Pepsico India expands snacking portfolio with Quaker Ladooz and Chikki bites

PepsiCo India is expanding its Better for You snacking portfolio with the launch of Quaker Protein Ladooz and Quaker Protein Chikki Bites, taking Quaker beyond breakfast and into everyday Indian snacking. 

A press release said it brings together real oats, 12% protein and high fiber in two formats, Rose Dry Fruit Ladooz and Ragi Choco Chikki Bites at just ₹10. Made with no artificial flavours and no palm oil, the products combine familiar tastes with a more accessible nutritional proposition.

The launch, it says, reflects PepsiCo India’s focus on translating evolving consumer needs into relevant innovation. To better understand the barriers to protein and fiber intake, PepsiCo India, in collaboration with Euromonitor International and the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), undertook The State of Protein & Fibre in Urban India, a study exploring how consumers perceive and incorporate these nutrients into their daily diets.

The findings reveal a significant gap between nutritional needs and everyday consumption. While 70% of respondents consume less than 41g of protein daily, below recommended intake levels, 61% fall short of their recommended daily fiber intake. Affordability remains a key challenge, with 60% citing high cost as a barrier to consuming enough protein.

Yet, the appetite for better nutrition is evident. Across generations, 89% of Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X respondents express a desire for protein to be available in more familiar, everyday food formats. Together, these findings highlight a clear opportunity to bridge nutritional gaps by making protein and fibre more accessible, affordable and relevant to existing eating habits.

This is where Quaker sees an opportunity to make a difference. Rather than asking consumers to change their snacking habits, the brand is bringing protein and fibre into formats they already know and enjoy. By combining the goodness of oats with much loved Indian favourites at an accessible price point, Quaker Protein Ladooz and Chikki Bites bring PepsiCo India’s ambition to democratise nutrition to life, making better for you choices easier to embrace in everyday life.

Commenting on the launch, Saakshi Verma Menon, chief marketing officer – Foods, PepsiCo India, said, “At PepsiCo India, we are evolving our Foods portfolio to meet the changing needs of consumers and offer greater choice across snacking occasions. Better-for-You innovation is a key part of this journey. Our consumer insights, reinforced by our research on protein and fibre intake trends, point to an opportunity to make these ingredients more accessible and easier to incorporate into everyday diets. With Quaker Protein Ladooz and Chikki Bites, we are bringing together the nutritional benefits of oats with much-loved Indian snacking formats, making nutrition more relevant in snacking rituals. This advances our ambition to democratize protein and fibre by bringing together familiarity, convenience and affordability. As we continue to strengthen our portfolio, our focus remains on creating innovations that respond to evolving consumer needs and make better choices accessible to more Indians.”

Sriram Iyer, marketing director – Quaker, PepsiCo India, said, “Quaker has long been synonymous with the goodness of oats in India, and with this launch it is bringing its trusted nutrition credentials to the snacking category. Ladoo and chikki are formats Indians already enjoy and understand, making them a natural canvas for us to bring together oats, protein and fibre in a familiar and enjoyable way. Our new campaign brings this proposition alive through a daily dilemma – why should choosing nutrition mean compromising on taste? With Protein Ladooz and Chikki Bites, we are excited to expand the role Quaker can play in consumers’ lives and begin a new chapter for the brand in India.”

Supporting the launch, Quaker has unveiled a playful new TVC that gives the taste-versus-nutrition dilemma a contemporary spin. Set on a college campus, the film opens with two friends taking a break between classes, as the girl intently swipes left on her phone. What appears to be a string of rejected dating matches is soon revealed to be something else entirely – she is scrolling through snack options, dismissing choices that make her pick between taste and nutrition. Her friend steps in with a simple solution, pulling out Quaker Protein Ladooz and Chikki Bites from his bag and offering her a choice that brings both together. Playing on the swipe-left behaviour with a humorous twist, the film lands a simple thought: when hunger strikes, consumers shouldn’t have to choose between taste and nutrition.