The ready to mix food market in India is brimming with growth opportunities. With changing lifestyles and hectic schedules, ready-to-mix food products are gaining immense popularity among urban consumers. The market is expected to witness exponential growth in the coming years due to various factors.
Increased consumption of convenience food
Indians are gradually moving away from traditional homemade cooking and embracing convenience foods due to their busy schedules. Ready to mix food products like bread mixes, pasta mixes, pizza bases, idli-dosa batters etc. save a lot of time and effort for consumers. According to recent surveys, nearly 70% of urban households now rely on convenience foods at least 2-3 times a week. The millennial population especially prefers ready mixes over-elaborate homemade recipes. Brands are launching a variety of spice and sauce mixes, paneer and vegetable mixes to cater to the rising demand.
Coherent Market Insights takes a look at the India Ready to Mix Food Market.
Rapid urbanization
India is witnessing massive urbanization with over 30% of the population now living in cities. Urban dwellers have less time for cooking and prefer food products that can be prepared quickly. Moreover, availability of modern retail outlets like supermarkets and hypermarkets have made a wide range of ready mixes easily accessible even in small cities and towns. The tier-II and tier-III cities are expected to drive the future growth of the ready mix food industry in India.
Growing influence of western culture
Western cuisines like pasta, pizza and bakery items are gaining immense popularity among young Indian consumers. Ready mix variants of these foods allow people to enjoy such cuisines easily at home without much effort. brands offer excellent quality ready mix options for baking cakes, cookies etc. The influence of American fast food chains and food delivery platforms have made youngsters more inclined towards convenience foods and mixes.
Health and wellness trend
More people are becoming health conscious and switching to healthy ready mixes with no added preservatives or maida. Offerings like multigrain bread mixes, oats idli batters, wheat pasta etc. are addressing the demand for healthy eating. Furthermore, products targeted at specific health benefits like weight management or immunity boost are gaining traction. The wellness trend has opened new opportunities for brands to launch innovative mixes aligned with fitness goals.
Rising disposable incomes
With rapid economic growth and job opportunities, average disposable incomes in India have grown substantially. Urban house-holds can now afford to spend more on convenient premium food products. The aspirational middle class sees ready mixes as a symbol of modern living. Willingness to pay a slight premium for reputed brands and new premium offerings has boosted demands.
Growth opportunities for market players: new product development
To leverage the fast growing ready mix foods market in India, brands are focusing on introducing new products regularly:
– Regional mixes: Developing mixes for South Indian foods like dosa, idli in addition to traditional North Indian mixes.
– Premiumization: Launching super-premium artisanal mixes with no preservatives targeting health-conscious premium segment.
– Natural/organic mixes: Formulating mixes using natural/organic ingredients to meet rising demands.
– Customization: Offering customization options on e-commerce platforms where people can select ingredients as per preference.
– Small packs: Manufacturing single-serve sachets and mini packs to reach out to everyone including nuclear families.
– Meal mixes: Offering complete meal mixes like biryani, pulao mixes for urban nuclear families.
Market Outlook
The India ready mix food market is slated for robust expansion in the future supported by the underlying socio-economic trends discussed above. For more insights into the India ready mix food industry outlook, refer to the research report published on Coherent Market Insights. The global ready mix food market is projected to grow at aexponential rate during 2022-2030 and Asia Pacific region is expected to dominate the market in the coming years. Key growth drivers include urbanization, rising disposable incomes, changing lifestyles and increasing influence of Western cultures around the globe.