The Silver Snacking Surge
Picture this: It’s 4 PM on a Wednesday, and a 48-year-old professional in Gurgaon is scrolling through Blinkit while wrapping up work calls. Added in the person’s shopping cart are items like millet puffs, roasted makhana, zero-sugar desserts, high-protein snacks, and low-carb munchies.
No, the ageing professional isn’t fasting or on a diet. He’s simply trying to order snacks that are high in protein to offset age-related muscle loss, low on the glycaemic load (GL) to manage insulin resistance, and easy to digest.
Today, millions of middle-aged Indians, especially above 45, are rethinking their snacking habits — not to lose weight, but to age well. Reason? Well, India’s 45+ population, which now exceeds 350 Mn, is either battling or extremely vulnerable to chronic health concerns such as diabetes, hypertension, poor sleep, joint pain, and deranged lipid and liver profiles.
For this segment, food is no longer just about taste but fuelling the body. Yet snacking remains hard to ignore — recall those quick chai-namkeen or mathri breaks after a high-stakes scrum call. While they may appear harmless, they surely add little to no nutritional value and can keep your sugar levels elevated due to high maida content.
For years, brands have attempted to solve healthy eating concerns with protein powders, capsules, gummies, and wellness tablets, but consumers are increasingly showing signs of supplement fatigue. They don’t want every health issue addressed through pills, syrups or powders. What they want are options that naturally fit into their lifestyle and help them manage long-term health risks.
Kannan Sitaram, cofounder and partner at Fireside Ventures calls it the rise of ‘healthification of food’. “We’ve already seen this play out in everyday staples — from low-glycemic index (GI) atta and diabetic-friendly rice to millet flours, healthier oils, and functional pantry products. Both D2C startups (Drums Food (Epigamia), Urban Platter, Anveshan and The Health Factory) and legacy players (ITC Limited, Tata Consumer Products and Amul) are already betting on this shift.”
But snacking remains a white space. The 4 PM hunger pangs are still being satiated by biscuits, namkeen, chips, and other high GL treats made by maida, sugar, and hydrogenated vegetable or palm oil, among other things.
Instead of asking consumers to change, brands are catering to their cravings but with snacks that are protein-rich, low on GL and sugar, and high in complex carbs.
From protein chips and millet crackers to sugar-free desserts and low-calorie ice creams, startups like Yoga Bar, Slurrp Farm, Eat Better Co, and NOTO have formed a beeline to cater to this segment of power users.
As per experts, consumers today don’t want a whole new lifestyle — they just want healthier versions of the snacks they already love. And that’s precisely what’s driving India’s silver snacking surge.
Why Is Silver Snacking The Next Big Thing?
In the US, elderly or silver snacking has emerged as a significant opportunity, with the market projected to reach $12.5 Bn by 2035. India remains nascent but promising.
According to the founding partner at 3one4 Capital, Pranav Pai, dedicated brands have been built for millennials and Gen Z, but are not yet built for this customer class to cater to challenges like diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome.
“The 45+ sub-segment is in the early stage but compounding fast. This can become a 10,000 Cr+ market within the next five years,” he added.
Today’s 45+ consumers differ sharply from previous generations. They are digitally active, health-conscious, and prioritise prevention over treatment. Their digital fluency gives them a clear edge. While quick commerce platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket help them discover new brands, they are also closely reading nutrition labels — not just for maida or sugar, but for micronutrients and macronutrient profiles.
“We have already seen this in protein and now more ingredients are coming in. People are looking for snacking, and they are willing to change what snack they have but apart from taste, they must get some value addition from that,” said Sitaram of Fireside Ventures.
Snacking Revolution On The Anvil
The next phase of India’s functional food market is likely to become far more targeted and founder-led innovation is already pointing in that direction.
Sitaram believes the category will increasingly follow the trajectory of supplements. Nutrients that first gain consumer trust often make their way into everyday food formats over time.
“Everybody is becoming cautious about their vitamin deficiencies, especially B12 and D3. Iron is a big issue for women, calcium for bone strength, magnesium for better sleep, and I’m also seeing collagen scale up rapidly. Consumer awareness around them is rising fast,” he said.
The shift could fundamentally reshape what functional snacking looks like. Instead of broad “healthy” positioning, brands may start building highly specific products for concerns like sleep, bone health, menopause, diabetes management, heart health, and muscle retention.
Pai believes Ayurveda will also become a much bigger part of this market but only if brands move beyond superficial marketing. Consumers continue to trust ingredients like ashwagandha, moringa, brahmi, and triphala.
“A brand that can combine genuine Ayurvedic provenance with clinical substantiation, rather than just label claims, will have a durable trust premium that compounds,” he said.
The real challenge now is execution. Brands need products that actually work, taste familiar, and remain affordable enough for mass adoption. Distribution will be equally critical as companies balance quick commerce, modern retail, and D2C channels.
India’s next breakout consumer brand may not come from another supplement company. It may come from the brand that figures out how to embed better nutrition into everyday cravings.
SPOTLIGHT | How Cherry Is Turning Everyday Shoppers Into Brand Promoters
- Cherry App enables users with small but active social media followings to discover and shop from a curated set of D2C brands. After posting content, tagging the brand and submitting proof, users receive cashback ranging from 30% to 90%.
- The platform monetises by tapping into brand marketing budgets, allowing partner brands to drive both sales and user-generated content.
- Cherry claims to have over 30,000 users on its platform, with an average cashback of 59%. Its partner brands include Hyphen, Newme, Cava, and The Pant Project.
Ecommerce Buzz
Flipkart Mulls Separate App For Minutes: The ecommerce giant is planning to launch a standalone app for its quick commerce arm, Flipkart Minutes, with initial pilots to be unveiled by July and a full roll-out expected by the end of the year.
Zomato’s Price Policy: The foodtech major has removed a pricing parity clause from its restaurant partner contracts that required matching dine-in and online prices. As per the clause, Zomato could fine three times the differential amount for each order if the restaurant partners violated it.
Amazon’s Q-Comm Play: The ecommerce behemoth will invest ₹2,800 Cr to scale Amazon Now, expand logistics, and boost AI capabilities, as it ramps up competition with Blinkit, Zepto, and Flipkart. It operates 300 micro-fulfilment centres in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
Ajinkya Rahane Backs Chupps: The D2C footwear brand has onboarded the Indian cricketer as an investor and strategic advisor as part of its ongoing pre-Series B round. The round will help the startup strengthen product innovation, expand its offline footprint, and build stronger brand visibility.
The Deep Dive
The Operator Question
The global elderly snacking market is projected to surpass the $12 Bn mark by 2035. With the opportunity still evolving in India, how can D2C brands build trust, drive repeat customers, and create defensibility among consumers?
Speaking to Inc42, Prasoon Gupta, founder of D2C snacking brand Sattviko, shared insights on customer acquisition, particularly for consumers aged 40 and above. Sattviko is a D2C healthy snacking brand offering nutritious snacks and ready-to-eat meals like makhana, millet puffs, trail mixes, instant upma, oatmeal, and more.
Speaking about older consumers, Gupta said that the age group has three defining traits — higher disposable income, rising health concerns, and a growing need to sustain energy for both work and family.
To build trust among customers aged 40 and above, he shared a few strategies for D2C brands in the snacking segment:
- Lead With Education: Create content around real mid-life challenges like metabolism slowdown, stress, hormonal changes, and lifestyle diseases, and position snacking as part of a broader solution.
- Community-Led Approach: This target group relies heavily on peer validation and referrals, so organic networks and user communities drive adoption more than ads.
- Transparency: Customers in their 40s read labels, question claims, and expect precise functional benefits. The brands should be clinically transparent to build trust among consumers.
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