India Food Stats

In Indian kitchens, most of us instinctively reach for that familiar-looking 1-litre pouch of cooking oil, expecting exactly one litre inside. However, many popular cooking oil brands now sell their products in pouches that look very similar to the standard 1-litre size, but actually contain slightly less oil — often 850 ml, 900 ml, or 950 ml. Some brands use tall, slim bottles to create a visual illusion and make 850g of oil look identical to a 1L bottle on a crowded supermarket shelf. This is psychological pricing in action. Consumers are very sensitive to a price jump from say ₹145 to ₹160. They are much less sensitive to the weight dropping from 910g to 850g if the price stays at ₹145. This practice, sometimes called “shrinkflation” or “non-standard sizing,” has become increasingly common in recent years. While the pack design, shape, and branding make the pouch appear almost identical to a full 1-litre pack, the actual volume printed on the label is smaller. For the average buye...

If you’ve ever ordered sambar at an Indian restaurant and thought, “Wait… this tastes different every time,” this chart is your official “aha!” moment. The cheeky title “Your sambar is not so same-bar” says it all: the same comforting South Indian lentil-vegetable stew gets a totally different personality depending on which Indian State is cooking it. Instead of boring numbers, the chart uses coloured blocks where the size + shade shows exactly how often each ingredient pops up in real recipes from that state. Quick sambar 101 Sambar is a tangy, spicy, soupy stew made with lentils (usually toor dal/pigeon peas), loads of vegetables, and a signature spice blend. It’s the ultimate sidekick to idli, dosa, vada, or rice across South India.  Think of it as India’s answer to a hearty vegetable chowder—with attitude. What this chart actually shows Surbhi Bhatia has created an ingredient heatmap using 43 real recipes from popular Indian cooking websites.  Rows = five states (Tamil Na...

Ever feel like your curd is quietly ghosting you? That’s shrinkflation doing its sneaky thing—brands trimming the pack size while the price tag stays suspiciously steady. Take Amul Curd : back in 2025 it came in a solid 850g pack.  Fast-forward to now (April 2026), and it’s down to 800g.  This would have been hard to know if not for Open Food Facts  keeping records from the past. The price remains at 100% while the volume has dropped to 94%. Consumers are effectively paying 6.25% more per gram . It’s the classic move—less product, same shelf price = higher cost per gram. Not illegal, just… cheeky. Next time you grab a pack, flip it over and play detective. Your wallet (and your curd cravings) will thank you!

Usually, Indian milk sachets just scream 'double toned' and call it a day, but Sudha Dairy decided to go full philosopher mode. The message in the box at the bottom of a milk packet is a anti-dowry slogan in Hindi: Image - Open Food Facts Transliteration: Jab tak rahegi dahej pratha, beti rahegi dukhhi sada. English translation: 'As long as the dowry system exists, a daughter will always remain unhappy.' Sudha Milk is the flagship brand of COMFED (Bihar State Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation Limited). It dominates the market across every district in Bihar and has a massive presence in Jharkhand (with major dairies in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and Bokaro). In rural Bihar and Jharkhand, where the milk packet reaches millions of kitchens every morning, it's one of the most effective "billboards" for spreading social messages about education, health, and social reforms like this anti-dowry slogan.

Data and pictures from Open Food Facts show that back in 2024 , the front label proudly declared Storia 100% Pomegranate Juice, promising a bottle full of pure pomegranate goodness with no added sugar and no preservatives.  Fast-forward a little, and the packaging got a quiet update. The bold “100%” on the front quietly stepped aside, and the product now simply reads Storia Pomegranate Juice . Same vibrant bottle, same confident vibe… but the front is suddenly a little more… modest. You flip it around to the ingredients list, and that’s where the plot thickens.  In the most polite, regulatory-approved way possible: Water, Fruit Juice [Apple Concentrate 12% & Pomegranate Juice Concentrate 4%], Salt, Acidity Regulators [INS 331(iii), INS 330], Stevia [INS 960] and Antioxidant [INS 300]. Right below is the declaration:   Equivalent to 100% Fruit Juice (Reconstituted)   and   CONTAINS ADDED NATURE IDENTICAL FLAVOURING SUBSTANCES (POMEGRANATE) Ah, ...