Some Pasta, Packaging, and some food for thought on brand trends

Pasta set to grow as the next category of noodles
Economic Times
Be it a wedding, birthday party or a treat in India these days, pasta is a must-a . Yes, in the carb-dominated desi diet divided between wheat and rice, pasta now ranks alongside noodles as the alternative to chapati and chawal. Little wonder then that after the instant noodles segment has reached saturation point, packaged food companies like Nestle, FieldFresh Foods, Capital Foods and the Future Group are eyeing the locally-made pasta category as home consumption of 'Italian' cuisine rises. "Italian is the new Chinese," declares Yogesh Bellani, business head of FieldFresh Foods, a partnership between Bharti Enterprise and the Philippines-based Del Monte Pacific . "If the cuisine has gone from homes to quick service restaurants, it means the segment has gone mass."
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/cons-products/food/pasta-set-to-grow-as-the-next-category-of-noodles/articleshow/7182004.cms

Packaging industry growth gets retail push
India Today
Riding high on the booming retail and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, the Indian packaging industry is expected to grow above 18 percent in the next fiscal. "At present the Indian packaging industry is estimated at Rs 65,000 crore and is growing at 10 percent," Sanjay Bhatia, Managing Director, Hindustan Tin Works Ltd, a leading can manufacturer, said. "As the industry is very closely linked to the growth of pharma and food industries, which are doing very well, we expect it to grow above 18 percent next year," Bhatia said
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/124785/Business/packaging-industry.html

Should My Brand Follow the Trend?
ProphetCompanies, and especially those in the FMCG world, have a profound interest in understanding where their consumers are heading. Cool hunters, trend watchers, urban influencers: all of these subjects have become a known and relevant part of the corporate world, with the objective of better understanding how consumers' lives are evolving and how this can translate into innovative products and services. Typically, a company will put some effort into identifying these consumer trends and use this knowledge as one of the inputs into the innovation process.
http://www.prophet.com/downloads/articles/gelman-brand-trend.pdf