Flipkart's food and nutrition business is growing 50% year-on-year, driven by rising demand for healthier products and increasing purchases from Tier-2 and smaller cities, Nishant Dalal, Vice President, Consumables, FMCG and Healthcare, Head of BGM at Flipkart, told TNIE.
The company is seeing strong demand for products such as nuts and dry fruits, protein-rich breakfasts, cold-pressed oils and other premium food items as consumers shift towards healthier eating habits, he said, speaking on the sidelines of Flipkart’s Food Fest 2026.
"Customer growth has been healthy for us. Gen Z is one of the key driving factors. So Gen Z is growing at about 60%. Gen Z contribution is coming to about 60% for us and that's driving the majority of the segment," Dalal said.
He said health-conscious consumption is emerging as a key trend across the platform, with both established companies and direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands contributing to growth.
"The key macro driving factors I think are also in general focus on health. So you see a lot of focus around nuts and dry fruit, protein-led snacking, peanuts," he said.
Among the fastest-growing categories, Dalal highlighted nuts and dry fruits, value-added oats and premium edible oils. He added that consumers are increasingly moving from refined cooking oils to cold-pressed and olive oils.
The demand is also spreading beyond metro cities. "The demand is very strongly driven by growth in T2 plus. We're seeing very strong momentum. There's almost 60% growth we are seeing coming from T2 plus markets,"
Flipkart is also seeing changes in how consumers discover food products. Dalal said creators and food influencers are playing a larger role in introducing shoppers to new products and healthier alternatives.
"I think a very big segment on discovery is the creator network or creator ecosystem. We see a lot of food bloggers talking about different products, different benefits, healthier alternatives," he said.
On artificial intelligence, Dalal said consumers are increasingly using AI tools to search for products, although the company does not yet have data linking AI directly to category growth.
When asked about rising advertising spends by brands on ecommerce platforms, Dalal said companies invest where consumers are most active.
"If it is a slightly more planned purchase I think the role of marketplaces is significantly higher and when it comes to something which is a very impulsive, last-minute decision, that is where quick commerce or Minutes will become very important," he said.