# India eating out volume drops 8.6% as LPG crisis bites 2026-08-13T11:44:50+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Food and beverage sales volumes outside the home fell 8.6% in the year to March 2026, according to Worldpanel by Numerator. Consumer spending rose 0.5%, but purchasing quantities dropped as people took fewer trips and bought smaller packs. Mini-metros with populations of 1 to 4 million were the worst hit, with a 10% volume decline. Worldpanel managing director K. Ramakrishnan told Livemint the drop followed the LPG crisis triggered by the US-Iran war in late February. About 60% of India's LPG is imported, with 90% passing through the Strait of Hormuz. With over 300 million domestic users, officials prioritised household supplies over restaurants, worsening constraints as retail inflation rose to 4.45% in July. ## Coverage - livemint.com Tags: consumer spending, food inflation, LPG crisis, mini-metros, out-of-home consumption, Worldpanel Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/india-eating-out-volume-drops-8-6-as-lpg-crisis-bites/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/india-eating-out-volume-drops-8-6-as-lpg-crisis-bites/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.