Clean and Hygienic Food Kiosks Are Reshaping Urban India’s Eating Habits

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 8: There is a quiet yet powerful change happening in most Indian cities, especially the metros. This is related to a favourite subject for Indians: their daily food consumption patterns. There is an overwhelming rise in demand for clean and hygienic food kiosks. This has become the basic criterion to win trust. This has pushed both policymakers and private enterprises to rethink how quickly food is produced, packaged, and served. Just in 2024, 4.7 lakh inspections were conducted by India’s food safety authority across the country. This figure was significant: a 26 per cent increase from the previous year. This reflects a clear message from urban consumers that hygiene is no longer an added advantage. It is the minimum expectation.

Metros including Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad have been most impacted by this trend.  Not just in office corridors, residential neighbourhoods are also taking this up fervently. The preference for quick-service options that look professional and feel safe is now significantly increasing. Consumers who once prioritised taste or price are now also placing hygiene on the same pedestal. According to industry estimates, the micro-QSR and kiosk market in India is projected to grow at over 12 per cent annually for the next five years, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in the retail food ecosystem.

Entrepreneurs who operate in this space say the trend is not driven by fashion or impulse but by lived experience. One such voice is Aarti Kamble, founder of I Love Store and the hygienic fast-food kiosk model I Love Khau Gali. Over the last few years, she has closely observed how customers across age groups now pause to check not only what they are eating but where it is being prepared. “People have become far more aware of hygiene than we give them credit for,” Kamble says. “A kiosk that is clean, transparent, and consistent immediately earns trust. Urban families want something quick, but not at the cost of safety.”

Kamble’s own journey to build a clean-food-focused retail brand began long before hygiene became a trending topic. She recalls visiting various cities and noticing that a large segment of India’s working population depends on fast food, yet the quality and hygiene standards vary dramatically. “I kept asking myself why India could not have an everyday food experience that felt both homely and dependable,” she says. That question eventually laid the foundation of I Love Store, now accessible through ilovestore.in.

Within the store, I Love Khau Gali operates as a micro-QSR format, offering hygienic versions of familiar street favourites. The concept retains the nostalgia of traditional Khau-Gali culture. What is added is structured hygiene protocols. The store follows a set of fixed cleaning cycles with transparent food preparation counters. The ingredient monitoring is designed to ensure consistency. As Kamble describes it, “We wanted to keep the taste and comfort intact, but remove the uncertainty that many customers feel about hygiene.”

Industry experts agree that the micro-QSR format will likely dominate the next decade in Indian cities. Rising rentals and shrinking commercial spaces create a favourable environment for compact kiosks rather than large dine-in restaurants. Additionally, the 40 per cent rise in digital food content consumption has led to greater awareness about hygiene practices. The popularity of simplified menus, clear labelling, and transparent preparation counters mirrors international trends while staying aligned with Indian preferences.

Kamble doesn’t treat this as just another business opportunity. She recognises the importance of this public shift. For her, food hygiene is also connected to essential commodities such as dry fruits, ghee, and daily staples. Through I Love Store, she is working extensively to make premium food products accessible. Simultaneously, there is zero compromise on purity and honest sourcing. Hygiene, she believes, should notbe limited to the kitchen. It begins with what people bring home as part of their everyday food basket.

With this philosophy in mind, she now envisions scaling the model further. I Love Store’s franchise-ready structure is designed to help small business owners, with a preference for women, enter the food retail industry with confidence. The barriers to entry are lower than those for traditional restaurants. The system has been designed to be replicable without diluting quality. Kamble says, “If you make hygiene easy to maintain, you give entrepreneurs a real chance to succeed. Good processes create independence, especially for first-time business owners.”

Her long-term goal is to expand the model first across Mumbai, then throughout Maharashtra, and eventually across the country. She believes India’s cities are ready for a shift where hygienic kiosks become a daily habit rather than an occasional convenience. As she puts it, “Urban India is maturing in its food expectations. People want simple food made cleanly, served respectfully, and priced sensibly. That is the future we are preparing for.”

Consumer behaviour studies support this observation. In India, in 2024 and 2025, purchases from small-format food outlets that emphasise hygiene increased by 34 per cent. Comparatively, traditional roadside options have grown by only 11 per cent in the same period. These signals are clear: urban food culture now values trust and reliability.

What makes Kamble’s voice stand out in this movement? She addresses the perspectives of both the consumer and the business owner. Her commentary is grounded in her belief that hygiene is not a luxury but a responsibility. She sees the clean-food movement as a practical revolution that will influence: family eating habits, small business growth and overall food evolution in cities.

Readers who wish to explore more of Aarti Kamble’s views on modern food retail, customer behaviour, and India’s clean-food movement can connect with her through her professional profile at Aarti Kamble LinkedIn.

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