How Covid-19 presents opportunities for fruit and vegetable disinfectants in India?

45% of consumers in India now buy more fresh fruits and vegetables than before the coronavirus outbreak. Credit: Alexander Raths / Shuttertsock.

Covid-19 offers fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies the opportunity to develop hygiene products that address specific consumer concerns. One category that was rarely acknowledged pre-Covid-19 but now presents an opportunity is disinfectants for fruits and vegetables.

Consumers in India usually wash fruits and vegetables under running tap water prior to consumption but are now also doing it due to confusion whether or not Covid-19 transmits through produce. As such, niche food disinfectants targeting fruit and vegetables may appeal to consumers in India, especially when considering that 45% of consumers in India now buy more fresh fruits and vegetables than before the coronavirus outbreak.

Although online food delivery is available, many consumers are concerned about food preparation and food safety, resulting in a growing preference to cook at home. These concerns stem from it being common for agricultural produce to literally pass through multiple hands before being sold. Unsubstantiated rumours of some vendors intentionally infecting edible goods also add to consumer anxiety, even if proven false later.

This puts food disinfection at the forefront of many consumers in India. Common means for disinfecting fruits and vegetables include heat exposure for a few hours, warm water soak with salt / baking soda or adding potassium permanganate to water. However, compared to a specialised disinfection liquid, these options are more time-consuming and tedious.

Safety and convenience are likely to be valued in India during these times. Capitalising on the shifting consumer mindset on food safety, two Indian FMCG companies Marico and ITC have recently introduced vegetable and fruit cleaning liquids under the Veggie Clean and NimWash brands respectively. To emphasise on product safety, these preventive solutions retail with claims such as free from chlorine, colour, soap and bleach. The Indian prime minister’s appeal to the general public ‘to go vocal on local’ encourages Indian companies to introduce new concepts with preventative benefits both in the food and hygiene categories.

Disinfectants designed exclusively for fresh fruit and vegetables can appeal to 81% of consumers in India whose household and laundry product choices are always or often influenced by how the product impacts their health or wellbeing, significantly higher than the 66% global average. Couple this strong health-focus with Covid-19 and the current consumer concern about the potential infection risks posed by fresh fruit and vegetable, and it is likely that Veggie Clean and NimWash have identified a solution that will resonate with millions of consumers consuming fresh fruits and vegetables in India.

Latest reports from

• India Skincare – Market Assessment and Forecasts to 2024

Or to search over 50,000 other reports please visit

GlobalData Report Store

GlobalData is this website’s parent business intelligence company.