Indian Products Still Speak British English
Next time you're grocery shopping in India, try this experiment: pick up any packaged product and look for text in your regional language. Chances are, you'll find very little or nothing at all.
Most Indian product packages are covered in English text. You'll see British spellings like "colour" and "flavour" detailed ingredient lists in English, and usage instructions that assume you're fluent in the language. Sometimes there's a token Hindi translation
Despite India's 22 official languages and hundreds of regional dialects, most packaging has details mentioned entirely in English. This can be a challenge for rural consumers who represent roughly 65% of India's population. They mostly rely on images, colors, and brand recognition to understand products.
They can't easily read ingredients, expiry dates, or usage instructions on products made for them, in their own country.
Data from Open Food Facts shows that some regional brands are bucking this trend. A few products do include proper labeling in local languages, especially items sold in specific states. Here are some examples -
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| Brand name of Homa Brown Bread in Assamese |
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| Mukharochak Special Papri Chanachur front package labeling in Bengali & English |
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| Package label of Saykal Chhap Moraayo in Gujarati & English |
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| Front package labeling of Hawaban Harde entirely in Hindi |
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| Vijaya Doodh Peda front package labeling in Telugu |
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