Mumbai: Korean culture has conquered Indian screens and is now invading snack shelves. From banana chips with a spicy Korean twist to barbecue-flavoured noodles, large, fast-moving consumer goods companies are riding the “Korean wave" to make fusion flavours mainstream.

Once premium and niche, these products are now sold at local kirana stores—Korean chips start at ₹20 for a 37g pack and noodles at ₹55 for 75g—targeting internet-savvy young consumers eager to try new tastes.

The K-wave is clearly a mega trend that encompasses food, beauty, content, and music, and it is one that companies cannot afford to ignore; other mega trends are health and convenience, said Anand Ramanathan, partner and consumer industry leader at Deloitte South Asia. 

“Indian consumers are clearly more exposed today, thanks to international travel and more content consumption. Hence, for companies to respond quickly to these mega trends is the best way to ensure market share is sustained,” he added.

A report by researcher Mintel in 2023 said smaller pack sizes allow broader segments of the population to access and experiment with new products.

FMCG majors ride the trend

Bingo!'s Korean-flavoured potato chips, which launched with a large campaign last March, are now available starting at ₹20 (for 37 grams). ITC also sells Korean noodles under its YiPPee! brand, priced at ₹55 for a 75 gm packet.

“As the Korean wave surged in India, we swiftly leveraged this cultural moment by launching the first Korean-style potato chips and Korean-style noodles under Bingo! and YiPPee! respectively," said Hemant Malik, executive director, ITC Ltd.

Products like ITC's Bingo Hot & Spicy Korean Chips and Yellow Diamond Spicy Korean Chips are seeing traction in out-of-home consumption. Bingo's Korean chips reached 4% consumer penetration (reaching over 1.2 million individuals) in 12 months, while Yellow Diamond's reached 1.7%, per data from Worldpanel by Numerator (earlier Kantar).

Data from Worldpanel by Numerator, which tracked new fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) launches in India over the past 6-12 months, found that fusion flavours are a key to connect with consumers, especially in the snacking category.

PepsiCo's Lay’s brand recently rolled out the "Flavours of the World Korean Chilli" variant priced at ₹50 (78 grams). To be sure, Lay's potato chips are sold for as little as ₹5 per 12 g pack.

“The rising popularity of different flavours reflects the need of the Indian consumer to experiment and try new, evolving flavours,” said Saakshi Verma Menon, chief marketing officer, Foods, PepsiCo India.

In 2024, packaged food company Nestle launched Maggi Korean noodles in barbecue flavours that it said resonated well with consumers. The move, however, is more premium compared to its mass-market Maggi noodles that retail as low as ₹5 for a 32-gram pack in select markets.

“The rise of global cuisine has led to the amalgamation of flavours from different cultures. Maggi too has leveraged this trend of cultural fusion with Maggi Korean noodles… These innovations have not only enhanced consumer experience but have also helped drive market growth by attracting new customers,” the company spokesperson said.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd's soup and noodle brand Knorr partnered with popular Korean show Squid Game 2 for a one-of-a-kind campaign last year.

"Indian consumers today are more adventurous with food than ever before–whether it's trying global cuisines at restaurants or bringing those experiences home through packaged snacks," said a spokesperson at Guiltfree Industries Ltd, which sells snacks under the Too Yumm brand. Its ramen is priced at ₹50 for a single serve.

According to a recent report by Deloitte, Indians are increasingly drawn to global taste profiles, such as Korean, Mexican, Thai and Japanese, especially Gen Z and millennial consumers shopping online.

“Several emerging packaged food players offer kimchi-flavoured chips, cheesy peri-peri makhana and gochujang trail mixes. Palate diversity is no longer limited to taste, crunch, fizz, heat, creaminess and chewiness; now, they matter equally,” it said.

The Indian packaged convenience food industry is expected to reach ₹4.88 trillion by FY26, the report said.

Mumbai: Korean culture has conquered Indian screens and is now invading snack shelves. From banana chips with a spicy Korean twist to barbecue-flavoured noodles, large, fast-moving consumer goods companies are riding the “Korean wave" to make fusion flavours mainstream.

Once premium and niche, these products are now sold at local kirana stores—Korean chips start at ₹20 for a 37g pack and noodles at ₹55 for 75g—targeting internet-savvy young consumers eager to try new tastes.

The K-wave is clearly a mega trend that encompasses food, beauty, content, and music, and it is one that companies cannot afford to ignore; other mega trends are health and convenience, said Anand Ramanathan, partner and consumer industry leader at Deloitte South Asia. 

“Indian consumers are clearly more exposed today, thanks to international travel and more content consumption. Hence, for companies to respond quickly to these mega trends is the best way to ensure market share is sustained,” he added.

A report by researcher Mintel in 2023 said smaller pack sizes allow broader segments of the population to access and experiment with new products.

FMCG majors ride the trend

Bingo!'s Korean-flavoured potato chips, which launched with a large campaign last March, are now available starting at ₹20 (for 37 grams). ITC also sells Korean noodles under its YiPPee! brand, priced at ₹55 for a 75 gm packet.

“As the Korean wave surged in India, we swiftly leveraged this cultural moment by launching the first Korean-style potato chips and Korean-style noodles under Bingo! and YiPPee! respectively," said Hemant Malik, executive director, ITC Ltd.

Products like ITC's Bingo Hot & Spicy Korean Chips and Yellow Diamond Spicy Korean Chips are seeing traction in out-of-home consumption. Bingo's Korean chips reached 4% consumer penetration (reaching over 1.2 million individuals) in 12 months, while Yellow Diamond's reached 1.7%, per data from Worldpanel by Numerator (earlier Kantar).

Data from Worldpanel by Numerator, which tracked new fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) launches in India over the past 6-12 months, found that fusion flavours are a key to connect with consumers, especially in the snacking category.

PepsiCo's Lay’s brand recently rolled out the "Flavours of the World Korean Chilli" variant priced at ₹50 (78 grams). To be sure, Lay's potato chips are sold for as little as ₹5 per 12 g pack.

“The rising popularity of different flavours reflects the need of the Indian consumer to experiment and try new, evolving flavours,” said Saakshi Verma Menon, chief marketing officer, Foods, PepsiCo India.

In 2024, packaged food company Nestle launched Maggi Korean noodles in barbecue flavours that it said resonated well with consumers. The move, however, is more premium compared to its mass-market Maggi noodles that retail as low as ₹5 for a 32-gram pack in select markets.

“The rise of global cuisine has led to the amalgamation of flavours from different cultures. Maggi too has leveraged this trend of cultural fusion with Maggi Korean noodles… These innovations have not only enhanced consumer experience but have also helped drive market growth by attracting new customers,” the company spokesperson said.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd's soup and noodle brand Knorr partnered with popular Korean show Squid Game 2 for a one-of-a-kind campaign last year.

"Indian consumers today are more adventurous with food than ever before–whether it's trying global cuisines at restaurants or bringing those experiences home through packaged snacks," said a spokesperson at Guiltfree Industries Ltd, which sells snacks under the Too Yumm brand. Its ramen is priced at ₹50 for a single serve.

According to a recent report by Deloitte, Indians are increasingly drawn to global taste profiles, such as Korean, Mexican, Thai and Japanese, especially Gen Z and millennial consumers shopping online.

“Several emerging packaged food players offer kimchi-flavoured chips, cheesy peri-peri makhana and gochujang trail mixes. Palate diversity is no longer limited to taste, crunch, fizz, heat, creaminess and chewiness; now, they matter equally,” it said.

The Indian packaged convenience food industry is expected to reach ₹4.88 trillion by FY26, the report said.