Saumya Joshi, 40, is diabetic and has been off chocolates for almost five years. But soon he will count himself as a chocolate consumer once again.

The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns the Amul brand, is all set to introduce sugar-free chocolates across the country, targeted at diabetics. This comes soon after the company had launched sugar-free ice-cream.

India has become the diabetes capital of the world with almost 35 million people suffering from the disorder. And their population will continue to grow at a fast pace, say experts, because of Indian dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle. As a result, diabetics are slowly emerging as a distinct market segment for the country's FMCG companies.

"Diabetics have their own distinct food consumption habits. It is a market that has been newly discovered," says a senior executive of an FMCG company that has launched a mass-consumption product especially for people suffering from diabetes.

"Despite being diabetic, many people love chocolates. We decided to introduce sugar-free chocolates, in line with our sugar-free ice-cream. The product will be available in the domestic market soon," says GCMMF managing director, B M Vyas.

The company has already test-marketed the product with a promising response. A couple of months back, GCMMF stocked gift packs containing sugar-free chocolate, priced at Rs 40, in select large retail stores in a few cities. Encouraged by the feedback, it has now decided to market the chocolates nation-wide.

Amul's move could prompt Nestle [Get Quote] Nutrition, a Nestle company, to bring its products to India. Nestle's Nutren Balance cereal bars control blood glucose by slowing glucose absorption, an offering that could appeal as a healthy snack option to diabetics.

Canadian company Innovative Life Sciences has also developed 'heart chocolate', a product that it claims lowers cholesterol levels and is particularly beneficial for people with Type-2 diabetes, as it contains no sugar.

There is enough evidence to suggest that Indian consumers are turning health conscious and are looking at healthier options. FMCG companies have seen the low-calorie variants of their products doing well in the market place.

For instance, Coca-Cola's Diet Coke and Pepsi's Diet Pepsi have notched up brisk sales ever since their launch. Nestle too has launched a zero-calorie variant of its mouth-freshener, Polo.

Meanwhile, several pharmaceutical companies are developing products specifically for diabetics. CD Pharma, a wholly-owned subsidiary of European probiotic maker VSL Pharmaceuticals, has also developed a technology for probiotic pasta for wheat or gluten intolerant people, which it is keen to market to food majors across the globe.

K S Chadha, country manager, CD Pharma said, "We are finalising talks with major FMCG companies to market the product we have to offer." 

Mumbai-based Alkem Health Foods has announced big plans for launching health food options and low-calorie sweeteners under the Majesta brand. 

Companies are also looking at providing options for lactose intolerant people. Yakult-Danone India's probiotic drink Yakult, which would be launched in India by December, is gluten free and can be consumed by lactose intolerant people.