Food delivery giants ride health wave to bulk margins

Zomato and Swiggy are bringing in features like ‘healthy mode’ and a ‘high protein’ category

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Eternal rolled out 'Healthy Mode', a pilot feature that rates meals

(MINT)

Food delivery majors Zomato and Swiggy are betting big on the health wave—a push aimed at wooing India’s fitness-conscious diners while padding margins.

The bet is driving premiumisation on their platforms and nudging average order values higher.

Eternal Ltd, earlier known as Zomato, on Monday rolled out ‘Healthy Mode’, a new pilot feature that rates meals on their nutritional value. The pilot feature is currently available only in Gurugram and will be expanded to other cities in the coming months. The launch comes at a time when growth in the food delivery segment has begun to slow down.

According to a Goldman Sachs report on 1 September, Zomato’s food delivery net order value (NOV) growth is expected to moderate at around 18% in FY26, well below the triple-digit surge seen in Blinkit. This reflects a maturing market where user additions have slowed, making higher average order values a key lever for growth.

Analysts agree the move is timely. “The newer generation is moving towards healthy foods, so I think this is a great move. But still, whether premiumisation will really happen remains to be seen,” said Sandeep Abhange, research analyst, Consumer and Midcaps at LKP Securities.

To be sure, Zomato is not alone.