Food Service Sector

Indian food services sector to grow by 8.1% from 2024 to 2028: Report

The sector is the second-biggest employer with 8.5 million people in 2025. This is expected to increase by over 20 per cent to 10.3 million by 2028

Accreditation deadline for halal certification bodies extended till Jul 4

The government has extended the deadline for accreditation of halal certification bodies and registration of export units by three months till July 4 this year. Last year, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had notified the policy conditions for halal certification process for meat and meat products and had directed the existing bodies to seek accreditation from National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) for i-CAS (Indian Conformity Assessment Scheme) Halal till April 5, 2024. "Time period for accreditation of halal certification bodies and registration of export units has been extended by a period of three months, up to July 4, 2024," DGFT said in a notification. DGFT is an arm of the commerce ministry which deals with exports and import-related issues. As per the guidelines, meat and its products are allowed to be exported as 'halal certified' only if they are produced, processed and packaged in a facility having a valid certificate issued by a bod

Tata Coffee gets board nod for Rs 450 cr investment for capacity expansion

Tata Coffee on Thursday received the board's approval for the capacity expansion of its Vietnam-based wholly-owned subsidiary firm at an investment of Rs 450 crore. The board has approved the setting up of an additional 5,500-tonne freeze-dried coffee facility in Vietnam, the company said in a regulatory filing. Tata Coffee said the additional capacity would be created with an investment of USD 53.3 million (approximately Rs 450 crore). The funds will be sourced from internal accruals and bank financing, it said. The company said the current capacity of Tata Coffee Vietnam Company is about 5,000 tonnes. About 96 per cent of the total capacity is under utilisation. The additional capacity which is proposed to be added in next two years aims to cater to growing demand for freeze-dried product, it added.

Do not to use newspapers for food packaging: FSSAI to food vendors

Food regulator FSSAI has asked food vendors and consumers to immediately stop using newspapers for packing, serving and storage of food items citing significant health risks. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is closely working with state food authorities to monitor and enforce regulations in this regard. FSSAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) G Kamala Vardhana Rao has "strongly urged consumers and food vendors across the country to immediately stop using newspapers for packing, serving and storing food items." He expressed concern over the use of newspapers for wrapping or packaging food and also pointed out significant health risks associated with this practice. "The ink used in newspapers contains various bioactive materials with known negative health effects, which can contaminate food and lead to health issues when ingested," FSSAI cautioned on Wednesday. Additionally, printing inks may contain chemicals, including lead and heavy metals, that can leach into th

Zomato launches AI chatbot for seamless food ordering for 'Gold' customers

Zomato claims that the chatbot can handle a range of user queries

Momo brand Prasuma to expand cloud kitchen venture by 200 units by 2025

Company will expand business in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and other major cities

Instant food brand Yu raises Rs 20 cr funding for business expansion

Company says it will 'aggressively expand' presence in US, Africa and West Asia

Intellectual property on the food platter? Proof is in the pudding

While some restaurants abroad have successfully protected their recipes, prior art can prove to be a hurdle in patenting innovative cuisine

Foodtech startup On2Cook gets Rs 17 cr seed funding at Rs 100 cr valuation

Firm says its cooking appliances help domestic and commercial kitchens

Kerala's agriculture startup launches end-to-end supply chain for bananas

A Kerala-based agribusiness startup has launched an end-to-end supply chain connecting banana cultivators, traders and exporters on a single platform. The start-up, Greenikk, has built enablement centres (EC) in the major banana producing agricultural-belts in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to provide farmers with production and marketing-related support, a release issued by it on Thursday said. "These ECs will provide the farmers with required supports such as finance, seeds, crop advisory, insurance coverage, agri inputs, including weather tips, and market connect, covering the entire gamut of production and marketing both inside the country and outside," it said. "Similar ECs are planned in other south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and further scaling across the whole of India," the start-up said. The platform would also help farmers to better utilise the organic waste that is left behind after the harvest, as manure and poultry feed, the release said. Such ..

Food service industry expected to grow by 9% CAGR over FY20-25E: MOFSL

The Indian food service industry (FSI) is expected to grow by nine per cent CAGR over FY20-25E, said Motilal Oswal Financial Services

Lo! Foods raises $1mn in pre-series A funding led by Chona Family Office

Bengaluru-based Lo! Foods on Friday said it has raised USD 1 million (about Rs 7.4 crore) in funding, led by the Chona Family Office, the erstwhile promoters of Havmor Ice Cream. The pre-series A round also saw participation from Ecosystem Ventures, Raveen Sastry (Co-Founder, Multiply Ventures), KRS Jamwal, Pratyush Prasanna (Gojek) among others, a statement said. The funds will be used towards accelerating growth, strengthening existing distribution networks and ramping up marketing, it added. Started in 2019 by Sudarshan Gangrade, Lo! Foods offers low-carb and Keto-friendly packaged products. It also has also ramped up to 20 cloud kitchens across Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram and Hyderabad that offer fresh low-carb food on demand through food delivery apps. * * * * AnKa SumMor raises Rs 3 cr funding led by Inflection Point Ventures * AnKa SumMor, a Sales and Distribution (S&D) platform for the FMCG sector, on Friday said it has raised Rs 3 crore in funding, led by Inflection ...

Indian skilled workers to get job opportunities in 14 sectors in Japan

A joint working group will be set up to follow up the implementation of this MOC

Zomato's revenue doubles to Rs 2,743 cr, losses up 138% to Rs 2,386 cr

The Deepinder Goyal-led firm's total expenses for the fiscal were reported as Rs 5,006 crore. Zomato is gearing up for an IPO this year

Are cloud kitchens and delivery the future of India's food industry?

Cloud kitchens are essentially low-cost models where kitchens in places with cheap real estate are rented out, and from which deliveries are fulfilled mostly through an aggregator.

Delectable, pocket-friendly food options for the gluten intolerant

You needn't give up breads, biscuits, pastas and pies if wheat doesn't suit you. There are millet-based options galore in the market. But consult your doctor first and don't get sold on labels

Food service industry to touch Rs 6 trn mark by FY23, to grow at 9%: Report

The report by the National Restaurant Association of India noted that the market size was Rs 4.23 lakh crore in 2018-19

Food service sector to be key part of economy: NRAI

Size of the market was around Rs 3.09 lakh crore in FY16 and is projected to grow at CAGR of 10% to reach Rs 4.98 lakh crore by FY21