Food Technology: Breaking The Barriers
Food technology is the dark horse of the future. It's like a deserted island, totally untouched and un-explored by one & all. Till date the bakery and confectionery industry is defined by biscuits & hard boiled sugar candy, something that hasn't fundamentally changed since our independence - that's something to think about! Covid has brought this issue to the forefront with more mom's baking at home - muffins and cupcakes becoming a standard staple ,previously cakes were only restricted to birthday and formal gatherings - today it's a regular product which is not only penetrated tier 2 but reached the depths of tier 3 cities as well. It's become an inherent part of all life's milestones like exams over, farwells, admissions, report card days, dates, gifts, house warming; you name it; there is an occasion to give 100%.
There is no doubt that the food industry is going through a massive overhaul during these unprecedented times. But it's a lot more than the restaurant owners, it's more than nightclubs, finger foods & liquor licenses. The main issue is - no one is talking about it! There is a huge opportunity at stake for Indian manufacturers to jump into, given that most bakery and caking items are 90% imported even today. Honestly, this number is shocking and in 2013 it was 99% of products - there has been a huge surge of traders within this industry and a massive shortage of manufacturers.
There is also a massive gap that needs to be filled and it needs to be a collective effort with manufacturers, teaching academy's, the regulatory bodies etc. Sadly, the truth is till today, we don't have food technology as a course - many courses related to the F&B industry are clubbed as 'hotel management' courses which pay maximum attention to hot kitchens and service. There needs to be a fundamental shift in the outlook & approach - 99.9% of the time when an individual asks in general as to what do you do? - I find myself on a 10-15 minute monologue explaining the concept, the items we produce- when I relate to consumables they have had - that's where the penny drops!
Now that we have covered what's missing, let me shed some light on what the other side is like - once you cross over - its a huge learning curve but one that's fruitful with tremendous potential to not only grow but dominate - once you cross the initial hurdle of licenses, regulations, figure out your manufacturing process the machines you need and recipe development of course. It's a steep curve to walk , but since the way is being paved it's nothing short of the walk to Emerald city.
The best part is people are ready for change, they know there is a change that needs to come. First hand experiences are frustrating mostly at first, but pleasant overall - simply because there are people ready to listen, understand and find a way for it to work. There are frameworks in place and today we have our own HSN codes - so yes a lot of strides have been made, if the government and regulatory bodies are making the change and willing to listen - what is stopping the entrepreneur? We have 1/6th of the population of the world in our backyard, Covid is a silver lining making the change of home baking a standard staple, we can even export to the rest of the world!
Playing dorothy and paving my way to emerald city has been the best decision to date . I hope to lead by example and make way for many others to follow suit!
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