For Consumer Brands, Calorie Count Is The New MRP On Packaging

There’s a change coming to the packaging of food. All this while consumers have been focused on the MRP that is printed on the packaging, but now everyone is paying more attention to the ‘calorie count’ because ‘healthy eating’ is important. And to help consumers pick and choose their food better, marketers are making a change.

The nutritional information is now printed on the front of the pack, focusing on the calorie count as a draw for consumers. The best example of this is the new product Kosh Oats, where the nutritional information that is usually found on the back of the pack is now clearly set in the front with the MRP on the other side. Brands are also more focused on the calorie number in advertising, enticing consumers to be more aware and interested in the product.

Speaking about this change, Devendra Chawala, group president food FMCG, Future Group said, “When consumers interested in health, pick up a pack of food product, they turn to back of the pack first to get vital information regarding calories and nutrients. We have applied this insight to launch Kosh oats, where such key information is highlighted in bold on front of the pack. Price is not as boldly displayed. Today, calories and other nutritional information are the new denomination for a set of consumers.”

This is a big step for consumer brands because people are definitely more conscious and aware of the amount of sugar and calories that they consume in a day. Recently Nestle announced that they were halving the amount of sugar in their chocolates while retaining the flavour. Following Nestle’s change, other brands could also make this a very important statement and a focus of their selling process.

Nestle India CMB, Suresh Narayanan spoke about why calories and other nutritional information matter more, and also added “Consumers today look for transparent information on packs or via other modes like QR codes or company websites, which helps them in choosing food on basis of nutritional need. The days when MRP and price points were almost sole vectors of consumer choice are fast fading away to an era where soul of the brand is taking primacy.”