Why Do Indians Value Imported Snacks More Than Traditional Ones?

It is the holiday season and your favourite aunt from the USA has come down. Everyone gathers around as she opens her suitcase. She reveals chocolates, chips, and snacks you don’t usually find in India. Somehow they feel far more exciting than anything you can find on Indian shelves. Maybe even something as good as your favourite roasted makhana.

Afterall, who doesn’t love a good snack?

But not all snacks are created equal.

For example, you love the fact that your aunt is bringing foreign snacks. Most people perceive foreign and imported snacks as being superior – in taste, and in quality.  But why is this so? Is it essential that every imported brand is better than local brands? Why does this perception exist?

This is due to many reasons. Let us take a look at some of them.

Perceived Premium Quality

We perceive foreign snacks as being higher quality than our local snacks. Whether this is true or not is up for discussion, but the perception remains. The reasons for this are the following:

Substitution of Ingredients: There are a number of internationally sold snacks that change their ingredients list in the Indian market due to the need to offer the product at low prices. For instance, when making Indian-made chocolate, expensive cocoa butter is substituted with cheap vegetable fats and palm oils, which alters the flavor and consistency of the chocolate.

Tougher Laws and Rules in Other Countries: The laws related to food safety, high sugar taxes, and tough front-of-pack labeling rules make international brands substitute their ingredients with cleaner and higher – quality ingredients.

Price Sensitive Market: Due to the price sensitivity in the general market in India, the products are reformulated using cheaper and local ingredients to lower the price of the item.

Aspirational Value: Imported foods have an aspirational value and, therefore, perceived as luxuries and novelties.

Unique Global Flavours

Another reason imported snacks stand out is that they introduce flavours many Indian consumers haven’t tried before.

Interesting Taste Profile: One of the major factors that makes imported snacks so attractive to consumers in India is that they provide tastes that one does not get to experience in domestic food items. This could range from Korean honey butter chips to Japanese wasabi peas to Mexican chilli-lime crisps.

‘Premium’ and ‘Novelty’ Appeal: The emerging urban middle class prefers premium and novel tastes of globally popular snack foods as a way of participating in luxury or virality trends on social media.

Status appeal and Social Appeal

International snacks enjoy prestige in India because of the belief about the quality of ingredients, exclusivity, and being international. As international brands often have different recipes or more expensive ingredients in their countries, Indians see these snacks as luxurious alternatives to the mass market domestic snacks. The popularity of imported snacks is related to many historical, cultural, and market factors in India:

Exclusivity and gift culture: Historically, coming home from abroad with some exotic chocolates or sweets was a very prestigious thing to do. Now, giving gifts of imported brands (such as luxurious European chocolate or imported sweets) during Diwali or weddings demonstrates prestige or thoughtfulness.

The Era of Instant Commerce: Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart allow you to discover and buy international goods instantly. Thus, “snack adventurism” becomes something that can be shown on social networks.

Status Aspiration through Western Snacks: In particular, young individuals tend to consume foreign snacks which are exotic and “viral” such as spicy Korean noodles and specialized American potato chips in order to be a part of the global pop culture and to show their worldliness.

Here is the exciting thing: high-quality snacks are no longer the privilege of foreign brands only. Modern Indians do not pay attention to the country where snacks come from. Instead, they are interested in the freshness of the ingredients, unique flavors, and snacks that can be delicious and healthy at the same time.

While imported snacks may have their advantages, there is no need to import tasty snacks. High-quality snacks can now be produced in India too. That’s exactly what we aim to do at Makhanawala’s – bringing premium roasted makhanas made with quality ingredients and flavours inspired by both India and the world.