India Food Stats

India is the world’s largest importer of edible oil , running a massive deficit to keep its kitchens running. Here is how the country went from self-sufficiency to a 60% import dependency, told through the numbers. The Macro Picture: A ₹1.72 Trillion Bill The Fiscal Shock: In FY26, India shelled out ₹1.72 trillion to import cooking oils. The Comparison: This massive import bill is higher than the Union government’s entire annual budget for the farm sector (₹1.59 trillion). The Dependency: India currently relies on foreign markets for 60% of its total cooking oil requirements. Palm oil alone commands a staggering one-third of all oil consumed nationwide. Image: Mint The Consumption Boom 1980–81: The average Indian consumed less than 4 kg of cooking oil per year . 2021–22: Annual per capita consumption skyrocketed to nearly 20 kg , fueled by a consumer shift toward "pure," odorless, colorless, and solvent-extracted refined oils. The 30-Year U-Turn The Golden Era (Early 1990s):...

Cholesterol has a bit of a bad reputation. But this waxy, fat-like substance is actually an unsung hero living inside every one of your cells. Our body contains about 100 grams of cholesterol. That’s a surprisingly decent amount for something we’re often told to fear! Cholesterol is made mainly in the liver (67–75%), with the rest coming from your diet (25–33%). It’s essential for: Building flexible but sturdy cell membranes Making hormones Producing vitamin D Creating bile acids that help you digest fats In short, without cholesterol, your body would throw a serious tantrum. Because fats don’t mix well with water (think oil and water in a bottle), our body cleverly packages cholesterol into tiny delivery vehicles called lipoproteins: LDL (“Bad” cholesterol): The delivery truck that drops cholesterol off around the body. Too many trucks and traffic jams (plaques) can form in your arteries. HDL (“Good” cholesterol): The cleanup crew that hauls excess cholesterol back to the liver for re...

If you’ve ever ordered sambar at an Indian restaurant and thought, “Wait… this tastes different every time,” this chart is your official “aha!” moment. The cheeky title “Your sambar is not so same-bar” says it all: the same comforting South Indian lentil-vegetable stew gets a totally different personality depending on which Indian State is cooking it. Instead of boring numbers, the chart uses coloured blocks where the size + shade shows exactly how often each ingredient pops up in real recipes from that state. Quick sambar 101 Sambar is a tangy, spicy, soupy stew made with lentils (usually toor dal/pigeon peas), loads of vegetables, and a signature spice blend. It’s the ultimate sidekick to idli, dosa, vada, or rice across South India.  Think of it as India’s answer to a hearty vegetable chowder—with attitude. What this chart actually shows Surbhi Bhatia has created an ingredient heatmap using 43 real recipes from popular Indian cooking websites.  Rows = five states (Tamil Na...

From train journeys to daily home use, packaged drinking water has come a long way. Today, it’s not just dominated by a few big names — the Open Food Facts India database already lists 35+ brands — from national players to smaller regional names: Bisleri Bailey Aquafina   Kinley Glaceau Smartwater Evian Qua Clear Aava Himalayan Evocus Tata Copper SVVA AQA Independence Sunrich Aqua Spari Schweppes Rajhans Surewater Patanjali Oxygrannd Neycer Nero Meriba Melborn Kohinoor Iyra Ice Gravity Bindu Aquavelly Aqua Sip Aqua Peya Rail Neer Winway  Zurica ... Packaged vs Mineral Water In bottled water labeled as “Packaged Drinking Water,” minerals aren’t naturally present — they’re usually added back artificially. Natural Mineral Water is water sourced from natural springs or underground aquifers that contains naturally occurring minerals.  Most bottled water sold in India is not mineral water — it is treated and repackaged water. A report by Data for India , based on the National ...

The Price Monitoring Division of the Department of Consumer Affairs tracks retail and wholesale prices of the following 40 essential commodities   from 577 monitoring centres across India  (as of 17-Feb-2026)  - Rice Wheat Atta (Wheat) Gram Dal(Bharat Dal Adjusted), Gram Dal Tur / Arhar Dal Urad Dal Moong Dal Masoor Dal Sugar Milk  Groundnut Oil  Mustard Oil  Vanaspati  Soya Oil  Sunflower Oil Palm Oil  Gur Tea Loose Salt (Iodised) Potato Onion Tomato Bajra (whole) Jowar (whole) Maida (wheat) Ragi (whole) Suji (whole) Besan Desi Ghee Butter (Pasteurised) Eggs Brinjal Black Pepper (whole) Coriander (whole) Cummin Seed (whole) Red Chillies (whole) Turmeric (powder) Banana Ginger  Garlic The Food Commodity Price Dashboard , created by IndiaSpend.com, monitors daily retail prices of 22 key food commodities across States & UTs of India  and presents it through charts for easy understanding. IndiaSpend automatically fetches and proces...

High cocoa prices have triggered a wave of “reformulations” — the industry’s polite term for recipe changes across the U.S. chocolate market. The familiar “milk chocolate” label (a term regulated by the FDA) is quietly being replaced by the more flexible “chocolate candy.” Over the last decade, climate change has added six extra weeks of extreme heat every year to most West African cocoa-growing regions. The result? Declining yields and rising prices. Major players like Nestlé have saved more than $500 million by adjusting recipes in response to the cocoa and coffee price surge. To cut costs, companies are swapping cocoa butter for vegetable fats, using compound coatings, and adding emulsifiers like E476 (polyglycerol polyricinoleate) to stretch limited cocoa supplies. Others are bulking up bars with sugar or chunky add-ins or even switching to cheaper beans and different manufacturers. Chocolate Standards: A Global Contrast Source: Surbhi Bhatia U.S. (FDA): Milk chocolate must contai...

The Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI) released a noteworthy report in 2023 analyzing the nutritional quality of 1,901 food and beverage products from 20 large global companies operating in India. The report’s summary concluded: “On balance, it is reasonable to conclude that the average healthiness of the products provided and sold by the largest Indian food companies is sub-optimal.” After reading that, I was curious to explore the NOVA classification of foods sold in India, using data from the Open Food Facts (OFF) India database, which includes nutrition details for over 16,000 packaged products. 📊 Check out How Processed Are Popular Indian Food Brands to see a brand-wise distribution of products by NOVA Group. Currently, the analysis covers 25 brands, but the plan is to gradually expand it to the 3,000+ brands listed in the OFF India database. We place a lot of trust in food brands. But since a majority of them also sell  ultra-processed foods (UPFs) , it’s vital to read...

India also leads the world with over 212 million cases of diabetes while a third of Indians suffer from hypertension Many in this large pool of patients are likely to have a common condition: obesity. As per the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21),  24% of Indian women and 23% of Indian men are overweight or obese, in other words roughly one in four adults is overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to more than 200 serious health conditions. Obesity is a medical condition , considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. It has also been called a chronic disease . The debate on whether obesity should be classified as a disease continues in the U.K. and many other countries worldwide.  People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's weight divided by the square of the person's height—is over 30 kg/m2; the range 25–30 kg/m2 i...

Image source: Open Food Facts Paneer Composition & Characteristics Indigenous dairy product from the Indian subcontinent Also known as Indian cottage cheese Made through heat and acid coagulation of milk Entraps fat and casein complexed with denatured whey proteins, salts, and lactose Marble white with firm, cohesive, spongy body and close-knit texture Possesses sweetish-acidic-nutty flavor Real Paneer contains only milk fat. Analogue Paneer is made using plant-based substitutes like palm oil or soy protein instead of milk fat. Although not illegal it must be clearly labelled. It can't have over 2% trans-fat. Adulterated Paneer contains harmful additives like saccharin, fabric whiteners, and chemicals. It can also be unhygienic Production Made from cow milk, buffalo milk, or combination. Can also use recombined milk (skim milk powder, cream/butter, water) or reconstituted milk (whole milk powder, water) Fat content varies by product type. As per FSSAI standards, pa...

Dates are quite the energy providers! Dates are primarily carbohydrates, making up about 75% of their mass . Within these carbs, you'll find a good chunk of sugars, around 63% , and also a fair bit of dietary fibre, about 8% . The main sugars present are monosaccharides like glucose (23–30%) and fructose (19–28%) , with only a negligible amount of sucrose. They contain  less than 1% fat , and provide about 2% protein . Dates also pack in some important minerals. A 100-gram serving is considered a rich source of potassium (22%  of the Daily Value ) . They're also a moderate source (10–19% DV) of pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, magnesium, and manganese . Despite their sweetness, dates have a relatively low glycemic index (GI) in the range of 38–71, with an average of 53 . Their glycemic load (GL) is also low, averaging at 9 for a serving of three fruits (27 grams) . There are reportedly 250-400 date cultivars and varieties.   A cultivar (cultivated variety) is a plant v...

From a tweet by Dilip Kumar (@kmr_dilip) Data is published by National Family Health Surveys (NFHS), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), WHO & Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). Computed all together.

If you are seeking alternatives to cow or buffalo milk for any reason—whether it be ethics, allergies, or a preference for the exotic - explore the wonderful world of plant-based milks! Image: OpenFoodFacts.org Almond milk  is the low-protein, low-carb option, perfect if you're watching your weight or just want a light, nutty flavour. But be warned, it's not the nutritional powerhouse of the group.  O at milk i s the darling of the plant-based world. Full of those  good-for-you beta-glucans  (a fancy word for fibre), it's got a creamy texture that makes it a winner in lattes and smoothies. Just watch the carbs!  S oy milk is  the OG plant-based milk. It's been around for ages and packs a protein punch that rivals dairy. Plus, it's a good source of potassium, which is great for your muscles. People used to think soy milk was bad because it mimics oestrogen, but turns out those fears were unfounded! Soy milk is safe and healthy. Coconut milk  deser...

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting daily sodium intake to 5 grams, which is about 2 grams of salt. Plant-based pickles are popular in India, but those watching their salt intake should be cautious due to the high sodium content. Image - OpenFoodFacts.org While some brands don't list sodium content on their labels, others recommend small serving sizes, typically ranging from 5 to 30 grams, to address health concerns. Here's a look at the sodium content in popular pickle brands: The sodium content in the chart could have been displayed by serving size, as it is unlikely that anyone consumes 100 grams of pickles in one sitting. Due to the absence of a standard serving size and the fact that nutrition labels indicate sodium per 100 grams, I had to present it accordingly as the focus was on showing the high salt content. The data is collected from Open Food Facts, Amazon.in, and the respective brand websites - Priya Lime Pickle Tops Gold Lime Pickle ...

By understanding the typical shelf life of the groceries you purchase, you can better plan your purchases and how to store them. The Bullet Bar charts below display the minimum and maximum shelf life of various packaged perishables & groceries , based on my personal experience & data from the India database of Open Food Facts . Note that perishables have to be maintained according to the temperature & conditions mentioned on the package. The FoodKeeper app & website provide general shelf-life of food products in the US Smartphone Apps like Foodless / Expiry Date Scanner by Danielius Asmontas allow you to track expiry dates & help prevent food wastage. Also see -  Food Loss & Food Waste

Based on the last 90 day average (as of 6-Dec-24), about 18 products are being added to the Open Food Facts India Database each day & ~540 in a month. Guess which Ingredients  are the most used among the 11K products (for which details have been added) - Sugar & Salt! On package labels in India, salt may sometimes be listed as "Iodised salt". All Images - OpenFoodFacts.org The Brands (among 2500+ in the database) with currently the highest number of products added are: Britannia Amul Parle  Cadbury  Haldiram's  Sunfeast  Dabur  Maggi  Nestle  Kellogg's  The top food categories (among 1713 categories compared to 71111 categories in the overall global database) are: Biscuits Snacks  Beverages  Breads  Peanut butters Potato crisps  Sweetened beverages  Instant noodles  Teas  Milks  Check the  Open Food Facts Dashboard for India  for a quick overview of the completeness and data qual...

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...

When it comes to packaged health foods in India, The Whole Truth stands out for its clear ingredient and nutrition labeling. The Whole Truth 5 Grain Muesli , Image - Open Food Facts In a market where many popular products obscure unhealthy ingredients like fat, sugar, and salt with tiny fonts or deceptive language, The Whole Truth labeling is refreshingly transparent. Let's see how  Open Food Facts , the world's largest crowdsourced open database, can help in making a choice by quickly exploring products from a product category or a brand.   Open Food Facts provides a custom tool called Mirabelle that makes playing with its open database very easy through its interactive interface. You can filter by different parameters and dive into the nutrient details of food products to choose products that suit you through the OFF website also.  One of The Whole Truth brand's pricey standout offering is Whey Protein with over 70g of Protein, available in bo...

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is responsible for ensuring public health by promoting food safety. The FSSAI and State Food Safety Authorities share this responsibility as outlined by the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. The FSSAI provides policy intervention, direction, and coordination at the national level, while States/UTs conduct food safety enforcement at the field level. To incentivize States and UTs to enhance food safety within their regions, the FSSAI announces the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) annually. This index is based on performance in five significant parameters: Human Resources and Institutional Data, Compliance, Food Testing-Infrastructure and Surveillance, Training & Capacity Building, and Consumer Empowerment. The chart below represents the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) scores PDF for different states and Union Territories in India.  The marking for the Index is based on data from various FSSAI online portals such as FoSCoS,...

I analyzed 99 Ghee & Oil products (with known nutrition facts as of September 26, 2024) from 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 . You can explore the curated datasets for Ghee & Oils conveniently using the online Flat Viewer tool or through Excel or any other spreadsheet software after downloading it. The following chart can help you compare different types of cooking oils and make informed choices based on your individual needs and preferences. It shows the amounts of saturated fat, monounsaturated fat (MUFA), and polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) for each product. All these types of fats offer approximately 900 kcal of energy, with 0g protein, 0g carbs, and roughly 100g fat per 100g serving. The chart has been created using data from Open Food Facts and validated with nutrition labels on Amazon for these branded food products: Coco Soul ...

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.