India Food Stats

Some takeaways from The Pink Book: Your Guide for Safe and Nutritious Food at Home  published by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).  All oils are 100% fat, and therefore, should be consumed in recommended quantities only. No plant-based oil contains cholesterol. Some oils are more easily absorbed than others but 1 gm of any oil will give the same amount of energy, i.e., 9 kcal. Every kind of oil has some percentage of saturated fats, even though some oils contain more saturated fats than others. Often low fat foods have extra sugar, refined flour or starch thickeners to make them taste better. These ingredients add calories from carbohydrates, which may lead to weight gain. Brown bread need not mean whole wheat bread. Brown bread is often coloured with caramel colour and may have only a small percentage of wheat flour. To be genuinely labelled 'whole wheat bread', it must be at least 50% whole wheat.  Even a small amount of spoiled food can cause health...

The top three players in India's Rs 43,800-crore salty snacks market are  Haldiram's (21%), PepsiCo (15%) and Balaji Wafers . Source:  The Times of India Rajkot-based company, Balaji Wafers, saw a remarkable growth in profits during the fiscal year 2023, with net profits surging to Rs 409 crore from Rs 7.2 crore in the previous year. The company also experienced a substantial increase in sales, recording a 24% growth and achieving revenues of Rs 5,010 crore. Balaji Wafers was founded by Chandubhai, Bhikubhai and Kanubhai Virani in 1982. Specializing in bhujia, potato chips, and namkeens, Balaji primarily operates in fewer than twelve states, with a significant presence in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, where it commands an estimated 65% share of the organized market.  In contrast to most FMCG companies, which typically allocate 8-12% of their annual sales for advertising and promotion, Balaji Wafers spent less than 2% on A&P in the last fiscal year.

Food Business Operator (FBO) operating in more than two States has to get Central License for its registered Office/ Head Office and separate license/ Registration for each units depending upon the capacity/ turnover from the concerned State/ Central Licensing Authority. Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) is an enhanced version of Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS) which was launched in 2012 for issuance of pan-India FSSAI Licenses and Registration.  To verify details of the manufacturer, use the Search feature on the FoSCoS website - Individual or state-wide licenses can be retrieved. Inactive licenses are also listed in the results. To safeguard the interests of the consumer and the society at large, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has notified Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011. These Regulations are now being split into three parts, namely: 1. Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations; 2. Food Safety and Sta...

Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is responsible for framing standards for food products and for food safety.  The Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 initially prescribed standards for 377 products/product categories. Since, then additionally standards for 134 products have been finalized and notified and an equal number of the product standards are in the process of being finalized. As of 2021, there are 18 Main categories of food  defined by FSSAI: Dairy products and analogues Fats and oils, and fat emulsions Edible ices, including sorbet Fruits and vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, fresh pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds Confectionery Cereals and cereal products, derived from cereal grains, from roots and tubers, pulses, legumes (fresh pulses and legumes are covered in category 4.2) and pith or ...

Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM , Neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, has the following suggestions for those consuming energy drinks:  If one has to drink, keep the consumption to up to 500 ml (~2 X 200 ml bottles), as greater than 2 bottles would exceed the caffeine intake that is considered safe in one go (about 200 mg). People suffering from high BP, heart diseases and epilepsy should be extra careful and preferably avoid consuming energy drinks.  Energy drinks like Sting & Red Bull typically have Caffeine content of 75mg / 250ml

Russian plant explorer Nikolai Vavilov initially identified the centers of origin for eight crop plants, subdividing them further into twelve groups in 1935. Around 7000 BCE, sesame and brinjal were harvested and humped cattle were domesticated in the Indus Valley. By 3000 BCE, spices, like turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and mustard seed were harvested. Corn, beans and squash were domesticated in Mesoamerica around 3500 BCE. Potatoes, quinoa and manioc were domesticated in South America. In what is now the eastern United States, Native Americans domesticated sunflower around 2500 BCE. Our entire food system is now completely global .  A study by The Royal Society reveals that national diets have adopted new crops and become more and more globally alike in recent decades.  Bananas, a crop requiring tropical growing conditions, are now consumed in at least 167 countries, including all temperate regions. Foreign crops make up more than 69 percent of country food supplies and ...

Iconic eats & drinks named after the place they are from: Adamchini Chawal Agra Petha Agsechi Vayingim Ajara Ghansal Rice Ajmeri Kalakand Alibag White Onion Allahabad Surkha guava Alleppey Green Cardamom Almora Lakhori Mirchi Alphonso mango Alwar Ka Mawa Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam Ambemohar Rice Ambur Biriyani Amritsari Chole Amritsari Kulcha Appemidi Mango Araku Valley Arabica Coffee Arunachal Orange Arunachal Pradesh Adi Kekir Arunachal Pradesh Angnyat Millet Arunachal Pradesh Khaw Tai Arunachal Pradesh Singpho Phalap Arunachal Pradesh Yak Churpi Assam Tea Assam Karbi Anglong Ginger Atreyapuram Pootharekulu Attappady Aattukombu Avara Attappady Thuvara Authoor Vetrilai Bababudangiri Arabica Coffee Badlapur Jamun Bahadoli Jamun Balaghat Chinnor Banaras Tirangi Barfi Banaras Thandai Banaras Lal Bharwamirch (Red Pickle Chilli) Banaras Lal Peda Banaras Langda Aam Banarasi Paan Bandar laddu Bangalore Blue Grapes Bangalore rose onion Banganapalle Mango Bardhaman Mihi...

Ever noticed those playful Green Dots and Reddish-Brown Triangles (it was a Red Dot earlier) on food packages? They're like the quirky emojis of the culinary world! The Green Dot and Reddish-Brown Triangle symbols identify vegetarian & non-vegetarian food respectively. Can you imagine a food product that has "meat" in its name with the green dot symbol? Guess what? Many Meat Masala brands are basically a blend of ground spices, and carry a Green Dot on the packaging!