India, like in many other countries, is undergoing a major “nutrition transition”. In what characterises rapidly changing dietary patterns, there is a significant shift away from traditional diets, which were high in fibre and comprised mostly whole foods, to more western-style diets, which are processed and high in calories. This change has coincided with rapid economic progress and urbanisation along with a surge in the consumption of packaged and processed foods (popularly called “junk foods”). These foods are nutritionally low in vitamins, minerals, fibre but are high in calories, fats, salt, sugar, and innumerable preservatives. Categorised as high in fats, salts and sugars (HFSS) foods, scientific evidence shows how junk food has been medically found to weaken the body’s defences against infection, increase blood pressure, lead to a spike in blood sugar, cause weight gain, and also contribute to increased risk of cancer. Often packaged as comfort foods in India, examples of such junk or HFSS foods include cookies, cakes, chips, namkeen, instant noodles, sugary drinks, frozen meals, canned fruits, Indian sweets, and bakery products. It should come as no surprise that India is experiencing an explosion of lifestyle diseases, with unhealthy diets being one of the single largest contributing factors. To put the magnitude of the health burden into perspective, an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study published in 2023 estimates that in India the prevalence of metabolic disorders is glaringly high where 11% has diabetes, 35% is hypertensive and almost 40% are suffering from abdominal obesity.
A significant factor to consider while analysing the evolving dietary habits of Indians is the influence of aggressive advertising to promote “tasty” and “affordable” comfort foods, particularly aimed at younger consumers. According to a pan India survey conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), 93% of children ate food that was packaged, 68% drank packaged sweetened beverages more than once a week, and 53% ate these foods at least once a day. At the same time, the ultra-processed food industry in India has expanded at a compound annual growth rate of 13.37% between 2011 and 2021. Moreover, India’s food processing industry is predicted to be worth $535 billion by 2025-26.
