In Conversation With Satyavrat Pendharkar, Managing Director, South Asia, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Glanbia Performance Nutrition for Optimum Nutrition

Consumer trends are changing and we are seeing more of an appetite for online sales than ever. Your comments?

The movement from offline to online has definitely accelerated since March 2020 and I am not just referring to health & wellness products. Be it education, entertainment, shopping or fitness; digitisation has become ubiquitous.  And we have seen that pan-out in the health and wellness industry also; where on one hand, there has been a surge in consumers shopping on ECOM for our fitness supplements and at the same time, we have seen dozens of new brands being launched, offering people nutraceutical products from Vitamin C, Zinc, Biotin, Collagen to Whey Protein and mass gainers. Also, we are seeing a high degree of stickiness for this channel, wherein consumers are continuing to buy online or taking fitness classes virtually at home, despite offline alternatives now being available. Needless to say, one of the key considerations for consumers while buying online is authenticity of the brand/product. We have established some excellent & efficient methods to help consumers authenticate our products thru easy steps   

Everyone talks about immunity and we saw a surge in demand for immunity boosting products during the pandemic. What immunity hacks would you recommend and why? 

We have seen this time and again that brands jump onto the latest trend and start making claims around it. We at Glanbia, have zero tolerance policy when it comes to making unsubstantiated claims, even implied ones!  We know that “Supplements are not pharmaceuticals or drugs”, they don’t miraculously cure something or have a targeted and significant effect on medical outcomes such as immunity. We also know that, “Supplements are not Food”, so we encourage our consumers to consume a balanced and nutritious diet and engage in regular physical activity, and this is one time tested hack for not just immunity but for overall health.

How did you identify the opportunity in the space of nutraceuticals in India? 

 As we discussed, nutraceuticals/supplements are not food and they can never substitute food. That being said the typical Indian diet is largely still very much carbohydrate rich, and even after inclusion of legumes and milk products it fails to meet the increased dietary protein requirements of physically active people. And Indians are getting more active! Pleasantly enough, the pandemic saw a surge of otherwise sedentary people trying to work out from home and working towards their fitness goals. And although protein supplements are not essential, they can certainly help these fitness enthusiasts to fill the nutritional gap in their diets effectively and conveniently. In terms of industry growth, we estimate the market to be growing at  +25% over last year. COVID has definitely raised the awareness levels, for the need to build immunity and cultivate healthy eating and exercising habits. In that backdrop, some product segments like Whey protein, Vitamin C, Zinc and multivitamins have seen the highest numbers of new consumers, entering the category.    

In India, the clean label trend is on the rise and how are you maintaining the product quality? 

Yes globally the clean label trend has been very popular and we are seeing a revived interest in the trend in India too. Even if you and myself are given an option of a drink that has 15 ingredients whose names you cannot pronounce and other similar one that has 5 or less simple ingredients, which one would you choose? It’s not a question of product quality but the perception. This trend has been steady nonetheless and we have quality products to cater to both the sides of the isle. If you look at our trendsetting and category creating BSN supplements, the list of ingredients is quiet complex and for good reasons. Because they are made for the core bodybuilding community who don’t want less, they want more! More types of proteins, carbs, more functional ingredients all in one product. But we also recognize the changing tides and part of why we are where we are because we listen and we innovate. Our Isopure line is made to cater to the millennials, Gen Z, lessetarians and clean label hunters who are seeking purity, simplicity and highest quality in every aspect of life.  Isopure has fewer ingredients that most people can understand and identify with. Sports Nutrition Supplements is a diverse category and it helps that Glanbia Performance Nutrition has the largest global portfolio of sports nutrition brands that way we can help everyone achieve their fitness goals.

What are the future trends that you foresee in this sector?

Sports Nutrition Supplements is a category that is driven by consumer demand and currently we are seeing a resurgence in the demand of plant proteins, vegetarian proteins, more natural or naturally derived ingredients. At the same time, we are seeing that big brands are choosing to manufacture in India because of an evolved eco-system in the nutraceutical space. Very recently, Glanbia has started manufacturing Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey in India in partnership with Tirupati Lifesciences because of their world-class manufacturing infrastructure and NABL certified testing labs. India is the first country, outside US and UK, to manufacture Optimum Nutrition products.

One very welcoming trend is the rise of awareness amongst the consumers. Today’s consumers, even the ones who are new to the category question the quality, the sourcing of material, they question what processes are used in the manufacturing and the sustainability of it all. This not only puts tremendous responsibility on the businesses but also gives us the opportunity to showcase our good manufacturing practices, our sustainability plan, our consistency. Optimum Nutrition is world’s #1 selling sports protein powder brand because of our consistency. We produce the best-selling whey protein powder in the world, our Gold Standard 100% Whey, and we have been doing this consistently for over 35 years. It is this consistency that speaks for the quality and it is this very proven consistency because of which athletes around world trust Optimum Nutrition as their recovery partner.

Another trend that is on the rise is the addition of “plus” ingredients, be it antioxidants, immunity boosting herbal ingredients, functional foods and enzymes. Consumers want something “extra” other than just the supplement. Of course there is not much, if any, research to back up the health benefits of these additional ingredients so it will be interesting to see if this trend is here to stay.