Food Delivery Companies Growing Focus On Healthier Bite
The food delivery companies including Swiggy and Zomato are increasing their health food segment
The shelves have been hit by a wave of new health and organic food items for several segments, from children and women to general wellness brands. Even online food distribution sites record a spike in demand for safe, homestyle food with shoppers across cities and towns increasingly looking to eat better. Over 50 kitchen brands including Eatfit, Healthie, Keto Garden, Nurtibites, Go Native, Fitchef, Health Nuts, Salad Company, and NutriChef deliver nutritious meals and food choices across top cities.
Swiggy and Zomato announced that they are doubling on the health food market while cloud kitchen operators, including Rebel Foods and Freshmenu, have launched new health brands on their platforms. The online grocery retailer, BigBasket, which serves more than 20 million customers, operates two lifestyle brands, including GoodDiet, a collection of organic fresh foods, and BBRoyal, healthy meals and snacks. BigBasket claims that it's organic and natural food segment includes some of the fastest-growing emerging health-focused brands in India, including Yoga Bar, & me, Raw Pressery, Akshayakalpa, Kapiva, and Mojo Brand has risen twice as fast as last year's total sales. While most of these nutritious foods are sold at a premium price, customers see it as a personal health expenditure due to an increased understanding of the benefits of eating healthy food.
Vivek Sunder, chief operating officer at Swiggy, stated that the assumption that food made in restaurants is not as safe as a home-cooked meal is one obstacle to ordering every day. Rising healthy food options would dramatically increase the frequency of ordering food and potentially replace home-cooks over time. Mohit Sardana, COO, food delivery, at Zomato said that Zomato has a separate section on its app, Zomato Good, which is curating consumer health food options. The aim is to encourage users to make informed choices with easier discovery and access to information.
The appetite of investors is also growing. Bengaluru-based Sproutlife Foods owning the Yoga Bar range of snack bars and muesli are in negotiations to raise Rs 50 crore led by SAIF Partners, while plant-based active nutrition brand Oziva has explored capital raising with Matrix Partners. Although brands of packaged food goods need a premium, food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato are working with their partners to increase the range of homestyle foods and make them affordable.
Revant Bhate, the co-founder of consumer brand startup, Mosaic Wellness, informed that health and wellness consumption requires discipline and commitment, which is hard to expect if healthy goods aren't tasty.
