Health Horizons Launches ‘Second Generation’ Product Campaign in India

Health Horizons is the brand name for hemp products manufactured by Hemp Horizons which is one of the largest hemp contract manufacturing companies in India and also one of the first to enter the industry in 2017 , when Ayurvedic regulations made the sale of hemp products. legal.

Until now, the local industry has been largely dominated by the first generation products of hemp hearts (seeds), hemp seed oil and plain hemp powder. When we spoke to Hemp Horizons earlier this year, company founder Rohit Shah previously indicated that there is a large market in India for second-generation FMCG products beyond these three – and apparently, the time has come.

“The problem with first-generation products is that consumers have to research how to add the seeds, oil, or powder to their diet even after purchasing them to improve their health – it’s not easy,” especially in Indian cuisine. where just adding the seeds or using the powder to make baked goods will not always necessarily taste good ”,Shah said FoodNavigator-Asia.

“So our goal in making these second generation hemp products – and to be the first to do so in India – was to change the format and administration of the first generation hemp products, and to produce something convenient for consumers on the go that is nutritious and healthy, and that was the concept of the hemp power bar.

The protein bar contains only six ingredients which are cashews, almonds, dates, hemp, cocoa and oatmeal, a combination that provides 9.2g of vegetable protein and the three omega fatty acids. -3.

“One of the main drivers of the sector is the ability to derive healthy nutrition from a single product, that is, to obtain all the omega fatty acids as well as the desired high protein content of a single source, unlike perhaps only being able to get omega-3s from a single source. flax seeds, or only powdered whey protein ‘,Shah said.

“For Sativa Hemp Chocolate Powder, we managed to take it to another level by increasing the nutritional benefits of the original first generation hemp powder while making it taste better – we added raw cocoa to it and coconut sugar, which increased the protein content per 100g from about 8% to 10% from 24g-25g in the original to 34g in the chocolate variant.

For both products, Shah believes the key audience to capture is 25-45 year olds, especially those with a plant-based diet and an adventurous, active lifestyle.

A three-pack of 50g Hemp Food Bars currently sells for INR 399 (US $ 5.41) and Sativa Hemp Chocolate Powder sells for INR 299 (US $ 4.06) for 150g or at INR 999 (US $ 13.56) for 500 g.

Still regulated by Ayurveda

Although the two new products are clearly food products, Shah told us that due to the nature of the hemp regulations in India, both are currently still regulated and approved by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, of Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and homeopathy (AYUSH).

“There was a public notification from the FSSAI in October 2020 that they would finalize the regulations regarding the governance of hemp seeds and related products, but we have not seen any movement from them since then ”,Shah said.

“Potentially, it should be finalized in six months or less, but so far we’ve waited almost a year, so it’s not clear exactly when they’ll be released. That said, even under AYUSH governance, the category is growing massively and we first developed these second generation products even before the FSSAI issued the regulations in order to build the category and understand how to market and sell them.

When asked if he expected larger adjustments to be needed once the FSSAI regulations are released, Shah said labeling will likely be the area most affected, but not necessarily in the area. wrong way.

“It is the labeling that will be changed, as AYUSH does not allow us to indicate nutritional facts on the labels of our products at the moment, but under FSSAI we would be able to talk about the content and values ​​in protein and omega-3 on the packaging, “he said.

“This is really important because these numbers would open up an even wider audience to the market and its benefits.”

Moving forward

Shah added that while India is still the primary focus of the company, it is already in talks with Southeast Asian and East Asian markets where hemp is legalized (per example, Thailand, Japan, South Korea) as well as with the United States.

“We anticipate that hemp can become an ingredient in everything from milk and butter to cookies, muffins and personal care.”he said.

“To continue our product development for second generation hemp products, we will first focus on expanding our range of flavored powders, as well as the number of protein bar variations to include more fruit. or even further reduce the number of ingredients used.

“Hemp sits smack in the middle of four categories that are experiencing significant growth: vegan and plant-based diets, packaged goods, personal care and wellness – so massive growth is coming over the years. coming years. “