Brands
Godrej Food Trends Report forecasts 2024’s hottest food trends
Mumbai: Godrej Vikhroli Cucina- a curated, brand-agnostic, owned media platform- hosted a star-studded launch for the highly anticipated Godrej Food Trends Report 2024 at the glamorous Godrej L’Affaire 2024. The report, under the theme ‘Provenance’, explores the rich tapestry of India’s food culture, delving into the diverse origins of ingredients and India’s culinary practices. Godrej Industries Ltd executive director & chief brand officer Tany Dubash, unveiled the seventh edition of the report, sparking curiosity among food enthusiasts like Malaika Arora who were present to discover the fascinating trends shaping the future of food.
The Godrej Food Trends Report 2024 convened over 190 thought leaders from diverse culinary backgrounds, including celebrity chefs, bloggers, and nutritionists who shared their insights on the comprehensive trends cited in the report.
In an ever-evolving culinary landscape, the theme of Provenance signifies the exploration and amplification of the depth and diversity of Indian cuisine, it not only connects us to the origins of our food but also highlights the need for sustainable practices that preserve our culinary heritage. The report also throws light on conscientious eaters who seek transparency and authenticity and gravitate towards products that champion the values embedded in their journey from farm to plate.
Commenting on the 2024 edition of the report, Dubash said, “The Godrej Food Trends Report 2024 marks another milestone in our quest to spark conversations and identify trends in the food industry. Consumers are getting savvier about their diets, focusing on mindful nutrition. With a focus on Provenance, this edition celebrates India’s rich culinary heritage and invites readers to explore the myriad flavours and cultures that define our nation. I am confident that readers will be captivated by the depth and diversity of insights offered within this edition, further solidifying India’s position as a global leader in the realm of food and gastronomy.”
Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, Managing Director of Perfect Bite Consulting and Curating Editor of the Godrej Food Trends Report, sets the stage for the 2024 edition: “As we launch the 2024 edition, we continue to witness India’s emergence as a global culinary powerhouse, rooted in the theme of Provenance. In India, provenance is guiding our most relevant conversations around food. This interest in provenance is also translating into real growth for the F&B industry. The traditional plate, once dictated primarily by seasonality and local bounty, is now being driven by a quest for flavour. I am optimistic that the Indian food industry will prove to be a benchmark for empowerment and innovation in the years to come. Just as each dish in a multi-course meal tells a story, each section of the Godrej Food Trends Report 2024 invites readers to savour the insights and flavours of our diverse food culture.”
Some key insights from the Godrej Foods Trends Report 2024 are:
. Authentic cuisine will drive travel experiences: Experts forecast that 92.3% travellers will join Culinary site tours to enrich their travels through authentic culinary encounters
. Bespoke cocktails will raise the bar: Experts reveal that the bar scene in 2024 will be illuminated by dedicated menus around Indian-origin spirits by 82.7%
. Chocolate will become a sophisticated affair: Indian chocolatiers are increasingly showcasing the unique nuances of Provenance by artfully combining local grown, high-quality, cacao beans as experts report a 94.2% in artisanal chocolates.
. K-food will become mainstream: Korean culture has been garnering a cult following, with its bold flavours and diverse dishes. Korean restaurants will see significant traction, with concepts like teppanyaki, robata, and ramen becoming increasingly prevalent.
. Ghee will rise again: From health-conscious millennials to flavour-driven foodies, ghee’s natural goodness, will have a renewed appeal by 84.6% as we take inspiration from our culinary roots.
. Women in food will be in spotlight: 2024 will illuminate the pivotal role women have played in the culinary landscape of India. From regional custodians to food entrepreneurs, chefs, bartenders and brewers, women will finally get due recognition for their contribution to shaping Indian gastronomy.
“India’s soft power is our cuisine and its sheer diversity, and the power of our history, plurality, and continuity. So, I am happy to see it finally valued for being authentic and unapologetically true to itself. For the longest time, we have been carpet-bombed with a generalized idea of Indian food defined by political boundaries. But whatever prism you use to break it down by, the context for regional cuisines will always be the geography, agriculture, climate, and culture of a place.” shares Celebrity chef Ajay Chopra.
Brands
Samsung certifies 1,000 Maharashtra students in AI and coding
The South Korean electronics giant marks its first large-scale skilling push in the state, with women making up nearly half the national programme’s enrolment
PUNE: Samsung has put 1,000 students in Maharashtra through a certified training programme in artificial intelligence and coding, the largest such drive the South Korean electronics company has run in the state and a signal that corporate India’s skilling ambitions are moving well beyond the boardroom brochure.
The certifications were awarded under Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC), the company’s flagship corporate social responsibility programme, which launched in India in 2022 with the stated aim of democratising access to future-technology education. The 1,000 graduates were drawn from four institutions: 127 from Savitribai Phule Pune University, 373 from Pimpri Chinchwad University, 250 from D.Y. Patil University’s Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology and 250 from Anjuman-I-Islam’s Kalsekar Technical Campus. All completed training in either AI or coding and programming, the two disciplines Samsung has identified as the critical pillars of the digital economy.
The programme does not stop at technical training. Soft-skills development and career-readiness modules are baked into the curriculum, a deliberate attempt to close the gap between what universities teach and what employers actually want.
“India’s digital growth story will ultimately be shaped by the quality of its talent pipeline,” said Shubham Mukherjee, head of CSR and corporate communications at Samsung Southwest Asia. “As technologies like AI move from the periphery to the core of industries, skilling must evolve from basic training to building real-world capability. This milestone in Maharashtra reflects how industry and academia can come together to create a future-ready workforce that is both globally competitive and locally relevant.”
The Maharashtra drive sits within a rapidly scaling national effort. Samsung Innovation Campus trained 20,000 young people across India in 2025, hitting its stated target for the year. Women account for 48 per cent of national enrolments, a figure the company cites as evidence of its push for an inclusive technology ecosystem. The programme is implemented in partnership with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India and the Telecom Sector Skill Council.
Samsung, which is marking 30 years in India this year, runs SIC alongside two other initiatives, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung DOST, as part of a broader effort to build what it calls a generation of innovators with both the technical depth and the problem-solving mindset to thrive in a fast-moving digital world.
A thousand certified students is a tidy headline. Whether they find jobs that match their new skills is the harder question, and the one that will ultimately determine whether corporate skilling programmes like this one are genuine pipelines or well-photographed gestures.
