India Instant Noodles - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts 2024 - 2029

The India instant noodles market is projected to grow from USD 2.17 billion in 2024 to USD 4.42 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 15.31% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

Key Highlights

• The outbreak of COVID-19 and the resultant measures imposed by the Indian government resulted in the strict closure of the market to implement social distancing. Consumers preferred home-cooked food and stocked essential items in bulk, especially instant foods. The preference for home-cooked food remained high even in the post-pandemic.
• Over the medium term, the market is driven by the players coming up with a new segment of healthier noodles as the consumers in India have become more health conscious. Also, this has opened an opportunity for the players to tap into the innovation part of making instant noodles with functional benefits. Besides the standard flavors, companies are developing a new range of tastes and flavors, such as Chinese, a mix of masalas, etc. This will increase the demand for instant noodles, especially among the children.
• Moreover, instant noodles made from white flour were considered unhealthy, and players are coming up with noodles made from atta. However, the rising health concern is the major restraint of the market. The harmful ingredients and the availability of other extruded snacks are expected to act as restraints on the market.

India Instant Noodles Market Trends

Popularity of Convenient Food Options

• Convenient food products have become widely popular, especially among working-class people, teenage children, people living in hostels, and bachelors. They help reduce the time of meal preparation. They can also be eaten immediately or are often prepared or packaged before being consumed and can be used at any time, quickly and easily, by thawing or heating the food. They are designed to be cheap, tasty, and non-perishable.
• Furthermore, instant noodles have become very popular because they can be served as a quickie snack or meal. For instance, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, in 2022, the sales volume of rice, pasta, and noodles in the Indian packaged foods market amounted to 8.07 million metric tons.
• Manufacturers in the Indian instant noodles market have quickly responded to changing consumer preferences. They have introduced a variety of flavors, textures, and packaging sizes to cater to different tastes and needs. Additionally, healthier and premium instant noodle options have emerged to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers.
• Also, the Indian diet has evolved, with people increasingly incorporating unique flavors into their meals. Due to their versatile nature, instant noodles have become popular for experimenting with various cuisines conveniently.

Supermarket/Hypermarket is the Most Preferred Distribution Channel

• Supermarkets/hypermarkets provide a customer-friendly shopping environment where the customers can buy products of their choice from broad product offerings made by multiple brands. Due to a vast retail space catering to a wide variety of preferences, the supermarkets/ hypermarkets segment is a dominant channel for sales of instant noodles in the Indian market.
• Furthermore, factors such as business expansion and the increasing number of hypermarkets and supermarkets are expected to add to the sales of these retail formats and significantly contribute to the instant noodles market growth.
• In urban areas, supermarkets/hypermarkets are the primary channels of distribution of instant noodles. In urban areas, people prefer to buy instant noodles along with their daily groceries. The easy accessibility to these supermarkets/hypermarkets is also a significant factor boosting the sales of instant noodles through this channel.

India Instant Noodles Industry Overview

The Indian instant noodles market is highly consolidated due to the presence of international and local players. The prominent players in the market include Nestle SA, Unilever Plc, ITC Limited, Nissin Foods, and Patanjali Ayurved, among others. Companies are adopting unique promotion strategies, such as price off and gifts, to attract consumers' attention. Emphasis is given to the expansions, acquisitions, and partnerships, along with product developments, as key strategic approaches to boost brand presence among consumers.

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