Why Do Global Brands Give India Different Products? Are Indian Consumers Being Shortchanged?

Walk into a supermarket in India and you may recognise the logos of Fanta, Maggi and KitKat instantly. But open the packaging and compare the ingredients with products sold abroad, and an uncomfortable question emerges: why doesn't the same global brand always taste or look the same in every country?

The answer is complicated. Multinational companies adapt products to local regulations, ingredient availability, consumer preferences and market economics. Maggi, for example, is specifically developed for Indian consumers, with its familiar Indian spice profile and iron fortification. KitKat also has different products and variants across markets, while Fanta formulations can differ in sugar, sweeteners, colours and other ingredients. These differences are not, by themselves, proof that Indian consumers are receiving inferior products.

But consumers have every right to ask: if formulations differ, are companies being equally transparent about what Indians are consuming? The concern becomes more serious when products contain substantial amounts of sugar, salt or saturated fat. India has been debating stronger front-of-pack warnings for such products, highlighting the growing concern over how clearly nutritional risks are communicated.

However, blaming multinational companies alone would be too easy. Indian regulators also have a responsibility to establish strong standards and ensure consumers can easily compare products. Companies are legally allowed to formulate products according to the rules of each market—but consumers deserve to know exactly how those formulations differ.

So, is India getting “inferior” products? Not necessarily. But the bigger question is more uncomfortable: should a global company be allowed to sell substantially different formulations in different countries without making those differences obvious to consumers?

India doesn't necessarily need identical products. It needs identical standards of transparency.