RTC - Ready - to - Cook // RTE - Ready - to - Eat

 When we succeded in our efforts to locate a maid to assist the home maker, the maid to be, enquired the jobs she had to undertake at our place. When she was told she would have to make just six chappathis for the two of us she exploded. She said she didn't know how to make chappathis. No one  was making chappathis at home, she went on and added that she herself had been buying half cooked chappathis every day from the  neighbouring shops for her own needs at home. Fortunately for us, she lasted just one day.

Yesterday we were taking our grandchild to the paediatrician who was 12 kms away from our place. The child had severe cough. We could observe several restaurants and take away counters that were doing brisk business on the entire 12km stretch. The homemaker remarked, the finest business today was nothing but eateries because no one cooked anything at home these days.

We could only concur among ourselves  because we were already familiar with  demands of the clientele for RTCs and RTEs at our son's shop.

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Rupali Mukherjee writes in Tmes of India of 3rd July 2025.

RTC is the only catgory in packaged foods that has doubled its business volume over the last two years in India.

While packaged goods witnessed single digit  growth  of 8%, RTC category recorded 58% increase in 2024.

From Dosa batters to curry and cake mixes, shoppers are not only embracing ease, but have doubled their anuual trips to purchase the category.

Urbanisation, the rise of dual income households and a busy evolving lifestyle  are driving the trend.

However RTE category is losing relevance. Customers show a greater interest towards semi cooked options that offer convenience without compromising the home cooked experience compared to fully cooked meals.

RTE, which includes products that can be served straight from the pack - such as, heat and eat pulaos, heat and eat curries, where the packaged foods need to be warmed before eating - has lost half its volume in the past two years. 

Convenience is the king. But the landscape is evolving.

Consumers want speed, but they also crave freshness, health and control over their their meals.Brands that innovate along these lines stand poised to capture the next wave of growth.

Capitalising on the trend, packaged food companies are expanding their offering. According to them, these products tend to be more popular, as they cater to the consumers' desire to feel involved in the cooking process.

Another reason for the demand in in the RTC category is on account of the increase in the disposable income and the accessibility boosted by the recent rise of quick commerce along with the convenience and the innovation in the product portfolio.

It makes the Indian consumer  add RTC in their grocery portfolio on a larger scale.