Food Financial News

Given the distinction that India makes between essential and discretionary spending, the Centre’s use of the Essential Commodities Act to regulate LPG supply was no surprise. Households being prioritized over commercial users was like a policy reflex; restaurant food is seen as an indulgence. Yet, market psychology doesn’t always comply.

conflict and disruptions to flows.IEA projects global oil supply to plunge by 8 mbpd in March. With that, an old nemesis of central banks may return: elevated inflation and muted economic growth. Every 10% rise in oil prices that persists for a year leads to 40 basis point growth in global headline inflation and a 0.1–0.2% decline in global output, estimates the IMF.Higher energy prices feed into transport and food costs, pressurizing household budgets.

Pet parenting in India is harder than it should be.” Vineet Khanna, co-founder of pet support platform Supertails, leans back in his chair and gives two examples that illustrate the lack of an ecosystem and low awareness about pets and pet parenting that make it so difficult.Two girls tele-consulted the Supertails vet, saying their newly acquired cat was making “a strange sound”. The call switched to video, but the cat, unaware of the attention, took some time before she made the mysterious sounds that had her minders worried.

lactose intolerant, the regulator may allow complex carbohydrates such as polysaccharides and oligosaccharides instead of refined sugars.India records roughly 25 million births annually, making infant nutrition standards a significant public health lever. Data from a National Family Health survey show the share of overweight children has increased to 3.4% from 2.1% five years earlier.The Economic Survey 2025-26 warned that the number of obese children in India could rise to 83 million by 2035 from 33 million in 2020.

I have been visiting India for more than 40 years and speaking publicly about climate change for more than 25. Over that time, India’s transformation has been extraordinary. Few nations have had such rapid economic growth, technological progress and social change in such a short period.

On 9 March the union government issued an order under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 that discouraged companies which receive pooled gas supplies from legally challenging its decision to divert natural gas to priority sectors.The move comes amid concerns over possible supply disruptions caused by the ongoing West Asia conflict, which has affected liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.Mint explains what the order says, the legal basis for it, and whether courts can still entertain challenges from affected companies.The ministry of petroleum and natural gas issued the natural gas (supply regulation) order, 2026 to deal with potential LNG shortages. The order introduced a four-tier priority framework for allocating natural gas.

Mint.The email sent last week by David Udell, group president for Asia Pacific, said Sharma would take on broader regional responsibilities as the hotel chain sharpens its focus on growth across the region.In the communication, Udell said India represents a significant long-term growth opportunity for Hyatt.Hyatt has been expanding aggressively in Asia Pacific, particularly in markets such as India, where demand for premium travel and luxury experiences has risen sharply in recent years. It currently has 85 hotels in the country under various brands.In 2025, Mint reported that Hyatt Hotels planned to expand its footprint in India and Southwest Asia to tap growing domestic demand for experience-led travel.

Mint explainsDSR refers to a cultivation method where seeds are sown directly into the field without transplanting seedlings, saving water, labour, and time compared to traditional methods.This eliminates several stages involved in conventional rice farming such as nursery preparation, ploughing, puddling and transplanting. In the traditional system, farmers grow seedlings in nurseries and later transplant them into flooded, puddled fields.Puddling is particularly concerning from an environmental perspective because it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.Though not a new technique, DSR is increasingly seen as a transformative approach to rice cultivation as India faces growing concerns over groundwater depletion, labour shortages and climate sustainability.Experts say the technique can play an important role in addressing groundwater depletion, particularly in major rice-growing states where intensive irrigation for paddy has put pressure on water resources.Producing a kilogram of rice requires 3,000–5,000 litres of water under conventional methods.

The war in West Asia that has blocked supplies of crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and refinery products from the Gulf serves India a reality check on the soundness of relying on imported hydrocarbons for cooking food. It is high time we began to wean our kitchens off liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG); while LPG is essentially a mixture of propane and butane, PNG is mostly methane, like the compressed natural gas (CNG) that is used by vehicles as a low-carbon substitute for petrol and diesel. We should cook, instead, on electric stoves that run on power generated from domestic coal and renewables.Since we have our own coal, its supply cannot be disrupted by a war abroad.

domestic LPG production, a move that could further tighten fuel availability for commercial users such as restaurants.Mint explains what the order says, why restaurants are concerned and how the industry is responding.The issue stems from an order issued by the ministry of petroleum and natural gas on 5 March directing oil refining companies to prioritize propane and butane streams for LPG production and supply it to the three public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs)—Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corp.

India's retail inflation under the new series is expected to rise to 3.1% in February from 2.8% in January, driven by increases in prices of some food items from a year ago, according to a Mint poll of 18 economists.India’s statistics ministry had released a ‘back series' for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) using the new base year of 2024. Economists in the poll expect the second print of the CPI under the new rebased series to land in the range of 2.8-3.4%.

In 123 BCE, Gaius Gracchus passed the lex frumentaria, a law mandating that the Roman state sell grain to citizens at a fixed below-market price. The aim was modest: stabilize food prices, protect the poor. Within two generations, it had become free distribution.

Mint. Price was not a factor but the presentation on the screen definitely was. Like a moth to a light, the bright yellow colour drew her in and she tapped on it.That instinctive and irrational add-to-cart moment is exactly what Swiggy is betting Noice can engineer on a large scale.When the company rolled out the food and beverage (F&B) brand in the middle of last year, it did not resemble a routine back-end grocery experiment.

Hotel chains are increasingly rolling out AI tools across various operations as rising costs and tighter margins push them to find efficiencies in existing systems. Global operators in India are scaling similar capabilities.

ready-to-eat, or RTE, market. Yet, despite this gap, the RTE and the adjacent ready-to-heat segment already has an addressable consumer base of 70-80 million Indians, reflecting the latent scale of the opportunity.For years, the industry assumed that faster delivery would automatically drive adoption. The rise of quick commerce was treated as a breakthrough, as though reducing delivery time to ten minutes would dissolve consumer hesitation.But, speed was never the real barrier.

₹5,065 crore, up 60% year-on-year, according to an earnings statement from Reliance Industries.India’s FMCG sector remains dominated by established players such as Hindustan Unilever Ltd, which reported revenue of about ₹64,138 crore in FY25—highlighting the scale of the opportunity Reliance is targeting as it builds its consumer business.“What Reliance is doing is cobbling together a portfolio of brands that already have some momentum,” said Arvind Singhal, chairman of The Knowledge Company, a Gurgaon-based management consulting firm.Mint explains the strategy behind Reliance’s push to acquire regional brands and how it differs from rivals.Over the past few years, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL) has assembled a portfolio of regional brands across food, beverages and personal care.One of its latest additions is Chennai-based Southern Health Foods Pvt. Ltd, which sells millet-based foods, health mixes and baby nutrition products under the Manna brand.

The fear that artificial intelligence will lead to mass layoffs is spreading. Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of the financial technology firm Block, laid off nearly half of its workforce last week. Citing AI’s labour-saving capabilities, he predicted other companies would soon follow suit: “Within the next year, I believe the majority of companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes.”As an economist, I disagree with Dorsey’s prediction.

BENGALURU: For most restaurant chains, the goal is to build one blockbuster brand. At IPO-bound Curefoods, the strategy is the opposite.The Bengaluru-based cloud kitchen operator is working on adding brands to its portfolio that can each reach ₹200-300 crore in revenue, spreading its bets across multiple cuisines and consumption occasions.

New Delhi: Basmati rice exporters will meet officials of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) this week to assess the fallout of escalating tensions in West Asia, as shipping disruptions and rising freight and insurance costs threaten India’s nearly $6 billion basmati trade in FY25, as per people in the know.The move comes amid growing uncertainty over consignments bound for the Gulf region, which accounts for nearly 60-70% of India’s basmati exports. Exporters said that while the immediate damage is still being assessed, several shipments are either stuck in transit or held up at ports, raising concerns over delayed payments and contractual risks if the conflict is prolonged.“Exports have come to a standstill in some corridors.

₹1.71 trillion as fertilizer subsidy for FY27. The support goes to plant nutrients such as urea, phosphorous and potash, with the subsidy system designed to partially absorb price spikes faced by farmers arising from international commodity shocks.At the same time, policymakers have begun encouraging alternatives.

France is great. I visit a few times a year, and the food is fantastic, the museums are amazing and day care is free (or heavily subsidized) for toddlers aged 3 months or more. New York City, where I live, is also great, with pretty good food and architecture.