Last week, I had the honour of being invited as a keynote speaker and moderator at the 10th Annual NutriThink Conference 2025, hosted in Mumbai by Informa Markets. The event brought together an extraordinary convergence of industry leaders, regulatory authorities, scientists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers from across India’s thriving nutrition and nutraceutical ecosystem. Held at the spectacular Aurika, Mumbai International Airport, the two-day
conference was a remarkable blend of science, strategy, and shared intent.
The platform was intellectually rich and emotionally affirming. It was a privilege to share space with stalwarts of the industry and passionate professionals driving change in how India eats, nourishes, heals, and thrives. Priti Chowdhury, Western Region Chief of FSSAI, delivered a relevant and timely opening address. Her speech was both inspiring and reassuring, reinforcing FSSAI’s evolving role not just as a regulator but as an enabler of innovation and public trust.
In my keynote on “Emerging Opportunities in India’s Nutrition Sector,” I focused on a few fundamental shifts that are quietly but definitively shaping the future of this sector. Each of these, I believe, offers a unique opportunity for India to lead globally. And at the heart of this transformation lies one of India’s most trusted, omnipresent, yet under-leveraged sectors: Dairy.
Five Shifts Reshaping the Nutrition Landscape
1. Food as Medicine
Nutrition today is about outcomes. Consumers increasingly seek immunity support, energy, hormonal balance, gut health, and mental clarity from what they eat. This shift from calorie- counting to purpose-driven consumption places dairy in a powerful position. With its natural richness in bioavailable proteins, fats, probiotics, and micronutrients, dairy is ideally positioned to be a daily, accessible source of functional nutrition.
2. Evidence before Emotion
With consumers growing more informed, the demand for clinically validated, science-backed nutrition is only increasing. This calls for greater investment in R&D, data-driven formulations, and third-party certifications. Dairy-based products that are substantiated by research – whether whey proteins for recovery or probiotic curds for digestive health – will stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
3. Trust as a Differentiator
Today, consumers want to know what’s inside their food, where it comes from, and how it was made. Traceability, transparency, and tamper-proof labeling are no longer optional. Dairy, with its deep cooperative roots and widespread daily delivery systems, can evolve into a gold standard of traceable nutrition, provided we integrate digital transparency and blockchain-based supply chain validation.
4. Sustainability as Strategy
India’s nutrition sector must embrace environmental responsibility not as an afterthought but as a strategy. From methane emissions to water usage, the dairy industry has its challenges, but also its solutions. Planet-positive dairy practices, circular economy models (e.g., whey reuse), and ethical sourcing are not only possible but essential to win the next generation of mindful consumers.
5. Regulation as Enabler
The evolution of regulatory frameworks is key to unlocking innovation. FSSAI’s recent work in enabling clean labels, functional claims, and standardisation is commendable. But we now need faster ingredient approvals, clear health claim guidelines, and especially, third-party validation frameworks. I advocated for a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model between FSSAI, industry, and independent labs to create a neutral, trusted ecosystem of certification
and testing.
Why Dairy Must Lead This Revolution
Dairy is deeply embedded in Indian culture and daily life. From school children to seniors, it is already a trusted carrier of nourishment. And yet, we haven’t yet leveraged its full potential in the clinical, functional, and personalised nutrition segments. Whether it’s fortified milk for school nutrition programs, curd-based probiotics for gut health, or dairy proteins for sports and medical recovery, the canvas is wide open.
India’s dairy sector is unique not just for its scale, but for its people. Over 80 million rural households depend on dairy, most of them women. By turning dairy into a high-value, innovation-driven sector, we don’t just create better nutrition – we empower livelihoods.
A High-Powered Panel on Quality Standards
Beyond the keynote, I had the pleasure of moderating a high-powered panel discussion on “Quality Standards: Boosting Consumer Confidence and Industry Growth.” The discussion featured some of the most respected names in the industry:
– Vikramsinha Deshmukh, Head – Quality Assurance (Nutrition & Nutraceuticals), Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.
– Sadanand Kulkarni, Head – Medical, Regulatory, Vigilance and Quality (South Asia), Fresenius Kabi India Pvt Ltd.
– Namita Srivastava, Director – Regulatory Affairs, Healthkart
– Dr. Saurabh Arora, Executive Director, Abro Pharma
We covered a range of vital topics – from harmonising Indian quality standards with global GMPs, to the role of anti-counterfeiting technologies, to building consumer trust through transparency and rigorous testing.
Each panelist brought a unique lens to the conversation, but the shared message was clear: Quality is not a cost – it is the cornerstone of growth, credibility, and consumer confidence.
Closing Thoughts
A special thank you to Informa Markets and the dedicated team behind NutriThink 2025. This was not just an event – it was a milestone in India’s nutrition journey. The quality of dialogue, the diversity of perspectives, and the collective will to do better were both inspiring and reassuring.
As someone who has worked across the dairy value chain and the broader food sector, I am more convinced than ever that India’s nutrition revolution will be built on the foundation of trust, science, and sustainability. And dairy will play a starring role.
Let’s build this future, together.
