Ready-to-eat foods fill qcom baskets amid LPG curbs

Amidst a cooking gas supply crunch and a temporary exodus of migrant domestic help, quick commerce platforms are witnessing a significant surge in demand for ready-to-eat food items, signalling a notable shift in urban household eating patterns.

Amid disruptions in household eating patterns caused by cooking gas supply crunch and a temporary outflow of migrant domestic help, quick commerce (qcom) platforms are seeing an uptick in demand for ready-to-eat food items.

Industry executives say the trend does not point to panic buying, but is rather a gradual behavioural shift as urban households lean towards convenient, low-effort meal options.

Impact on Urban Households

In several cases, domestic workers, many of them migrants, have returned to their hometowns due to difficulties in securing liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.

Seshu Kumar Tirumala, chief merchandising officer, Bigbasket, said that ready-to-eat categories on the platform are growing around 10 per cent above normal levels.

"Over the past five days, our sales of induction cooktops have performed exceptionally well, achieving a level approximately 10 times higher than our business-as-usual (BAU) figures…

"The rest of the categories, including ready-to-eat products, are growing over 10 per cent of BAU growth," Tirumala added.

Shift Towards Efficient Cooking Solutions

Anupam Bokey, cofounder of Freshcon India, a direct-to-consumer platform which provides ready-to-eat items, said in the last seven days, the firm has seen nearly two times higher traction on its gas-saving items compared to regular products.

"We are seeing a clear shift across both consumers and food businesses towards more efficient cooking solutions.

"At Aahar, India's leading international food and hospitality fair, distributors, exporters and hotel, restaurant, and catering/café (HoReCa) partners showed strong interest in Freshcon's ready-to-use formats.

"They can reduce cooking time by up to 80 per cent and save up to 60 per cent gas.

"This has already started translating into a noticeable increase in enquiries for Freshcon from the food service segment," he added.

Quick Commerce Platforms Respond

An Amazon India spokesperson said the company is seeing a "noticeable uptick" in categories such as instant noodles, juices, nuts, and protein-based snacks.

"Over the past few weeks, we have seen a noticeable uptick in demand for quick and convenient meal solutions, as households increasingly seek alternatives that require minimal cooking time…

"Customers are also turning to ultra-fast delivery through Amazon Now, getting ready-to-eat essentials delivered within minutes across parts of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru," the spokesperson added.

Amazon has also curated a dedicated 'Ready to Eat Store' featuring a selection of quick meal solutions.

Qcom platform Zepto is also registering an increase in sales of ready-to-eat items, a source at the firm, said. However, they added that it is "not monumental."

Future Outlook

According to Satish Meena, founder of consumer insights firm Datum Intelligence, while the early indications do not signal an urgent trend, a noticeable difference in demand may be visible in the fourth week of West Asia war.

This is because restaurants are struggling to continue their operations and the labour dynamics in urban households are also changing with a section of domestic help likely to return to their hometowns.