India Food Stats

Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company selling more than 2000 brands in 191 countries around the world. India contributes ‌roughly 2% ⁠to the Swiss behemoth's annual sales. Its Indian unit trades at 68 times its future earnings, higher than 43 times for Hindustan Unilever and reaches nine out of 10 Indian households.  Maggi and KitKat are big revenue generators for Nestlé in India.   Images:  Open Food Facts India is the largest market for KitKat globally. A list of Nestlé brands (those sold in India are highlighted) - Beverages General Bear Brand Sterilized Carnation Caro (sold in the US as Pero) Chuckie (Philippines) Cocoa D'Onofrio (Peru) Dancow (Indonesia) Enviga (joint-venture with Coca-Cola, Beverage Partners Worldwide) Libby's Milo Nescau (Brazil) Nesquik Nestea (joint-venture with Coca-Cola, Beverage Partners Worldwide) Ovaltine (U.S. only) Ricaca...

McVitie's Coconut Cookies sounded like a tropical escape. The ingredient list, however, reveals that the coconut seems to have missed the flight. 😄 With just 1.8% desiccated coconut powder , and the coconut experience leaning on nature identical and artificial flavouring substances, the cookie feels more "coconut-inspired" than truly coconut. Some older labels show the coconut content was 2.4% in the recent past. A little more real coconut and a little less help from the flavour lab could make these cookies live up to their delicious name. Here's hoping a future recipe lets the coconut do more of the talking!

Walk down the rusk aisle in any supermarket and you'll be greeted with cheerful promises of "Real Elaichi".  Pictures of green cardamom pods, comforting cups of chai, and words like Premium and Authentic practically guarantee a fragrant tea-time experience. Then comes the ingredient list. It turns out that in several products, the real elaichi is indeed present... just perhaps not quite as prominently as the front of the pack might lead one to imagine. Before going any further, an important disclaimer: The ingredient data below comes from product labels available on Open Food Facts, a community-maintained food database & Amazon India. Manufacturers may reformulate products over time, so the current product in the market may differ from the information presented here. Always refer to the label on the pack you purchase. How much "real elaichi" is actually there? Based on the ingredient declarations: Product Declared cardamom content Tata Soulfull Rusk Elaich...

The Mahua tree (Madhuca longifolia) is revered by many tribal and indigenous communities in India as a Kalpavriksha , the “wish‑fulfilling tree,” because nearly every part of it provides food, medicine, livelihood, and cultural value - Its flowers are eaten fresh, dried, used as sweeteners , fermented into liquor (also called "mahuli", "mahura","Ippa") - quite possibly the world's only flower-based spirit! Its seeds yield edible oil and illipe butter (used in chocolate and margarine) Its bark has medicinal properties Its leaves serve as fodder and support tassar silk production Back in the 19th century, British colonial authorities banned it to control tax revenue, labeling it a dangerous intoxicant. They even restricted the collection of the flowers themselves. The result? Production went underground, quality control went out the window, and unfortunately some genuinely unsafe batches gave the drink a bad name — a stigma that lingered long after India...

Podi is a popular South Indian condiment (served alongside or on top of food). It is a magical dry powder that South Indians sprinkle, mix, or aggressively shove into their mouths when they decide that life needs more flavor. It is the region's answer to ketchup, except it has personality. Made by roasting lentils, chilies, and spices into a coarse, earthy, slightly dangerous-looking dust, podi is proof that South Indian grandmothers figured out umami long before it became a trend on cooking shows. It does not merely accompany food. It rescues it. Idli Podi , specifically, is the Beyoncé of the podi family.  Image: Open Food Facts Also known as gunpowder, Idli Podi is a dry, coarse spice powder traditionally made from roasted lentils (urad dal, chana dal), dried red chilies, sesame seeds, curry leaves, and spices.  Picture this: you are staring at a plate of pale, fluffy, innocent idlis. They look like they have never experienced conflict. They are basically edible clouds. ...