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Cereals and pulses key to make RTE food products
Monday, 06 October, 2025, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
P Mythili
As per current trends, working people worldwide are partly dependent on ready-to-eat foods, also called convenience foods. The ‘no time’ culture is the main reason for the dependency on RTE foods usually observed among the working people population. According to Banerjee (2020) and Merve and Barry (2020), parents work from morning till evening. Similarly, their children are also rushing schools to private tuition throughout the day. Hence, the overall daily situations directly or indirectly pressuring the upper class or middle-class urban population to cope with ready food consumption and gross management to lifestyles. Further, consumers are also looking for nutrition from outside cooked foods rather than home-based foods despite knowing that fruits and vegetables are the best sources of all vitamins and minerals. Here is another reason Western countries, including India, have been growing with dietary supplements due to busy lifestyles. 

However, as per a review study, nutritional supplements are not always harmful if utilised for the proper purpose considering public health safety. India is a country of diversity. Here food is not just considered as a form of nutrition but is also collaborated with customs and traditions. 

India is second-largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the biggest with the food and agricultural sector. The total food production in India is likely to double in the next 10 years and there is an opportunity for large investments in food and food processing technologies. 

Accompanied with the changes in food intake, lifestyles of the people are also changing and undergoing transitions at a faster pace all over the world. Over the past two decades, there has been a sharp reduction in physical activity in all sections of the Indian population because of increase in mechanisation in occupational, domestic and transportation spheres, both in rural and urban areas. Physical inactivity has been regarded as an important risk factor for various non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Sedentary lifestyles have been majorly attributed to cause cancers of around 21-25% of the breast and colon, approximately 27% of diabetes and 30% of heart disease (WHO, 2003). The report by WHO stated that globally around 3.2 million people die due to physical inactivity (WHO, 2010). Families with both parents working outside home, and time constraints have become crucial factors in determining the food purchase and consumption patterns. The food industry responded to these new family issues by increasing the number of convenience foods and prepared meals available. Unfortunately, the food industries too have been promoting foods that are high in fat and sugar and hence highly energy dense.

This study recognises those factors, which affect consumer perception about pasta products and also determines factors that stimulate buying decision of consumers towards pasta. Awareness and availability were chosen as main variables, which affect consumer buying pattern. Quota sampling technique was used to collect data from a sample of 30 housewives living in Karachi city of Pakistan. Results of the study explored that product awareness was the factor which had a great impact on popularity and usage of any product especially the food item and also awareness about cooking method of particular product may affect the popularity of food product. 

This study attempted to explore consumer’s awareness and perception towards quality certified products. Primary data was collected from 120 respondents through pre-tested interview schedule. In this study consumers’ awareness, preference of certified products and their perception on pricing was analysed with reference to three products: Ghee, vegetable oils and spices. Results concluded that 85% people were aware about Agmark certification and most of the high-income group people were about Agmark products and they are also satisfied with the products especially ghee.

Consumers the world over do not have enough time to prepare meals from scratch. The most common occasions among consumers across countries for eating RTE meals is for dinner, and breakfast is the least likely. Consumers prefer to purchase RTE food products from the place they usually buy which enhances their frequency of purchase. The quality of food such as flavour, appearance texture; socio-economic factors such as availability, price and culture; biologic factors such as energy and nutrient requirements; and psychological factors including behaviour, moods and attitude towards eating influence food choice among consumers. However, the consumption patterns of the population can be formulated in different groups such as young, educated. The marketing of RTE foods should not only consider the attitudinal and product factors of the product itself. Other factors like packaging play a very important role in determining the quality and sales of the product itself.

Fruits and vegetables are referred as ready to eat food because they are used for direct consumption or serve in the form of salad. The numbers of fruits and vegetables based RTE products are developed such as juice, jam, jelly, marmalades, canned products, prepared salad, vegetables curry. Some fruits like strawberries, blueberries are mostly consumed because of their characteristic appearance and flavour; but they show significant damages during harvesting, storage and transportation due to perishable nature, which causes loss of nutrients.

Cereals and pulses are important to make RTE food products. Cereals are mostly used in Indian daily diet in the form of ‘roti’. The traditional cereal consumption is dominated by various food products like instant snacks, fast food, breakfast cereals, cereal biscuit and bar. These food formulations are easy for human consumption and highly acceptable by customer because it minimises the further cooking at home. The primarily cereals used are wheat, rice, corn, oats with some additives and fortifying agents, which improve its shelf life, nutritional profile and overall quality. 

Meat, poultry and fish based ready to eat food products are also widely acceptable food commodity in food market. Due to increasing demand and globalisation, the food safety and quality concern is also increased towards perishable food like meat and fish. These products are very sensible to microbial growth and fungal contamination causing undesirable changes in flavour, odour, sensory and colour as well as lipid oxidation is major deterioration of quality during processing and storage of product. The convenience of meat and poultry products is mostly generated through various processing technologies available for minimal preparation at household level. The wide availability, eating pattern and food related lifestyle is majorly responsible for increasing popularity of meat and fish-based snacks products. Processed ready to eat meat are high in chemical preservative, salt and fat content, which cause unhealthy life and risk of cancer and coronary conditions.

The market is characterised by a diverse range of products, including instant breakfast cereals, instant soups and snacks, ready meals, baked goods, and meat products. Supermarkets and hypermarkets have become dominant distribution channels, offering convenience and variety to shoppers. Online platforms are also gaining traction, with companies partnering with online food delivery platforms to reach a broader consumer base. Major players in the RTE food industry include Haldiram Foods International Pvt. Ltd., Gits Food Products Pvt. Ltd., MTR Foods Pvt. Ltd., and ITC Limited.

Despite the growth prospects, challenges persist, such as rising health concerns related to RTE food consumption and limited infrastructure in rural areas. Nevertheless, technological advancements in food packaging and cold chain logistics are influencing market growth. As consumers become more health-conscious, manufacturers are focusing on launching products that cater to diverse dietary needs, including plant-based and nutrient-rich options.

(The author is assistant professor at KSR College of Arts and Science for Women, Tiruchengode)
 
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