More neighbourhood stores are stocking ready-made meals as demand rises from households coping with the LPG shortage triggered by the war in West Asia. Data from Bizom, a business intelligence platform, shows kirana growth in the first two weeks of March for ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook (RTC) products at 2.9%, compared with 3% for the full month of February and a decline of 0.3% in January 2026.
Last year, kirana growth for RTE and RTC stood at 2.6% in the first fortnight of March. While the year-on-year growth is marginal, Bizom says the gap may widen as March progresses and the fuel shortage becomes more acute, with the war entering its third week.
Shifting Cooking Habits
“There is a shift in cooking habits due to the gas shortage. Consumers are opting for instant meals and low-gas cooking options at one end. At the other end, consumption of commodities has also grown as restaurants reduce menu items,” Harshit Bora, analytics head, Bizom, said. This is visible in the value growth data for RTE and RTC meals in first two weeks of March, which stood at 10.6% versus 3.2% seem in the same period last year.
Bizom tracks retail sales across FMCG categories in 8 million outlets and reports only value growth, not volume growth. According to industry experts, the RTE and RTC retail universe within FMCG spans around 3–4 million outlets.
Branded commodities (such as rice, wheat and pulses) saw value growth of 16% in the first two weeks of March, compared with 21% in the same period last year. Bizom said food inflationary pressures last March were reflected in the higher value growth seen then. Demand-wise, the numbers are stronger this March for branded commodities and RTE. This is evident sequentially, with value growth for commodities at 4% in February, while ready meals saw value growth of 4.9% that month.
“Ready-meals are seeing an uptick as cooking routines are reoriented in line with the ongoing LPG shortage. Retailers stock up based on the demand trends and inquiries from consumers,” Chetan Sangoi, director at Sarvodaya Supermarket, based in Dadar, Mumbai, said. Sangoi says that instant noodles, snacks and beverages were seeing good traction from consumers.
E-Commerce and Hyperlocal Platforms
While Bizom does not track online sales, platforms such as Amazon and startups such as ZOFF Foods have also reported strong double-digit growth in the last fortnight compared with previous weeks in ready meals.
“Over the past few weeks, we have seen consistent growth in demand for convenient, ready-to-consume meal solutions that require minimal cooking time. Categories such as instant noodles, packaged meals, snacks and beverages are seeing over 15% growth on Amazon.in. On Amazon Now, demand for ready-to-eat and packaged food has increased around 20% month-on-month, with customers in select parts of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru increasingly relying on ultra-fast delivery for immediate needs,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
Akash Agrawalla, co-founder of ZOFF Foods, said the company has seen a “noticeable uptick in demand” for RTE and RTC products amid the gas shortage. “We believe this category will continue to see sustained momentum even beyond the current situation,” he added.