as well as indulgence in food and drinks categories. This is especially evident in indulgent snack categories such as sweet biscuits and cookies, confectionery and extruded snacks. Biscuit makers can address this consumer demand by adding permissibility to indulgence, capitalizing on health trends with BF Y innovations, and catering to consumers' appetite for new experiences.

 ‘Feed the mind’ by adding permissibility to indulgence
41% of Indian consumers strongly associate cream biscuits and cookies with satisfying cravings. Nearly 38% of them associate it with an indulgent treat. As mental health concerns grow, biscuit makers can leverage the indulgent biscuits' strong association with emotional wellbeing. Biscuit makers can target this segment who need a psychological pick-me-up by positioning indulgent biscuits as rewards for completing a task or achieving a small or big milestone during the day.

 It is interesting to note that younger women are more likely than men to associate cookies and cream biscuits with satisfying cravings and reducing stress. However, they also see cookies as occasional indulgences rather than a go-to snack and therefore, their consumption frequency remains lower than average. In addition to that, almost one-third of consumers agree that cream biscuits are unhealthy. To tackle this, brands can promote emotional wellness benefits while creating health associations with permissibility and portion control innovations.

 Brands can add permissibility, whether in messaging or formulations. One big indulgent cookie in a pack can be positioned in multiple ways to appeal to varied consumer sentiments when it comes to balancing the health and indulgence aspects of food. For instance, Max Protein's 7-grain Breakfast Cookies (India) targets the breakfast occasion with healthful ingredients.

 On the other end of the spectrum, Oreo has recently launched Oreo Double Stuff in the Indian market. It is said to be filled with an extra creamy layer of vanilla. This is targeted towards consumers seeking pure indulgence, with Oreo using its famous crème filling as a springboard for innovation. Sugar content in indulgent sweet biscuits is becoming a concern for consumers, that’s where brands can strategies portion control over reformulation to help consumers reduce their sugar intake without compromising on taste.

 Boost BF Y (better-for-you) credentials with high protein and fiber innovations
 Indian consumers are on the lookout for protein in mainstream food and drink categories. This is even prevalent in biscuits and cookies, with more than half (59%) of Indians are interested in buying biscuits and/or cookies with high protein content.

 The share of high-/added-protein biscuits remains less than 4% of the total biscuit launches between December 2020 to December 2021. This indicates the scope for protein to grow in the biscuit category, with a strong interest in high-protein biscuits and cookies, especially amongst those aged 25-44. Brands such as Gleeful Protein Minis (India) deliver 18.7g of protein with the power of three proteins: pea, rice and whey from milk.

 In addition to protein, nearly two-thirds of metro dwellers are looking for biscuits with high-fiber content. Although high-/added-fiber claims in sweet and savory biscuit launches in India grew to 3% between 2020-21, brands rarely call out digestive health claims such as prebiotic fiber or content of fiber on front-of-packs. For example, Lenny & Larry's The Boss! Cookie (US) is loaded with 18g of protein, 1g of sugar with no artificial sweeteners, and 6g of prebiotic fiber to support a healthy gut.
 
 Address consumers' appetite for new experiences with flavors, textures and formats
 When it comes to flavor innovation, keeping it simple and familiar is the key to success in India. A new spin on a familiar flavor is likely to have greater acceptance than a radically new flavor. Having said that, fusing global and Indian flavors can excite and engage consumers, especially in lower-tier cities.

 If only two product features were considered when buying biscuits and/or cookies, 7 in 10 respondents would be interested in biscuits inspired by Indian flavors and dessert flavors. This indicates that brands can go beyond the plain chocolate flavor and innovate with trending dessert and Indian regional flavors.  

 Beyond flavors, brands can also excite the market by experimenting with formats, with 40% of Indians agreeing that new formats, of biscuits and cookies, would encourage them to eat more of it. Brands can look at innovating formats in cookies, with more than one-third of Indian consumers thinking that cookies are an ideal replacement for desserts, blurring the lines between a cookie and a dessert.

 Sun feast Dark Fantasy Desserts Indulgence Collection Box exemplifies this kind of innovation. It is said to be a gift pack that contains an exclusive new range of decadent coco cookies crafted for the festive season. It is said to contain gourmet coco-chip cookies filled with molten coco crème and Coco hazelnut dipped cookies. Likewise, brands have the opportunity to not just focus on flavor innovation but, also offer innovative textures and layers that can elevate the indulgent quotient of biscuits and cookies.