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In India, a protein boom with a difference

In India, rising interest in protein is more focused on lower-cost protein and local specialties – think protein-fortified atta, paneer, tikis, and chaap – than fitness.

India, a country that has been behind the curve on the global protein boom, is belatedly seeing a rise in awareness and uptake of protein-boosting products. This is overdue in a country where high numbers of people are protein deficient.

At a glance:

• Consumption of packaged protein products is less developed in India than elsewhere – but the market is growing rapidly.
• Vegetarian diets and affordability are driving a focus on convenience and price.
• The focus is on protein as an everyday addition to existing foods – sometimes to the detriment of protein quality.

In some ways, India’s boom consists of familiar elements. Early growth began with uptake from affluent gym-goers and fitness enthusiasts, largely in the form of whey powder supplements, before wider uptake began to spread.

“We mostly build our meals around rice and roti, and cereals still supply almost half of the protein we eat,” said Vidit Dugar of New Delhi-based food and beverage-focused investment firm Sauce. “What has changed is that people are now being told about [protein intake] by gym culture, social media, and doctors, and the products are finally there to act on it.”

Yet India’s boom bears only a partial resemblance to those elsewhere, owing to differences in diets, pricing dynamics, timing, and consumer demand.

One visible manifestation of these differences is less of a focus on gym-adjacent powders and supplements, with less-wealthy demographics favouring of lower-cost, more convenient offerings.

Often, these include modified versions of Indian staples and classics – recent launches include protein-fortified atta, paneer, tikis, and chaap. Equally, quality of protein is often less of a priority than quantity.

Plant-based diets influence offerings

Part of the issue is cultural. Some 39% of Indians are vegetarians (by comparison, only 5% are vegetarian in the UK), and 83% belong to religions that promote vegetarianism. This reduces everyday protein intake in standard diets, creating an opportunity for protein-forward offerings while also influencing the sorts of products that do emerge.

“The usual sources – dal, paneer, and curd – are not enough for most people without real effort, and eggs and chicken are off the table for many households,” said Dugar. “You then see a lot of product innovation that follows from this. […] Brands are adding protein to formats people already cook and eat.”

Convenience and price influence protein quality

Dovetailing with the diet-driven focus on convenience is economic reality. Although India’s economy is expanding rapidly, most Indians still have low incomes – the country’s GDP per head, at $2,700, equates to less than one-fifth of the global average – and inequality is both high and on the rise.

For the relatively small cohort of affluent consumers, the protein market looks similar to elsewhere – products such as Greek yoghurt and whey powder are popular, although India’s dependence on imports for the latter are proving a challenge amid skyrocketing whey prices.

Meanwhile, uptake is boosted by the rise of anti-obesity drugs. “[GLP-1 consumption] is more of a global factor than an Indian one, but it is adding to the rise of protein,” said Dugar.

But outside this top echelon is a second tier among which market penetration is limited and the focus is on cost over quality. “That is the weakness of the market, because what matters is how much usable, digestible protein you actually get,” said Dugar.

Dugar’s own analysis compared one protein-boosted atta product with a whey powder supplement; while the former was an eighth of the price of the latter, it was far less efficient, with several times the calories per gram of protein.

“A protein atta is not as good as Greek yoghurt or whey isolate on protein quality and digestibility, but as a hook it is very effective because it lets someone act on a diet goal without changing a habit,” he said.

Regulation is also behind the curve

India’s relatively underdeveloped protein market also requires catch-up from regulators. A 2024 study found that 76% of products it assessed were mislabelled, and 14% contained toxins; the authors highlighted regulatory “flaccidity” as a factor.

“We keep hearing of companies make exaggerated claims and the regulator being slow to act,” said Dugar, who points to quality control gaps being filled by commercial organisations such as FoodPharmer and Trustified, who test products and check their claims. “In the near term, that scrutiny may do more to discipline claims than the regulator.”