India Food Stats 🌶️🔥

Swiggy and Zomato have emerged as the dominant players in India's online food ordering and delivery market due to their aggressive expansion, innovative technology, and strong brand presence. A side-by-side comparison of Swiggy and Zomato - A monthly transacting user (MTU) is a customer that orders on the app at least once a month.

As per the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) given by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for Indians, 0.8 to 1 gm protein per kg body weight per day is needed to meet the basic nutritional requirements.  An effective way to do so would be to ensure that at every meal 1/4th of the plate is filled with protein. To explore packaged protein-rich food options, I analyzed 197 products (with known nutrition facts as of September 26, 2024) that have a protein value of over 25g per 100 grams in the India database on Open Food Facts  - the 'Wikipedia of food.' The data, sourced from Open Food Facts and subsequently cleaned, is available on GitHub in CSV format  and can be viewed through Excel or any other spreadsheet.  You can also explore the curated dataset using the online Flat Viewer tool if you're looking for options to increase your protein intake. Any one column can be pinned to make data in the table easier to analyze while scrolling. Data in all columns can be sort

"Let food be your medicine and medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates It's reassuring to know that food can act as preventive medicine.  Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal -  An A-Z Guide to Safe and Healthy Eating  expertly explores both the benefits and potential risks of various fruits, vegetables, and other food sources. Written by experts and filled with vibrant images, this engaging book presents essential information in a visually appealing way. It also addresses common health conditions and how different foods can affect them, with everything neatly organized alphabetically for easy reference. While the book is geared toward an American audience, which slightly limits its global appeal, it remains highly valuable and insightful. As a vegetarian and food enthusiast, I was surprised by how little I knew about the health benefits and drawbacks of the foods I’ve been eating for years. I found the book incredibly informative and highly recommend it to anyone seeking pract

Open Food Facts Days 2024 took place on Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd of September 2024 in Paris.  The recordings of the talks are available on YouTube  as a playlist. Interesting facts & takeaways: One third carbon emissions caused by food waste, 60% at home With OFF, there is a unique opportunity to combine Nutriscore health advice with environmental advice to help people AND the planet Give people nutritional incentives to reduce food waste- how it could help THEM. Tell them how the nutritional value of their food could IMPROVE with over ripening/time etc Tell them how to store their food better to prevent spoilage etc Buy less but eat MORE of what you buy Food is a blessing. Don't forget how important it is.

Paraphrased notes from the chat between Dr Pal & Krish Ashok , author of Masala Labs (2020, 280 pages) - Convenience is a crucial factor in maintaining a healthy diet and making sustainable food choices. Freezing food significantly slows down biological activity, preserving most nutrients. The loss of nutrients primarily occurs during cooking, not freezing. Frozen fruits and vegetables, in fact, often retain more nutrients than fresh ones that are left out for days.  Reheating food primarily affects water-soluble vitamins , like Vitamin C and B vitamins, but most other nutrients, including proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, remain intact. The small loss of nutrients from reheating is not significant enough to outweigh the benefits of home-cooked meals compared to calorie-dense restaurant food. Microwaves heat food by targeting water molecules, and they don't expose food to excessive heat that can destroy nutrients. Compared to stove reheating, microwaving preserves more nutrie

Source: Open Food Facts The 310ml Amul Probiotic Buttermilk plastic pouch comes with an intriguing disclaimer: "NOT FOR MEDICINAL USE." Source:  Open Food Facts This cautionary note seems to serve as a reminder to consumers that despite its "probiotic" label, the product isn't intended for medical treatment. But why include such a disclaimer at all? And what’s up with the unusual size—310ml? Previously, under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, manufacturers were required to label products with: "Non-standard pack size under the Legal Metrology Rules" if the package didn't conform to prescribed standard sizes. This rule was designed to keep consumers informed about non-standard sizes, ensuring transparency and reducing confusion around product packaging. For cost-conscious consumers, these non-standard pack sizes can complicate price comparisons across brands or products. The odd size and the seemingly unnecessary disclaimer fee

Data sourced from the nutrition labels of the respective products on Amazon.in and Open Food Facts Curd is made by fermenting milk with lactic acid bacteria. It's a staple in many diets and offers a good balance of nutrients. Yogurt , on the other hand, is made by fermenting milk using live strains of two kinds of bacteria -  Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus . This makes yogurt a better probiotic, supporting gut health. Greek Yogurt is a denser version of regular yogurt. It's also packed with more protein than curd, making it an excellent post-workout snack. Skyr (pronounced skeer ) is a traditional high-protein dairy product originating from Iceland. It contains about four times more protein than normal yogurt, making it a fantastic choice for fitness enthusiasts looking to build muscle and support recovery. Why Choose High-Protein Dairy? Muscle Recovery: High-protein dairy products like Greek yogurt and Skyr help repair and build muscle tissue after

Excerpts from a NDTV Profit article - India's $600 billion grocery market, a cornerstone for quick commerce, is largely dominated by more than 13 million local mom-and-pop stores. Quick deliveries account for $5 billion, or 45%, of the country's $11 billion online grocery market, according to Goldman Sachs.  Data suggests that the share of modern retail, including online commerce, which is currently below 10%, is set to cross 30% over the next 3-5 years. Much of this growth will come at the cost of traditional retail. The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation, that represents four lakh packaged goods distributors and stockiest, has recently raised alarms, urging Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to investigate the unchecked proliferation of quick commerce platforms and its potential ramifications for small traders. Data from research firm Kantar shows that general trade, which comprises kirana and paan-beedi shops, have grown 4.2% on a 12-mont

I've been actively  contributing to Open Food Facts (OFF)  - the Wikipedia of Food & an open-data project focused on food transparency and nutrition since January 2023, participating in both data collection and review. Recently, we've hit a significant milestone: 10,000 Indian products have been added to the global food information database by dedicated volunteers! While it took several years to reach this number, the last 4,000 products were added just during this year. It's been exciting to see crowdsourcing efforts in India gain real momentum. Here are a few insights I've gathered during the process of adding and editing data: * Many packaged food producers in India don’t clearly disclose what’s in their products. Important information like the manufacturing and expiry dates, ingredient lists, and nutritional details are often in tiny print, overshadowed by flashy marketing aimed at attracting consumers—especially kids and busy individuals. As a result, consumers

Fibre is essential for digestive health but often overlooked. Adequate fibre intake is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer. The daily fibre requirement for a healthy diet can vary based on age, gender, and overall health status. The American Heart Association recommends 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day from food, not supplements. Soluble fiber, found in foods like oats and beans, binds with cholesterol in the digestive system, helping to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in the body. Fiber can act as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria in your gut. Good vegetarian / vegan sources of fibre include: Cereals & Millets Grain Legumes Nuts and seeds Click the above links to view nutrient details of ~120 raw foods in the above listed categories. The data for the chart above has been sourced from  Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB) . The following chart created using data from Open Food Facts and validated with nutrition labels on Amazon, h

If you're keen on taking charge of your nutrition and feel limited by services like HealthifyMe or RecipeDB, you'll be happy to know about the Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB) !  This well-researched, Open Access Food Database (^Github)  offers comprehensive insights into the nutritional aspects of both raw foods and commonly consumed Indian recipes, helping you manage your health better. The INDB consists of two main components: a database of nutrient composition for 1,095 individual food items and a database of 1,014 commonly consumed recipes. Nutrient details of the food items & recipes are also available together as a downloadable Excel file from the website of Anuvaad Solutions . Whether you're a health enthusiast, a researcher, or a policymaker, the INDB offers unprecedented insight into the Indian diet.  Chart from the research study shows that the nutrient content of commonly consumed composite dishes varied considerably The raw food items database was primarily

Sir Arthur Cotton (1803 – 1899) was a British army officer and irrigation engineer who dedicated his life to transforming the parched landscapes of India into lush, thriving farmlands.  Even today Cotton's name is spoken with reverence in Konaseema, a region in Andhra Pradesh which greatly benefited from his irrigation projects.  One manufacturer of Idly Ravva, a type of semolina made from coarsely ground rice, has named their product after this benevolent engineering legend.