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Energy efficiency gains traction in food processing, hospitality industries
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Tuesday, 18 August, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Anurag More, Mumbai
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Indian food processing and hospitality industries are increasingly recognising energy efficiency as a strategic priority, with LPG and natural gas systems emerging as critical components of operational performance, safety and cost management.
According to Jesal Sampat, Executive Director & CEO, Pune Gas Systems Pvt. Ltd., one of the biggest challenges facing the sector is that energy continues to be viewed primarily as a procurement expense rather than an efficiency lever. In food processing plants, hotel kitchens, central kitchens and quick-service restaurant (QSR) operations, gas directly influences production speed, kitchen performance, safety and operating costs.
Sampat noted that issues such as undersized cylinder banks, inadequate vaporisation, pressure drops, freezing cylinders and avoidable LPG wastage remain common across commercial operations. He estimates that if commercial LPG users transition from conventional VOT systems to more efficient LOT-based systems, India could potentially unlock annual savings of nearly Rs. 21,900 crore.
As food manufacturers expand capacity and modernise their facilities, demand is also shifting from basic fuel supply towards engineered gas infrastructure. Modern plants and commercial kitchens increasingly require stable pressure, appropriate system sizing, reliable vaporisation, safe pipelines, metering, regulatory compliance and lifecycle support. The focus, Sampat said, is moving beyond simply ensuring that fuel reaches the burner towards achieving uptime, safety, control and efficiency.
This trend is particularly visible in high-consumption, heat-intensive segments such as mega kitchens, institutional catering, hotels, bakeries, mithai and namkeen manufacturers, snack producers, ready-to-eat food companies and large food processing facilities. Pune Gas has worked with several prominent HoReCa and food industry brands, including The Rameshwaram Café, Benne, Haldirams, Carnatic Café, Geetham, A2B, Annapoorna, Monginis, Britannia and Nestle.
For large-scale operations, even small inefficiencies can translate into significant recurring costs. Modern gas engineering can address these challenges through appropriately sized systems, efficient vaporisation, pressure regulation, leak detection, flow metering and preventive maintenance.
Sampat highlighted the company’s work at The Rameshwaram Café, where its LPGenius system helped deliver savings of up to 114 kg of LPG per day while supporting uninterrupted, high-volume kitchen operations. He said such solutions demonstrate the difference between simply consuming LPG and actively engineering LPG efficiency.
Gas infrastructure also has an important role in maintaining product quality. In food manufacturing, consistent gas pressure and flow are essential for processes such as frying, baking, roasting, boiling, steam generation and process heating. Fluctuating flames can affect batch timing, texture, colour, moisture and overall production consistency.
Precision-engineered gas systems help maintain stable pressure and reliable fuel delivery during both normal and peak operations, allowing production teams and chefs to achieve greater repeatability. The same principle applies to hospitality establishments, where kitchens must maintain consistent performance during breakfast, banquets and peak dinner service.
Safety and compliance are becoming equally important as food safety requirements become more stringent. Sampat stressed that gas system design and maintenance are integral to creating safe food production environments. Poorly designed systems can increase the risk of leakage, pressure instability, unsafe handling and inadequate emergency response.
Pune Gas executes installations in accordance with applicable IS 6044 and PNGRB guidelines and works with customers on fire safety, compliant system design, automatic shut-off mechanisms, leak detection, preventive maintenance and operating discipline. According to Sampat, safety must be engineered into a gas system from the outset rather than added later.
A common compliance challenge is the treatment of gas infrastructure as an afterthought. Businesses often expand kitchens, add equipment or increase production while continuing to operate with legacy gas systems. This can result in undersized systems, unsafe retrofits, inadequate ventilation, non-compliant components, insufficient leak detection and weak emergency preparedness.
Another concern is the lack of proper documentation, standard operating procedures, inspections, training and maintenance. Sampat also pointed to freezing cylinders as an issue that is sometimes accepted as normal in commercial kitchens, despite being an indication that the gas system requires engineering attention.
Technology is expected to play an increasingly important role in addressing these challenges. Sampat believes IoT, automation and predictive maintenance will help transform gas management from a reactive function into a more intelligent and data-driven process. Flow metering, leak detection, consumption monitoring and predictive maintenance can help businesses identify abnormalities, schedule servicing, improve safety response and reduce downtime.
With India's food exports expanding, advanced energy infrastructure could also help manufacturers meet international expectations around consistency, traceability, safety and resource efficiency. Efficient vaporisation can reduce wastage, while stable heat supports product consistency and leak detection strengthens safety.
Pune Gas has also worked on fuel-transition projects in industrial and hospitality applications. At Dr. Morepen Laboratories, its diesel-to-LPG conversion helped achieve approximately 33 per cent fuel cost savings. At Sterling Holidays, Yercaud, its gas efficiency solutions supported significant annual savings while improving operational reliability.
The company has also introduced solutions such as smart LPG systems and dry-type vaporisers to address long-standing challenges including freezing cylinders, pressure fluctuations, residual gas losses, space constraints and water consumption associated with conventional vaporisation systems. Sampat described Pune Gas’ Dry-Type LPG Vaporiser as a patented indigenous innovation designed to improve vaporisation efficiency while offering a more compact and practical installation.
Looking ahead, the growth of India's food processing and hospitality ecosystem is expected to create new opportunities for advanced gas infrastructure beyond major metropolitan markets. Growth in religious tourism, emerging hospitality destinations, the North East and other sunrise markets is driving investment in hotels, restaurants, cloud kitchens, food factories and institutional kitchens.
To support this expansion, Pune Gas is developing Experience Centres that serve not only as sales points but also as platforms for customer education and technical demonstrations. These centres aim to help businesses, consultants and project teams understand LPG efficiency, safety, system design and modern gas infrastructure.
Over the next five years, Pune Gas plans to focus on efficiency, safety, innovation and wider market access. Its priorities include expanding the LPG Efficiency movement, supporting food processing, hospitality and beverage companies with engineered gas systems, investing in indigenous technologies such as LPGenius, and strengthening capabilities in leak detection, metering, service and intelligent gas management.
As India's food economy expands, the role of energy infrastructure is increasingly moving beyond fuel supply. For food processors, hospitality operators and commercial kitchens, smarter gas systems are becoming an important tool for improving productivity, safety, cost efficiency and operational reliability.
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