'Ready-to-eat market in India may grow 45% in 5 years'

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

ready-to-eat market in India is likely to grow about 45% over the next five years, making the country a great investment opportunity in the segment, Stanley Goh, CEO of Singaporean airport service provider SATS Food Solutions told ET.

«As the SATS solution group, we have always seen India as a culturally diverse market. Indian consumers today are more receptive to higher culinary standards. With the rise in interest in categories like ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat, as well as the convenience segment, we believe there is a huge potential for growth and we can put the decade-long experience we have in the Indian market to good use,» he said.

The food and gateway services provider's Indian subsidiary, SATS Food Solutions India, will be employing about 300 people in its newest facility in Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, India CEO Sagar Dighe told ET.

«When you look at food, it is all about the ecosystem, and availability of raw materials. In Bengaluru, due to our existing network with Tata SATS and our joint venture with Bengaluru Airport, we have a full chain of logistics in place,» said Dighe.

The new facility, he added, relies heavily on automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) to run efficiently. The facility, he added, had effectively «de-skilled» the cooking activity to maintain consistency of taste across all its facilities. «Our chefs will be involved in special tasks, like developing new recipes,» he said.