Consumer awareness and buying habits for fortified wheat flour in India
What it found
In a survey of 180 shoppers in one Indian city, wealthier households knew more about fortified wheat flour and bought it more often.
Lower-income shoppers were more likely to think it tasted different and cost more.
What they found
Studies in people
Knowledge varied by income
Among the wealthiest group, 91.70% knew about added nutrients. Only 46.70% of the lower middle class knew this. Just 26.70% of that group recognized the official fortification logo on the packet.
Taste and price worries
Over half (56.70%) of the lower middle class felt fortified flour tasted different, compared with 31.70% of the wealthiest group. Most shoppers across all groups thought fortified flour was more expensive.
Who it is meant for
About 56.10% of all shoppers thought fortified flour was suitable for pregnant women, and 45.00% thought it was fine for infants. Fewer people linked it to athletes or older adults.
Buying and label reading
Only 40.00% of shoppers said they read labels before buying. Checking details like the expiry date or fortification mark was most common in the wealthiest group at 51.70%.
How often it was eaten
Daily use was reported by 25.00% of the wealthiest group but only 8.30% of the lower middle class. Among the lower middle class, 26.70% said they never ate fortified flour.
What the authors conclude
- They say that although fortified wheat flour is sold in shops, many shoppers still lack basic knowledge about it.
- The authors call for better public education so people in all income groups understand what the fortification logo means.
- They advise health programs and food companies to work together to clear up common misunderstandings about taste and price.
How it was done
Many people in developing countries do not get enough vitamins and minerals from their food. Adding nutrients to everyday staples like wheat flour is meant to help, but it only works if shoppers know about it and choose to buy it.
Researchers interviewed 180 people responsible for buying household food in Ludhiana, India. They split the shoppers into three income groups of 60 people each. They asked questions about what the shoppers knew, thought, and did when buying fortified wheat flour.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a survey asking people about their habits, so it can only show links between income and choices, not causes.
- Everyone surveyed lived in one Indian city, so the results may not match what shoppers elsewhere know or do.
- What people told an interviewer might not perfectly match what they actually buy at the shop.
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 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error