SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION, MANIPAL UNIVERSITY,

MANIPAL, KARNATAKA

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

FOOD FORTIFICATION USED AS A BRANDING TOOL IN

ADVERTISING

Name of the Guide: Shruthi V Shetty

Introduction

Name of the Student: Pranati Tankala

Nutrition and health have always been the focus to the humans all around the world and for
the reasons of their wellbeing, conscious steps to a better experience to be rendered with the
evolution of the mankind the culture and the attention deficiency in the daily diet to make it
balanced. Nothing remains the same from its beginning to the end and this change is always
constant, the food which we consume now is a lot different from how it was when our earlier
generations experienced it and essentially the plantations back then had the richness of the
natural nutritional elements imbibed within them. The realisation of having a balanced and
rich dietary habits is the result for the fortified food being made available to the consumers by
various brands offering various commodities for the daily dietary supplements.
Fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential
micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food, so as to
improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with
minimal risk to health. (World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations, 2006)
Food fortification is one of the most cost-effective and sustainable strategies to deliver
micronutrients to large populations. In many situations however, a combination of different,
complementary strategies may be needed. (Darnton-Hill, 2002) Combining behaviour change
communication to diversify diets with provision of supplements to some vulnerable age
groups such as pregnant women and small children form a good complement to staple food
fortification. Together these strategies have contributed significantly to the elimination of
several nutritional disorders in industrialised countries. However, addressing micronutrient
deficiencies through large scale food fortification poses certain challenges in developing
countries.
In advertising we see that there are a lot of factors that boost the value of the information
being complete and defying the odds of the other products and brands. The food fortification
in many ways is observed to be the activities highlighted in the advertisements as the
branding focus for the recognition of the brand from the others projected in the industry. The
nutritional needs are the reason for the purchase of these supplements to add-on to the
needful to the diet for a balanced and adequate maintenance. Breakfast cereals, milk, milk
supplements, cooking oils and beverages etc. are observed to practise the process of food
fortification to provide the most of the nutrition. Despite the growing strength of social

networks, television advertising is still the most influential medium in peoples purchase
decisions. (T. Vijayapushpam, 2014)
The process of creating an advertising campaign is complex, often lengthy, and can involve
multiple preclearance with regulators and significant scrutiny by legal teams. Alongside
compliance with external regulation, advertisements must also adhere to the stringent internal
marketing guidelines of food manufacturers, and appeal to the tastes of diverse and healthconscious consumers. But the most important person to an advertiser is the person they are
advertising to which is why companies constantly test their products and communications
concepts with consumers. (Advertising Association, 2014)
Food fortification in India is observed since 1983 when Tata Salt offered iodine-fortified salt.
The present array of micronutrient-fortified brands across the value chain include breakfast
cereals offered by Kellogg's, Marico's Saffola oats that are fortified with vitamins, minerals
and folic acid, to Mother Dairy's Bulk Sold "Token" milk or its edible oil brand Dhara, to
ITC's Aashirvaad Fortified Atta, cookies from Britannia or its Tiger biscuit or yogurt, Nestle's
Maggi noodles, cooking oils by Adani Wilmar, beverages by Rasna. (Times, 2016)
It so happens that the consumers are not aware of the extra additions to the products that are
available in the market and hence the vehicles such as the advertisements and the packaging
od the product of the belonging category describe its contacts through graphical projections,
facts or promotion of the content as such (Prof. Dr. Klaus Menrad, April 2006)."Food
fortification is a potential PR story for a food brand even if that company doesn't plaster
reference to the added mineral or vitamin all of its packaging," Charles Banks, co-founder of
the global food trends agency. The Food People, says. "It's the same reason we're seeing a
growing number of manufactured food products enhanced with added grams of certain
natural ingredients, such as fruit so a product can be sold as 'providing one of your five a
day'." (Independent, 2012) As there are large benefits, food fortification can be seen as a very
cost-effective public health intervention. However, an adequate requirement of the fortified
food(s) should be consumed by a large proportion of the target population. It is also necessary
to access and use, fortificants that are well absorbed yet do not affect the sensory properties
of foods. In most cases, it is preferable to use food vehicles that are centrally processed, and
to have the support of the food industry.

Since the health effects of specific Fortified Food products often are not known by the
consumers and thus must be communicated to them after market introduction it is important
to know in which ways consumers get information about Functional Food. Advertisements
are one of the ways to meet their expectations by stating out the availability of the nutritional
elements and compounds.
These advertisements also help the product to be known with its own unique selling proposal.
This paper offers a brief overview of the current fortified food advertising in India completed
with some analysis on fortified foods potential. It explores the main challenges of such
product focusing on the different factors determining the acceptance of functional food.
Furthermore it discusses some prominent types of these food products currently on the
market.

Review of literature

A Functional food is consumed as part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have

physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional
functions. (Nutraceuticals/Functional Foods And Health, 1998)
Health has been named as the most significant trend and innovation driver in the global food
and drinks market (Meziane, 2007). Health plays a dominant role in contemporary discussion
of food. Healthy eating is regarded as one of the most important means of health promotion
not only in political programmes and strategies, but also in public discussion. According to
many studies, consumers are also increasingly reflective in matters of health and willing to
adopt health oriented changes in their eating habits (Niva, 2007). In a research report by
Polymeros Chrysochou, Soren Askegaard, Klaus G. Grunertand Dorthe Brogard Kristensen
actions to further improve healthy eating have followed two major avenues. The first, and
more traditional one, has focused on providing information about what constitutes healthy
eating. Promotion efforts have created awareness and understanding of healthy eating: to eat
a varied diet, more fruit, vegetables and fish and less fatty and sugary food, calories and salt.
The second, and more recent one, comprises attempts to improve the 6 healthiness of
products. This is done by either adding functional components or removing dysfunctional
ones, resulting in functional food products, or by adding or reducing the content of certain
nutrients, such as reducing fat or sugar. These products have been marketed on their health
benefits using nutrient content claims or health claims to the extent possible under the legal
constraints (Bech-Larsen T., & Scholderer J, 2007)
Functional foods compete in sales with organic, reduced fat, reduced salt, or reduced sugar
foods. Indeed, controversy over the food chain, followed by numerous food scares, has
increased the demand for pure organic foods, which could potentially damage functional
foods sales, seen as adulterated. For functional food to be successful, it typically has to
adhere to the following positioning: the health benefit has to appeal to a mass market and
address general well-being issues; the health benefit has to be well communicated, either
through understandable health claims, or through an active ingredient which is readily
understood; the product must be competitive on all platforms, and not rely solely on its health
benefits; it must also offer taste, convenience, and appropriate pricing. Although functionality
allows for higher margins, it does not guarantee success by itself. Other aspects, such as
brand name loyalty, advertising, promotion, quality control, competitors, and economic
factors are also important. Regarding functional foods, it has been observed that modern
consumers are increasingly interested in their personal health, expecting the food they eat to

be healthy or capable of preventing illnesses. The popularity of dose-delivery systems for

probiotic products has resulted in research efforts targeted to developing probiotic foods
outside the dairy sector. New product categories, and thus novel and more difficult raw
materials with regard to probiotics technology, are certainly the key research and
development area for functional food markets. Current technological innovations include
finding solutions for the stability and viability problems of probiotics in new food
environments, such as fruits, cereals, and other vegetables (Farnworth ER, 2007).
Therefore, researches are important to develop new media for probiotic growth and
development, increasing the number of products with functionality in the marketplace, and
offering new options for all types of consumers demand and desire. (Granato, 2010)
Purchasing the same product does not always draw the same Buying Behaviour. Product can
shift from one category to the next.
Besides, voluntary fortification (when an individual food company independently decides to
fortify its products) is often as not for marketing rather than public-service reasons the
emergence in recent years of a host of vitamin-enriched sports and fizzy drinks being a case
in point. Fortified food is also important in crisis situations. In situations of fragility triggered
by economic crises, natural disasters or long-term violent conflict, diet is often inadequate
and unbalanced, so food fortified with vitamins or minerals is distributed to prevent
malnutrition (BMZ, 2012).
Fortification of food with micronutrients is a valid technology for reducing micronutrient
malnutrition as part of a food-based approach when and where existing food supplies and
limited access fail to provide adequate levels of the respective nutrients in the diet. (Kraisid
Tontisirin, 2002)
The approach here is to fortify food with essential nutrients. Food fortification is attractive
because it does not require the target groups to change their diet but can be implemented by
the food industry and because it reaches large numbers of consumers through retail. It is a
particularly effective way of tackling deficiencies in densely populated urban areas.
Mandatory label-ling tells consumers that the food they are buying has been fortified, while
accompanying social marketing campaigns are often effective. As well as reliable data on
malnutrition rates, national programmes need to be able to test the micronutrient content of

food, which requires reliable laboratory testing and rapid mobile testing in the field (BMZ,
2012).
Marketing consultants celebrate this population as having a growing awareness of health and
lifestyle diseases, rising disposable incomes and, increasingly, a self-care ethos that is
associated with a demand for preventative healthcare products. (Street, 2015)
The middle and lower-middle class Indian consumers form the largest segment that buy local
brands of staple foods from the retail market. In this segment, there is very low awareness
about the scale and consequences of micronutrient malnutrition and hence poor demand for
fortified products. This consumer category is not yet very discerning with respect to value
addition as is the case with food fortification. The price of a food commodity is the major
consideration for this consumer segment and hence pricing becomes the major challenge
faced by the food industry in undertaking voluntary fortification of staple foods, which
operates on thin margins due to high competition. Demand generation campaigns are
therefore important to create consumer awareness about the added nutritional advantages of
consuming the fortified foods. This would lead to increased demand, and consequently an
increased sale of the fortified food products, thus strengthening the commitment of the
industry to continue and sustain fortification of their food products. Consumer awareness is
needed to achieve the long-term goal of consumer-driven fortification, and systematic social
marketing will play an important role to achieve this. The health messages for iodised salt in
the India provide a good example. The fortified product is labelled, This salt supplies iodine,
a necessary nutrient, and the non-fortified product says, This salt does not supply iodine, a
necessary nutrient. The challenge is more critical in the developing world, where vast
sections of the population are illiterate and food selection is based on price rather than
quality.
Deficiencies of micronutrients are widespread and many suffer from multiple micronutrient
deficiencies, with diets lacking the ideal diversification needed to provide all nutrients in
adequate amounts. In such a scenario, encouraging the policy environment for voluntary
fortification of one or more staple foods (salt, oil, milk and wheat flour) and other commonly
consumed processed foods that meet at least 10% -30% the reference daily intakes (RDI)
would help bridge the nutrient gap. (Sadhana Bhagwat, 2014)

Creating an advertisement is complex, often lengthy, and involves various actions, rules and
regulators scrutinized by legal teams. Along with complying with external regulation,
advertisements must also adhere to the strict internal marketing guidelines of the food
manufacturers, and appeal to the tastes of diverse and health-conscious consumers. Well, the
most important person to an advertiser is always the person the advertisement is made for, as
it is why companies regularly test the products communications concepts with their
consumers. (Advertising Association, 2014)

Types of fortification
Food fortification can take several forms. It is possible to fortify foods that are widely
consumed by the general population, to fortify foods designed for specific population
subgroups, such as complementary foods for young children or rations for displaced
population and/or to allow food manufacturers to voluntarily fortify foods available in the
market place. The choice between mandatory or voluntary food fortification usually depends
on national circumstances. For example, in countries where a large proportion of maize flour
is produced by small mills, enforcement of mandatory fortification might be impractical.
Under such circumstances, one option would be, if feasible, to allow small mills to fortify
their product on a voluntary basis but following specified regulations.

Mass fortification
Mass fortification is the term used to describe the addition of one or more micronutrients to
foods commonly consumed by the general public, such as cereals, condiments and milk. It is
usually instigated, mandated and regulated by the government sector. Mass fortification is
generally the best option when the majority of the population has an unacceptable risk, in
terms of public health, of being or becoming deficient in specific micronutrients. In some
situations, deficiency may be demonstrable, as evidenced by unacceptably low intakes and/or
biochemical signs of deficiency. In others, the population may not actually be deficient
according to usual biochemical or dietary criteria, but are likely to benefit from fortification.
(World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
2006)

Targeted fortification

In targeted food fortification programmes, foods aimed at specific subgroups of the

population are fortified, thereby increasing the intake of that particular group rather than that
of the population as a whole. Examples include complementary foods for infants and young
children, foods developed for school feeding programmes, special biscuits for children and
pregnant women, and rations (blended foods) for emergency feeding and displaced persons In
some cases, such foods may be required to provide a substantial proportion of daily
micronutrient requirements of the target group. In particular, it may be necessary to add
iodized salt to foods, provide iron supplements to pregnant women or supply high-dose
vitamin A supplements to young children and postpartum women. Whenever possible, fresh
fruits and vegetables should be added to the diets of displaced persons relying on blended
foods. Fortified foods for displaced persons are often targeted at children and pregnant or
lactating women.

Market-driven fortification
The term market-driven fortification is applied to situations whereby a food manufacturer
takes a business-oriented initiative to add specific amounts of one or more micronutrients to
processed foods. Although voluntary, this type of food fortification usually takes place within
government-set regulatory limits. Market-driven fortification can play a positive role in
public health by contributing to meeting nutrient requirements and thereby reducing the risk
of micronutrient deficiency.
Market-driven fortification can also improve the supply of micronutrients that are otherwise
difficult to add in sufficient amounts through the mass fortification of staple foods and
condiments because of safety, technological or cost constraints. Examples include certain
minerals (e.g. iron, calcium) and sometimes selected vitamins (e.g. vitamin C, vitamin B2).
Market-driven fortification is more widespread in industrialized countries, whereas in most
developing countries the public health impact of market-driven food interventions is still
rather limited. Regulation is thus necessary to ensure that the consumption of these foods will
not result in an excessive intake of micronutrients. Furthermore, manufacturers of processed
fortified foods should be encouraged to follow the same quality control and assurance
procedures as those that are prescribed for mandatory mass-fortified products

Household and community fortification

Efforts are under way in a number of countries to develop and test practical ways of adding
micronutrients to foods at the household level, in particular, to complementary foods for

young children. In effect, this approach is a combination of supplementation and fortification,

and has been referred to by some as complementary food supplementation. Crushable
tablets, and especially micronutrient-based powder, are relatively expensive ways of
increasing micronutrient intakes, certainly more costly than mass fortification, but may be
especially useful for improving local foods fed to infants and young children, or where
universal fortification is not possible.

Consumer Perception
Perception means the the act of using only ones own sense organs to gain knowledge about,
interact with, and experience the environment. In the field of advertising, perception is an
important factor in shaping the process of getting to know the brand. The way in which the
consumer perceives a brand its image, identity or its differentiating elements leads, in
fact, to the decision whether to buy the brand and whether to trust it. An empirical definition
of human sense is the capacity of humans and animals to perceive impressions from the
outside world by using certain organs; the body function through which it receives and
processes a specific category of external or internal stimuli. When used in advertising,
senses become the instruments that link the brand to the consumer. Senses can generate
emotions, positive moods, as well as send a message behind the actual promoting text of a
commercial. Due to the fact that such message appeals to the human mind, it is, in most
cases, much stronger. (MariaNICA, 2013)
The predicted increase in the availability of fortified processed foods in developing countries
has given rise to a number of concerns. However, their importance is likely to be greater in
the future, because of increasing urbanization and wider availability of such foods. Firstly,
these fortified foods especially those that are attractive to consumers could divert consumers
from their usual dietary pattern and result in, for example, an increased consumption of sugar,
or a lower consumption of fibre. Secondly, because in most developing countries foods
fortified through market-driven fortification currently receive scant regulatory attention even
though such foods are intended for wide-scale consumption, there is a potential risk that
unnecessarily high levels of micronutrients may be delivered to children if the same serving
size of the fortified food (such as breakfast cereals, beverages and nutrition bars) is intended
for all members of a household.

Focus on the need for high nutrition

The need for food products with higher nutrition levels is being increasingly recognised as an
important solution to Indias micronutrient deficiency. The source of fortification initiatives
require government and the private sector to develop innovative models that can be
implemented on a large scale at low costs. (ficci, 2014)

Food and children

Advertisers are required to avoid anything that could be construed as condoning or
encouraging poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle, and must not encourage
excessive consumption of any food or drink product. Where children are the potential target
group there is an extra layer of regulation. These rules are underpinned by the firm principle
that advertising should not do anything likely to cause physical, mental, or moral harm to
children. The rules also protect parents by specifically banning the use of pester power in
advertising. (Advertising Association, 2014)

Methodology
Rationale
The focus of this research is to study the projection of food fortification in advertisements as
a branding tool. How fortification acts as one of the roles to influence the audience towards
the commodity advertised, this is to understand the role of television advertisements of
fortification in food and beverages in consumer behaviour.

Objectives

To study how the Fortified foods emphasise on their message of being Healthy

foods in their advertisements.

To examine food fortification as a branding tool used by health and nutritional brands
through the products advertised in television advertisements.

Qualitative Analysis
The qualitative analysis is used here to evaluate the quality of the aspects of the available
content pertaining to the topics and the required elements. It is mainly concerned with the
quality aspects like knowledge, attitudes, behaviour etc. The study uses content analysis as
the method of analysing the sample of 20 television advertisements.
In this study, about 20 Television advertisements will be analysed based on the following
parameters of the layout.

Target audience - The main group of people that the commercial is trying to reach and
convince. A target audience can be people of a certain age group, gender, marital

status, etc.
Message - The central idea that the creators of a commercial want the target audience

to believe.
Visual techniques - What you see/read in the commercial that helps promote the

message and sell the product.

Aural techniques - What you hear in the commercial that helps promote the message

and sell the product.

Logo - A mark or symbol that represents a company or product. Logos can include
visuals or letters or both.

Slogan - Short and memorable phrase used to promote a product.

Celebrity endorsement - When a famous person talks about the good qualities of a

product to promote it.

Testimonial - When a private citizen (regular person) talks about the good qualities of
a product to promote it.

Quantitative analysis
Quantitative analysis technique is used to understand behaviour by using complex
mathematical and statistical modelling, measurement and research. With the help of assigning
a numerical value to the variables, it is an attempt to replicate the responses mathematically.
The study will utilise a survey method to further compliment the qualitative analysis.

Sample size
The sample count for this study will comprise of 100 women from the age group of 25 and
above till the age of 45. This analysis will be conducted in Manipal. It will include the
individuals from different economic and education backgrounds.

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