India Instant Noodles, Pasta & Soup Market Overview

India Instant Noodles, Pasta & Soup market covers three categories of ready-to-cook food namely instant noodles, instant pasta and instant soup. With the rapidly changing lifestyles over the last couple of decades, ready-to-cook and instant food brands have become almost indispensable in the urban kitchens, as such easy-to-cook foods are great time-savers besides being easy on the palate, and also because they are greatly relished by children. According to “India Instant Noodles, Pasta & Soup Market Overview”, the total market for instant noodles, pasta and soup is growing with a CAGR of approximately 20% from the last five years. The instant noodles market in India was growing at a healthy rate from last few years but Maggi MSG lead controversy affected the category majorly with sales drastically reducing in FY 2015-16. However, Maggi pioneered the concept of packaged noodles in India three decades back and despite several brands entering the fray, it still dominates the space. CG Foods and ITC Sunfeast Yippee are trying to grab a larger share of the instant noodles market. Indo Nissin, Capital Foods and Hindustan Unilever, along with some private labels, have just added upto the competition.
Instant noodles market in India is divided into two segments according to the packaging style viz. packet/pouch noodles and cup/bowl noodles. Flexible plastic packaging of packet noodles hugely dominates the market as consumer prefer convenient packaging with affordable quantities. Cup noodles were initially introduced by Indo Nissin in the year 1991 but after Maggi entered with its brand Maggi Cuppa Mania, the category has started to pick. Cup noodles will prove to be a trendy friend of young multitasking generation in the coming years. More than two-third sales revenue of instant noodles comes from traditional formats (kirana stores) whereas retail is growing fast and online sales are still at a nascent stage.
The ready-to-cook pasta market in India is at the kind of stage that the instant noodles market was years ago. Previously, instant pasta was considered as a luxury in the country and eaten only on an occasional basis. But now it is making its way to Indian kitchens more rapidly than ever. The instant pasta category will be a roaring success with the opening up of a number of Italian restaurants in the country. Nestle’s Maggi Pazzta controls majority share of the instant pasta market because of its brand equity, followed by Bambino Agro who is popular for its low priced products. ITC’s Sunfeast Pasta Treat, HUL's Knorr soupy pasta offerings, Future Group's Tasty Treat and Feasters from retailers such as Aditya Birla Retail are some of the other major players in this category. Majority of the instant pasta sales revenue comes from retail stores as pasta is not considered as a regular grocery item in India. On the other hand, sales from traditional and online stores are still very limited.
Sales of packaged soup have witnessed a dramatic increase in the last few years. Besides the proliferation of convenience-driven lifestyles and the array of variants, advertising and marketing too have played significant roles in enlarging the category. The market is consolidated and top three players account for almost 90% of the market. Hindustan Unilever’s Knorr has the largest market share whereas Nestle’s Maggi and Capital Food’s Chings Secret are combating for the second position in the market. Ching’s Secret brand is relatively a small and new player as compared to top two but the company has gained significant share in the instant soup market. In terms of flavors, the choice of consumers has not changed significantly in last few years. The top three flavors are tomato, sweet corn and vegetable. In non-vegetarian flavors, chicken soup is most popular. Just like instant pasta, majority sales of instant soup comes from retail formats as packaged soup is still not a part of shopping list for Indian housewives and hence small stores evade stocking it.
Key Categories Covered
• Instant Noodles
• Instant Pasta
• Instant Soup
“India Instant Noodles, Pasta & Soup Market Overview” discusses the following aspects of instant noodles, pasta and soup in India:
The report gives an in-depth understanding of instant noodles, pasta and soup market in India:
- India Instant Noodles, Pasta & Soup Market Outlook
- India Instant Noodles, Pasta & Soup Market Size & Forecast
- India Instant Noodles Market Segmental Analysis: By Company, By Category
- India Instant Noodles Market Size & Forecast
- India Packet/Pouch Noodles Market Size & Forecast
- India Cup/Bowl Noodles Market Size & Forecast
- India Instant Noodles Market Segmental Analysis: By Company, By Packaging, By Sales Channel
- India Instant Pasta Market Size & Forecast
- India Instant Pasta Market Segmental Analysis: By Company, By Sales Channel
- India Instant Soup Market Size & Forecast
- India Instant Soup Market Segmental Analysis: By Company, By Sales Channel
- Pricing Analysis of Instant Noodles, Pasta and Soup
- The key vendors in this market space
This report can be useful to Industry consultants, manufacturers and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.
Report Methodology
The information contained in this report is based upon both primary and secondary research. Primary research included interviews with various channel partners of noodles, pasta & soup in India. Secondary research included an exhaustive search of relevant publications like company annual reports, financial reports and proprietary databases.

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