Healthy living tops list of Indian consumer priorities

New Delhi: India may be home to millions of people afflicted with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But, looks like the pursuit of a healthier life is also no less than a priority for the people as healthy living tops the list of consumers goals and aspirations.

New research from global market intelligence agency Mintel reveals that nearly half (48%) of consumers in India aim to live a healthier lifestyle, followed by better time management (30%), improving relationships with family and friends (25%), and travelling (24%).

The research also indicates that close to three in four (72%) Indian consumers report increased happiness as their motivation for leading a healthy lifestyle, while over half say that they aim to live healthily in order to look better and to feel better.

Additionally, two in five (41%) say they aim to lead a healthy lifestyle in order to live longer, while just 10% wish to do so to manage their health conditions.

It is said that currently, over half (52%) of Indian adults say they eat a healthy diet as part of their healthy living habits.

While healthy living tops the list of consumers’ aspirations, it seems few are taking steps towards living a healthier life. Because just one in three (34%) say that they are always trying new things to improve their health, even as one in four (26%) say they research health concerns and 10% say they research or think about health a lot but rarely make changes.

Research from Mintel also reveals that Indian consumers are also willing to pay more for healthier snack options. It found that two in five (39%) people who snack are willing to pay extra for fruit or vegetable snacks, while one in four (25%) would pay more for snacks with added nutrition.

Between 2012 to 2016, India had the highest share of ‘natural’ food product launches in Asia, and and was the fifth largest market for these launches globally, accounting for 6% of the world’s food launches labelled as ‘natural’.