Mumbai, Sept. 2 -- Korean culture has conquered Indian screens and is now invading snack shelves. From banana chips with a spicy Korean twist to barbecue-flavoured noodles, large, fast-moving consumer goods companies are riding the "Korean wave" to make fusion flavours mainstream.

Once premium and niche, these products are now sold at local kirana stores-Korean chips start at Rs.20 for a 37g pack and noodles at Rs.55 for 75g-targeting internet-savvy young consumers eager to try new tastes.

The K-wave is clearly a mega trend that encompasses food, beauty, content, and music, and it is one that companies cannot afford to ignore; other mega trends are health and convenience, said Anand Ramanathan, partner and consumer industry leader at De...