Farmley report: protein and transparency drive snacking, Blinkit leads quick-commerce
Farmley's third Healthy Snacking Report, based on 6,000+ consumers at IHSS 2026, finds 86% weigh protein in choices and 32% pay a premium for it. 61% prefer natural sweeteners like jaggery/dates and 62% prioritize ingredient transparency. Blinkit tops quick-commerce snack buys (31%) ahead of Zepto (16%) and Instamart (15%).
The brand move
Farmley released its third Healthy Snacking Report at IHSS 2026, surveying 6,000+ consumers. Findings show rising demand for protein, natural sweeteners, ingredient transparency, and women's-health snacks, with Blinkit leading quick-commerce snack purchases.
The numbers
- 6,000+ participants
- 86% protein influences choice
- 32% pay premium for protein
- 61% prefer jaggery/dates
- 62% ingredient transparency
- 31% Blinkit
- 16% Zepto
- 15% Instamart
Why it matters for the brand
Consider acquiring or partnering with protein-forward, natural-sweetener snack brands that already have strong Blinkit distribution to capture the premiumization trend at scale.
What to track next
- FSSAI or advertising-standards action on protein/health claims
- Zepto or Instamart aggressive discounting to close the QC gap
- Jaggery/date input price spikes affecting reformulation economics
- QC platforms launching private-label healthy snack lines
- Competitor 'high-protein' launches within next two quarters
- Audit portfolio for protein and natural-sweetener gaps; fast-track reformulation of top 3 SKUs
- Negotiate priority slotting and QC-native pack sizes with Blinkit before rivals lock inventory
- Build substantiated protein/transparency claims with third-party verification to preempt scrutiny
- Pilot QC-exclusive SKUs to test premium price elasticity on protein claims
The counter-case
This is a vendor-commissioned survey by Farmley, a healthy-snacking brand with direct commercial interest in validating protein and 'premium natural' narratives. The 86% protein-influence and 32% premium-willingness figures conflate stated intent with revealed behavior—survey respondents routinely overstate health priorities while actual purchase data skews toward taste, price, and convenience. The 6,000+ sample is drawn from IHSS 2026 attendees, a self-selected crowd already inclined toward healthy snacking, so it is not representative of the general Indian snack consumer. Blinkit's 31% QC lead simply mirrors its overall market share dominance and says nothing specific about snacking behavior.