“Our daily sales of canned food stand well over Rs 6,000, which is a significant rise when compared with previous year´s sales trend” said Tusli Shrestha supervisor of Bhat-Bhateni department store at Koteshwor.[break]
Staff of other Bhatbhateni stores and other departmental stores too said they had recorded similar growth in canned food business.
Traders said youngsters were the main sonsumers of canned food items mainly because they are convenient and also the varieties of items available for ready to eat were wide.
Availability of wide varieties of local as well as imported foods such as maize, green peas, beans, potato chip, juice, fish, chicken, mixed fruits, mushroom and fruits among others had contributed for growing demand of canned products in the local market.
Leading department stores around the valley such as Bigmart, Salesways and Bhat-Bhateni among others have recorded a surge in the sales of canned food or instant food items by almost 30 percent compared to last year.
“The sales of canned food products have increased because peoples don´t have to cook and can eat them whenever they want to,” said Shrestha.
“The canned foods products are preserved with the essential nutrients and are prepared in such a way that they cannot develop micro-organisms which can spoil food. These is some of the major reasons why canned foods are becoming more popular,” said Shrestha.
“Apart from this consumers can get wide varieties of items in different flavors at relatively cheaper prices,” said Shrestha.
“Canned foods are as nutritious as the fresh foods which were made at home and it can also be preserved for a longer period of time as per the requirement of the buyers,” Shrestha told Republica.
More than ten different brand of canned food are sold in the stores around the valley but companies such as Druk, Hosen, Chabaa and Nago products are highly in demand because these companies have wide varieties of products in every flavors.
“The reason behind the growth of canned food is that such food are cheaper than preparing food at home,” said Sushil Subedhi store manager of Bigmart department store in City Center.
“Newly married couples, working people and teenagers frequently visit the store as they want to have spicy foods and who don´t like such food keep themselves busy at kitchen for easting purpose,” said Subedhi.
In the store around the valley green peas, maize, pine apple slice, fish, chicken, fruit cocktail, mushroom and many others Drik products are available in the range of Rs 80 to Rs 225 whereas Hosen sea coconut, bay corn, sweet corn, fruit cocktail, litchi syrup and peas are available in the range of Rs 75 to Rs 250.
Similarly, Noga brand baked beans in tomato sauce cost Rs 90; boiled buter beans are available in the range of Rs 90 to Rs 100 and Chabaa pineapple slice and mushroom in brine cost Rs 187 depending on the weight.
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