India Food Stats

Some takeaways from The Pink Book: Your Guide for Safe and Nutritious Food at Home  published by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).  All oils are 100% fat, and therefore, should be consumed in recommended quantities only. No plant-based oil contains cholesterol. Some oils are more easily absorbed than others but 1 gm of any oil will give the same amount of energy, i.e., 9 kcal. Every kind of oil has some percentage of saturated fats, even though some oils contain more saturated fats than others. Often low fat foods have extra sugar, refined flour or starch thickeners to make them taste better. These ingredients add calories from carbohydrates, which may lead to weight gain. Brown bread need not mean whole wheat bread. Brown bread is often coloured with caramel colour and may have only a small percentage of wheat flour. To be genuinely labelled 'whole wheat bread', it must be at least 50% whole wheat.  Even a small amount of spoiled food can cause health...

The top three players in India's Rs 43,800-crore salty snacks market are  Haldiram's (21%), PepsiCo (15%) and Balaji Wafers . Source:  The Times of India Rajkot-based company, Balaji Wafers, saw a remarkable growth in profits during the fiscal year 2023, with net profits surging to Rs 409 crore from Rs 7.2 crore in the previous year. The company also experienced a substantial increase in sales, recording a 24% growth and achieving revenues of Rs 5,010 crore. Gujarat-based Balaji Wafers was founded by Chandubhai, Bhikubhai and Kanubhai Virani in 1982. The Virani brothers started by selling prepackaged snacks at a cinema canteen in the 1970s.  Specializing in bhujia, potato chips, and namkeens, Balaji primarily operates in fewer than twelve states, with a significant presence in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, where it commands an estimated 65% share of the organized market.  In contrast to most FMCG companies, which typically allocate 8-12% of their annual sale...

A Food Business Operator (FBO) operating in more than two States has to get Central License for its registered Office/ Head Office and separate license/ Registration for each unit depending upon the capacity/ turnover from the concerned State/ Central Licensing Authority. Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) is an enhanced version of Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS) which was launched in 2012 for issuance of pan-India FSSAI Licenses and Registration.  To verify details of the manufacturer, use the Search feature via the 'FBO Search' tab on the FoSCoS website  - Individual or state-wide licenses can be retrieved. Inactive licenses are also listed in the results. FSSAI license number details that are shown include: FBO/company name. Premises address. License number. License type (State License or Central License). Validity (whether active or inactive). List of products of the FBO To safeguard the interests of the consumer and the society at large, Food Safety and ...

Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is responsible for framing standards for food products and for food safety.  The Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 initially prescribed standards for 377 products/product categories. Since, then additionally standards for 134 products have been finalized and notified and an equal number of the product standards are in the process of being finalized. As of 2021, there are 18 Main categories of food  and another about "Substances added to food" defined by FSSAI and represented by numeric codes: Dairy products and analogues Fats and oils, and fat emulsions Edible ices, including sorbet Fruits and vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, fresh pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweeds, and nuts and seeds Confectionery Cereals and cereal products, derived from cereal grains, from roots and tubers, pulse...

Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM , Neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, has the following suggestions for those consuming energy drinks:  If one has to drink, keep the consumption to up to 500 ml (~2 X 200 ml bottles), as greater than 2 bottles would exceed the caffeine intake that is considered safe in one go (about 200 mg). People suffering from high BP, heart diseases and epilepsy should be extra careful and preferably avoid consuming energy drinks.  Energy drinks like Sting & Red Bull typically have Caffeine content of 75mg / 250ml