Quaker moves beyond breakfast with Rs 10 protein snacks

GURUGRAM: Breakfast was never going to be enough. Quaker, the world’s number one oats brand, according to Euromonitor International, is heading for the snack aisle, and it is doing so for just Rs 10.

On 22 October 2026, PepsiCo India announced the launch of Quaker Protein Ladooz and Quaker Protein Chikki Bites, taking the brand beyond breakfast and into everyday Indian snacking. The pair come in two much-loved formats: Rose Dry Fruit Ladooz and Ragi Choco Chikki Bites. Each brings together real oats, 12 per cent protein and high fibre. They are made with no artificial flavours and no palm oil, and the range will be available through general trade across India at Rs 10 per pack. The question behind the launch is simple: what if making more nutritious choices did not mean changing the way India snacks?

The launch is part of PepsiCo India’s push to expand its better-for-you snacking portfolio. Here is the analysis. The company has not tried to teach India a new way to eat. It has taken the ladoo and the chikki, two snacks that need no introduction, and added protein and fibre to them. At Rs 10, the price is set where an impulse purchase happens, and the general trade route puts the product where everyday snackers already shop. Familiarity, convenience and affordability are exactly the three barriers the company’s own research identifies.

That research is worth a close look. PepsiCo India, in collaboration with Euromonitor International and the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), undertook a study titled The State of Protein & Fibre in Urban India, which examines how consumers perceive and incorporate these nutrients into their daily diets. It surveyed 1,250 consumers across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Kochi. The findings reveal a significant gap between nutritional needs and everyday consumption:

70 per cent of respondents consume less than 41g of protein daily, below recommended intake levels
61 per cent fall short of their recommended daily fibre intake
60 per cent cite high cost as a barrier to consuming enough protein
89 per cent of Gen Z, Millennial and Gen X respondents want protein to be available in more familiar, everyday food formats

The numbers tell a clear story. Consumers are increasingly conscious about nutrition, but gaps remain between intent and actual intake. Nobody needs convincing that protein matters. They need it to be cheap, handy and tasty. That is the opening Quaker has chosen to fill, and it explains why the brand is bringing protein and fibre into formats consumers already know and enjoy, rather than asking them to change their habits. The company says this brings its ambition to democratise nutrition to life.

Saakshi Verma Menon, chief marketing officer, foods, PepsiCo India, framed the launch as part of a wider evolution. “At PepsiCo India, we are evolving our Foods portfolio to meet the changing needs of consumers and offer greater choice across snacking occasions,” she said. “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 democratise 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, pointed to the brand’s heritage as the launchpad. “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,” he said. “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.”

The campaign speaks the language of the target audience. A playful new TVC 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. The film plays on swipe-left behaviour with a humorous twist and lands a simple thought: when hunger strikes, consumers should not have to choose between taste and nutrition.

The creative choice is smart. Swiping left on a snack is a joke that a student audience gets in a second, and it sells the product’s promise without a lecture. It also fits the brand’s long record in India. Quaker Oats was launched in the country in 2006, and the brand itself is more than 145 years old and is a world leader in the oatmeal segment. The company describes Quaker Oats as a 100 per cent wholegrain and natural source of protein and dietary fibre, with a unique soluble fibre called beta glucan, which it says is scientifically proven to help reduce cholesterol, a risk factor for heart diseases. In India, Quaker Oats is also available in variants such as Quaker Plain Oats and Quaker Oats Multigrain.

For PepsiCo India, the new range is a fresh chapter for Quaker and a bet that nutrition can win on the shelf when it comes at a familiar taste and a pocket-friendly price. If the Rs 10 pack catches on, the oats brand that India knows from the breakfast table may soon be a regular in the school bag.