Consumer awareness of fortified wheat flour in India
What it found
In a survey of 180 households in Ludhiana, India, awareness of fortified wheat flour was highest among the upper class and lowest among the lower middle class.
Many people thought fortified flour was more expensive and some noticed a taste difference.
What they found
Studies in people
Awareness by class
Awareness of food fortification was highest in the upper class at 86.70%, then 65.00% in the upper middle class and 41.70% in the lower middle class. Overall awareness was 64.40%.
Logo recognition
Only 46.10% overall knew the food fortification logo. The upper class had 65.00% awareness, the upper middle class 46.70%, and the lower middle class 26.70%.
Taste and cost views
About 42.20% thought fortified flour tasted different from unfortified flour, with the lower middle class most likely to notice a difference. Most people (76.10%) thought fortified flour was more expensive.
Who it is for
Many people thought fortified flour was meant only for athletes (22.80%), older people (19.40%), or sick people (22.20%). More people in the lower middle class held these views.
Groups seen as suitable
About 56.10% thought fortified flour was suitable for pregnant women, 52.20% for breastfeeding mothers, and 45.00% for infants. The upper class was more likely to see it as suitable for these groups.
Buying and checking
About 40.00% read labels before buying, and 42.80% checked details like brand, FSSAI mark, fortification logo, and expiry date. These habits were more common in the upper class.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that although fortified wheat flour is available in the market, gaps exist in consumer awareness.
- They advise that consumer education efforts should be strengthened to improve recognition of fortified products, clarify their health relevance, and dispel common misconceptions.
- They say public health programs, regulatory bodies, and industry stakeholders must work together to spread information more widely, especially among lower- and middle-income groups.
How it was done
Fortified wheat flour is promoted to tackle hidden hunger from lack of vitamins and minerals, especially in India. The authors wanted to see how well consumers know these products and what affects their buying choices.
They surveyed 180 people who buy household rations in Ludhiana city, India, split equally into upper, upper middle, and lower middle class groups. They asked about awareness, preferences, and buying habits using a structured interview.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a survey, so it can show links between socio-economic class and awareness or buying habits, but it cannot prove cause and effect.
- The study only covered one city in India, so the results may not apply to other places.
- The survey relied on what people said, not on what they actually did.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: Ethical approval for the present study was formally waived by the institutional authority, namely the Dean, Postgraduate Studies, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The study was based solely on voluntary responses collected for informational purposes regarding awareness of fortified foods, with no intervention, experimentation, or collection of sensitive personal data. As the study involved minimal risk to participants, it qualified for exemption from full ethical review in accordance with institutional research ethics guidelines.
- Authors work at
- Punjab Agricultural University, India
The paper
- Title
- Consumer awareness, perceptions and purchasing behaviour regarding fortified wheat flour available in the market
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Dhananjay, Choudhary M, Kaur P (2026). Consumer awareness, perceptions and purchasing behaviour regarding fortified wheat flour available in the market. Scientific reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-026-53635-9Free full textPubMed 42162155DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error