Sports nutrition maker Glanbia Performance Nutrition (GPN) today said it is "constantly assessing" the opportunity to set up a manufacturing plant in India to expand its business.
The Irish company also said tremendous opportunity exists in India for their products in all major and small cities.
"We are constantly assessing that opportunity. We are importing products (to sell in India)," Sam Bedi, GPN, Regional Director (SEA, India, Korea and Japan) said when asked about the company's plan to set up a manufacturing unit in the country.
Bedi sees lots of benefits in taking this step, "so certainly it is one of the considerations that we look at in this market".
The company is investing a lot in human resource, product quality and marketing in order to expand business in India.
It is also working on increasing awareness in India about these products "as there are a lot of myths in this category of products".
"People think it as steroids. But it is not. It's a derivative of dairy. India is the largest consumer of dairy, so there is a need of education and awareness," Bedi told PTI, adding that the company has launched 'FitIndia'campaign.
This nation-wide pilot programme aims to raise awareness and education of good nutrition and active lifestyles and seeks collaboration between a cluster of professionals such as dieticians and nutritionists. They would be travelling to 12 cities in the first phase.
Asked about the regulatory environment in India, Bedi said: "It is changing. The focus is very much around consumer protection. FSSAI is very much centred around consumer protection... There are challenges in this category in understanding some of the product ingredients."
GPN's Country Manager (India and SAARC Region) Avik Sanyal said the company's current market share in performance nutrients in India stands at about 43 per cent.
"We are selling products in specialty stores. We are also going into online like Amazon and Snapdeal. We are targeting hypercity stores and pharmacy outlets," Sanyal said.
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