Kamal Ghorui
The Middle East conflict continues to boil, sending ripples through global oil supplies. As concerns rise over liquified petroleum gas (LPG) shortages, Indian households are increasingly relying on ready-to-cook meals, frozen snacks, and no-cook foods. Retailers report a sharp rise in demand, with sales climbing up to 20% month-on-month as consumers seek alternatives to traditional cooking.“Categories such as ready meals, frozen snacks, instant noodles and ready-to-cook products have seen strong traction, leading to about a 10-12% rise in this segment. While the surge appears temporary, we are proactively stocking these categories to ensure adequate availability,” Karan Ahuja, spokesperson at premium grocery retailer Le Marche told ET.The shortage intensified last week due to the ongoing Gulf War, causing severe disruption in gas cylinder supplies for restaurants, factories, corporate and school cafeterias, and households alike.
“Our Thai curry ready-to-cook pastes are seeing the highest consumer sales for the first time since launch in two years. This may also lead to a long-term shift in consumer behaviour towards adapting ready-to-eat pastes even when things normalise,” said Deb Mukherjee, founder of Asian packaged ready-to-eat foods and condiments label Moi Soi.Brands are responding with heightened promotions. Mother Dairy revived advertising for its frozen vegetable range over the weekend, while Swiggy Instamart has begun promoting ‘induction-friendly’ cookware.“We are consistently seeing significant traction for our ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook range. Moreover, if the shortage and uncertainty continue over the coming weeks or more, we expect the ready-to-eat category to see higher sales offtake,” said a spokesperson for LT Foods, the maker of Daawat ready-to-cook biryani kits and rice mixes.Analysts note that the adoption of ready-to-cook and frozen foods, which had surged during Covid-19 lockdowns before stabilising to single-digit growth, may now become a long-term trend as households seek alternatives to gas cooking.“Products such as protein oats and millet muesli are witnessing strong traction, making them particularly popular among working professionals and health-conscious individuals,” said Ankit Jha, founder and chief marketing officer at health and nutrition brand Doctor’s Choice.Despite the ministry of petroleum and natural gas prioritising domestic LPG supplies from March 5, shortages persist, with some households reporting cylinder price hikes of up to 30%. The disruption has also driven demand for electric cooking alternatives.“We have observed a sharp and immediate uptick in demand for induction cooktops over the past few days with our average daily run rate having surged to nearly three times the usual levels,” said Shibashish Roy, managing director at Infiniti Retail, which operates the Croma electronics and appliances chain.
