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Showing posts from February, 2026

Wikipedia of Food in India Just Got Bigger: 20K Products Milestone Unlocked

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The India section of Open Food Facts has just smashed through an exciting milestone:  20,000 Indian packaged food products  now documented in this crowdsourced, transparent global database (the "Wikipedia of food")! What's truly impressive is the acceleration: it took around 12 years to build the first 10,000 entries, but the community-powered rocket fuel kicked in hard and the next 10,000 poured in over just the last 15 months. This reflects surging volunteer energy, growing scanner app usage across India, and increasing interest in decoding labels for better nutrition choices. The number of unique brands has nearly doubled too — soaring from over 2,500 in 2024 to more than 4,700 today. That diversity captures everything from everyday staples to regional specialties and modern packaged innovations. Here are the brands currently leading the pack with the highest number of products added (based on the latest community contributions): Britannia Amul Parle  Cadbury  Ha...

Is this Actually 'Real'? Meet the Juice Brand That's 97% Fruit Juice + 3% Pulp

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Picture this: a Vietnamese juice brand rolls into India with the hilariously chill name Water Delight ... like, are we hydrating or throwing a fruit party? 😂 But then you flip the pack and... wait, this isn't another "100% magic" label scam. Nope! These guys are actually packing real fruit juice (97%) and pulp (3%). I spotted this on Open Food Facts and I'm yet to taste it, but the transparency is refreshing—clear ingredient list and nutrition table in an easy-to-read font, no magnifying glass needed. Images - in.openfoodfacts.org Compared to those sneaky local " Real " or "Pure" brands that sometimes quietly slip in 10–15% juice from concentrate, this feels strangely satisfying in 2026, when so many drinks are basically just fruit-flavored water with a side of marketing. 🍍🥭

Go Nuts for Cashews: The Tropical Seed That's More Than Just a Snack

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Cashews seeds are loaded with healthy fats (about 45% monounsaturated, similar to olive oil), which support heart health by lowering bad cholesterol. They're also a solid source of plant-based protein (18g per 100g), magnesium for muscle function, and antioxidants like vitamin E that combat oxidative stress.  Moderation is key, though; at around 550 calories per 100g, they're energy-dense. Cashew kernels are obtained through processing (roasting / steaming, shelling and peeling) of raw cashewnuts. Processing influences bioavailability—lightly roasted cashews preserve more heat-sensitive nutrients like zinc, which boosts immunity, compared to heavily fried versions. Cashew Kernels, for commercial purposes, are graded based on their colour, shape and size . W320 is the grade designation for White Wholes, which can be white, pale ivory, or light ash in color. The number 320 indicates the count of kernels per 454 grams. Cashew kernels are also available as roasted, salted, flavour...

Nutrition Unboxed: Alpino High Protein Super Oats

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Let's playfully decode this Alpino High Protein Super Oats label like we're detectives in a tasty mystery novel. Image & nutrition details: Open Food Facts The big brag: 24% protein and "No Refined Sugar" . Where's all that magic coming from? Spoiler alert — it's not fairy dust! Let's scan the ingredients: Rolled Oats (45%), Texturised Soya Protein (21%), Unsweetened Peanut Butter (20%), Organic Jaggery (10%), Instant coffee (4%), Rosemary Extract  The protein hero is clearly the Texturised Soya Protein (21%) — that's the real muscle-builder here. Soya chunks/textured vegetable protein are a classic plant-based powerhouse, packing around 50g protein per 100g dry. Rolled oats themselves bring a respectable ~11-13g protein/100g, and unsweetened peanut butter chips in another ~25g/100g with bonus healthy fats. So the combo of oats + a hefty dose of textured soya + peanut butter easily pushes this blend to that impressive 24g protein per 100g mark...

Michael Moss on Big Food

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Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Michael Moss, author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller Salt Sugar Fat, shares how food manufacturers cleverly use the science of human behavior, biology, and marketing. With humor, real-life examples, and insights from investigative reporting, he reveals how companies get consumers to buy, often at the expense of their health. Fun facts from the talk: > How many kinds of sugar can you find on grocery store food labels? 56! > How many types of salt does the food industry use in processed food? 40

Beat the Pack Size Trap: A Smart Budget Tool for Indian Protein Shoppers

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Ever noticed how health foods come in weird sizes like 325g or 924g? Brands do this to make it nearly impossible to compare prices. Here's a "vibe coded" Protein Cost Calculator to find the metric that matters to the value shopper: Price per gram of actual protein (₹/g). Soya Chunks are the most protein-dense plant-based options available with ~15g of fibre and ~1g of fat. Combine with varied proteins (dal, paneer, eggs, dairy, nuts) for balance. The tool is best viewed in the desktop browser or in landscape mode on mobile devices. Why use this? 40+ Sources compared across different brands and food groups Beat the "Pack Size" Trap: Don't let non-standard packaging hide the true cost. Fully Customizable: Amazon prices change daily. Rufus (Amazon's AI) can give you price history, but this tool lets you plug in your local store prices to see the real-time winner.

Website: FoodData Central

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FoodData Central  is an integrated data system that provides expanded nutrient profile data and links to related agricultural and experimental research. It provides nutrition data of ~500K branded food products.  The  FoodData Central API  provides REST access to FoodData Central (FDC).  USDA FoodData Central data are in the public domain and they are not copyrighted. They are published under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0)

Website: ABCDE.LV

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ABCDE.LV is a beautifully designed website built by Yuri Ivanov that shows Nutri-Score ratings for products sold in Latvia.