he processed food market in India - particularly the ready-to-eat category and the cooking aids segment - has been largely untapped. Catering to the Indian palate may seem an attractive business proposition but is not the easiest of tasks. From MTR, Tasty Bites and Satnam Overseas to ITC and even Dabur, everyone is working towards expanding the pie.

Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL) joined the gang last year when it launched cooking pastes under the Kissan brand. The company has recently beefed up its foods portfolio by introducing Knorr Annapurna Aromax. While its much vaunted cooking paste range didn�t really set Indian kitchens on fire (pun intended), with Aromax, HLL hopes it has finally got the recipe right. ... more