At McDonald’s outlets in South India, a Rs20.45 (40 Singapore cents) burger topping has been selling out fast. It’s not extra cheese or a fancy salsa dip, but a vegetarian protein slice developed with Indian government food scientists – the brand’s first such offering globally.
McDonald’s has joined India’s biggest dairy manufacturer Amul, a slew of start-ups, and a company backed by Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh to unleash a marketing blitz with celebrity chefs and cricketers promoting protein as a daily nutrition need for young and old, not just a gym fad.
Ordering kiosks at the Golden Arches do not mention calories but lure consumers by flashing the high protein in burgers, tapping into a sudden craze in a nation with the world’s highest number of vegetarians and low meat consumption.
“The protein addition makes this easier to eat without much guilt,” said 53-year-old Baiju C.T., as he added the 5g protein slice to his Rs265 Chicken Maharaja – described as India’s answer to McDonald’s signature beef burger Big Mac.
The nutrition push is not only about Rs4,395 whey powder packs. Protein has been infused into cottage cheese – a vegetarian favourite – as well as ice creams, water, chips, and Rs52 tiny bottles of blueberry milkshakes. Indian flatbreads are next.
United States and other markets have seen similar protein booms, but in India, it is being driven by the country’s distinct cereal-heavy dietary profile. Nearly 30 per cent of India’s 1.4 billion people are vegetarian, and the government estimates 73 per cent of the population is protein-deficient.
In July, McDonald’s sold 32,000 pieces of its soy- and pea-protein slice within 24 hours of launch. Most of its over 400 stores ran out of stock quickly and were replenished a month later.
Google Trends data from India shows the terms “protein chips” and “protein bar” recorded their highest interest in five years in June and August, with the highest search interest coming from New Delhi, an urban hotspot.
Movie star Ranveer and co-founder Nikunj Biyani’s start-up, SuperYou, has sold more than 10 million protein wafers since November, with sales hitting a record monthly high in July.
SuperYou plans to launch biscuits and cereals and target smaller towns, said Mr Biyani, who calls protein a “knight in shining armour”.
Cricketers are also endorsing the protein craze.
In April, Amul sponsored several teams in the world’s richest cricket league, the Indian Premier League (IPL), and used the partnership to make Instagram reels featuring dancing Indian and international cricketers to promote its protein offerings. Some reels generated millions of views.
The country’s biggest milk and cheese producer is trying to expand the protein category by encashing on the three million litres of byproduct whey it ends up with each day, managing director Jayen Mehta said in an interview.
With its online sales-focused strategy, Amul is attempting to lure consumers with high-protein variants of its regular offerings, such as buttermilk, ice cream and flatbreads.
“It’s a very huge market opportunity,” Mr Mehta said.
Reuters
