India Food Stats

Back in 2018, a 600g pack of Britannia Good Day Cashew Cookies costed Rs 105. Thanks to an archived image from 2018 from Open Food Facts , if you check the list of ingredients, you'll see that Cashew Nuts constituted 4.5% of the weight. All images are from Open Food Facts - the Wikipedia of Food By mid 2024, the cost increased to Rs 135 and the Cashew content reduced to 1.8%! 😲 Can a cookie with a mere 1.8% cashew content truly earn the title of "Cashew" Cookie? It's like calling a splash of lemon in water "lemonade"! Other brands' packaging might lead you to believe their biscuits are brimming with nuts, but a closer look at the ingredients list often reveals a nutty illusion rather than a nut-filled reality. UNIBIC's Kesar Cashew Badam Cookies boast a 'nutty' 1% of actual nuts, and the exotic Kesar or Saffron flavor? Well, that's courtesy of some creative artificial flavoring substances. 😦 McVitie's Tasties Cashew & Almond Co...

All images from OpenFoodFacts.org A comparison of Open Food Facts data from  December 27, 2023  &  November 27, 2024 , reveals that Aachi Biryani Masala has lowered its spice content and upped the salt. Within the Spice Content, the ingredients also changed - Onion flakes were introduced in 2024. While the order of the listing typically indicates which ingredient has a higher quantity & which is lower, the percentages of the individual spices is not mentioned. Ingredients in 2023 : Spice Content-93% (Red Chilli Powder, Dry Ginger, Garlic Flakes, Cloves, Cassia Bark (Taj), Fennel, Cardamom, Marati Moggu, Star Anise, Bay Leaves, Sesame, Turmeric Powder) and Salt-7% Ingredients in 2024 : Spice Content: 89% (Red Chilli powder, Coriander, Fennel, Garlic flakes, Onion flakes, Cassia bark (Taj), Dry Ginger, Star anise, Cumin, Bay Leaves, Turmeric powder, Pepper, Cardamom, Cloves, Mace) and Salt - 11%

If you thought the packaged food product you bought after checking its ingredients last year remain the same today, you could be in for a surprise. Let's look at the labelling of Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Bread The ingredients and nutritional information are presented in smaller print compared to the eye-catching marketing text - The label in November 2024 The ingredients list from November 2024 & January 2023 are listed below in the  following table. All images are from Open Food Facts - the Wikipedia of Food (click on dates in the table to see more about this product) November 2024 January 2023 Notes Whole Wheat Flour Whole Wheat Flour Same but percentage not mentioned - Wheat Bran Missing in new formulation - Gluten Sugar Sugar Yeast Yeast Iodised Salt Salt Refined Palmolein Oil Edible Vegetable Oil Transpar...

Palm oil is a widely used ingredient found in a vast array of processed food and consumer products. Its presence in everyday items like chocolates, biscuits, cakes, soaps, shampoos, and cleaning products underscores its significance in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector.  Did you know that in products like instant noodles, palm oil can comprise up to 20% of the total weight according to this NDTV Profit article . Palm oil constitutes a significant portion of the raw material costs for many FMCG companies.  For giants like Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL), this essential ingredient can make up 15-20% of their total raw material expenses, while it is even higher for Britannia and Nestle. HUL obtains its supply from its subsidiary, Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia.  The recent 12% surge in palm oil prices, representing a 46% year-on-year increase, has put a strain on these companies, squeezing their profit margins.  To mitigate the impact of rising prices, compani...

Health & fitness advice from tech entrepreneur & endurance athlete, Dilip Kumar - 1. Focus on what you eat, as well as when and how much you consume.   2. Cook your own meals—it’s a key step to taking control of your health.  Avoid processed foods that come in boxes, bags, or cans, especially those high in refined grains and sugar.  3. Eat a high-protein, nutrient-dense diet.   4.  Exercise to feel confident, prevent disease, and counteract the negative effects of a desk job. 5.   Prioritize strength training to build and maintain muscle, especially as you age by including activities like lifting weights, home workouts, running, or sports. 6.   Consistency matters more than intensity—stick to a routine.  7.  Treat sleep as a performance enhancer:       - Stop eating at least 3 hours before bed.       - Avoid screens for 1 hour before bed.   8. Balance stress with a...

Mandates from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for e-commerce food business operators (FBOs) : Food items delivered online must have a minimum shelf life of 30% or 45 days before expiry at the time of delivery. For example, if a packet of butter has a 10-day shelf life, it must have at least 3 days of shelf life left when delivered. For food items with longer shelf lives (e.g., 3 or 6 months), a minimum of 45 days of shelf life should remain at the time of delivery. No FBO can operate on any e-commerce platform without a valid FSSAI license or registration. Product claims made on e-commerce platforms must align with the information on product labels and adhere to FSSAI's Labelling and Display Regulations. Food items and non-food items should be delivered separately to consumers to avoid potential contamination.

Did you know that fatty liver disease (FLD) is becoming a major health concern, even surpassing other noncommunicable diseases?  It's a silent epidemic affecting a whopping 30% of the general population !  Indians are particularly susceptible to a severe form of liver disease called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) due to a gene called PNPLA3 . This gene can cause fat buildup, inflammation, and cell damage in the liver.  Shockingly, 90% of people with diabetes and obesity also have fatty liver disease !  The scary part? Many people don't even know they have it because it often has no symptoms. It's not just an issue for those who consume alcohol - it can affect men, women, and even children! So, how can you show your liver some love ? *  Limit your sugar intake: Sugary drinks, sweets, white bread, and other high-glycemic foods can increase insulin levels, leading to fat storage in your liver.  * Cut down on refined carbs: These can also contribute to ...

Nutrient profiling involves classifying or ranking foods based on their nutritional content to prevent disease and promote health. Notable nutrient profile models applicable to Asia and India include the Australasian Health Star Rating (HSR) and the WHO South East Asia Region (WHO SEAR) Nutrient Profile Model (NPM). To work optimally, nutrient profile models rely on the availability of comprehensive nutrition information.  In India, national nutrition labelling legislation generally only requires the display of energy content (in kilocalories), protein, carbohydrates, total sugars and total fats. Amounts of other nutrients are only required where a nutrient content claim is made. The table below from the ATNI-TGI India Product Profile 2023 [^PDF] shows the alignment of nutrients required for the Health Star Rating and WHO SEAR with those required by Indian labelling legislation Fiber is a notable omission, missing from the list.

WWF or World Wide Fund for Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund), is an independent conservation organisation, with more than 38 million followers and a global network active through local leadership in over 100 countries. The latest report from WWF, the 2024 Living Planet Report , highlights the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices to address the environmental challenges posed by the global food system. Packed with statistics, the report makes a strong case for why we must change how we produce and consume food before it's too late. Key Findings: Farming, including paddy fields, fishing trawlers, dairy farms, and coffee plantations, contributes a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. If the projected 10 billion people on Earth in 2050 adopt the diets of countries like Australia or Argentina, we would need 7-8 Earths to produce enough food. 71% of agricultural land is used for grazing livestock, leaving only 30% for growing crops for human consumption. Agriculture cons...