'Immunity' has become the buzzword in the market. All marketing has also been geared towards COVID-19. What then is left for the consumers as companies start designing products and consumables to help your immunity?
Amul on Saturday launched its Haldi ice cream, the beloved Indian brand has got an Ayurvedic twist. Still, it's not the only brand that's caught on to the wave. Many dairy companies like Mother Dairy and now the Karnataka Milk Federation have given their milk products a COVID twist.
Haldi ice cream: From an alternate universe to reality
Haldi milk is something children around India have grown up being forced to have when sick. It's no secret that Haldi has healing qualities and is a great immunity-booster. However, it Haldi or turmeric milk doesn't have a great reputation among children and adults alike for being a fun thing to have every once in a while. It's always been purely medicinal.
Much like the organic movement and the move towards fitness, vitamin-enriched food turmeric is making a huge comeback with vengeance due to COVID-19. Amul over the weekend launched its Haldi ice cream in India and netizens couldn't help but panic.
But, Amul isn't the only one capitalising on the pandemic to push products. Mother Dairy had launched its variant of Haldi milk infused with Butterscotch which also opened to mixed reactions. The Karnataka Milk Federation under whom comes 'Nandini' which had previously launched its Haldi milk introduced five more flavours on Saturday. They have introduced— Tulasi milk, ashwagandha milk, pepper milk, clove milk and ginger milk.
Why immunity-boosting milk products?
There is no doubt these are immunity-boosters on their own and will help keep one healthy but one questions the potency of these different herbs and spices when kept in storage and are preserved. Another question is taste.
Essentially, nobody eats ice cream to boost immunity, so it would seem like a stretch. However, the dairy industry might be looking to recover losses they suffered during the pandemic. The Crisil report has suggested that the companies will see 2 to 3% of de-growth in 2020-21. Although, it can't be certain that these products would be enough of a line-up to combat losses.
People react to Haldi ice cream
Many people are not able to digest (no pun intended) the fact that products like Haldi ice cream have actually become a reality. Others have been reminded of their childhood and their mothers getting them to drink the concoction sharing their opinions on Twitter.
In the post-pandemic world, however, will these drinks and products continue to exist? Of course, it would depend on how well these take off.
