The Ultra-Processed Food Crisis: A Growing Threat to India’s Health
“I cannot begin my day without a large pancake, drizzled with syrup. I love my ice cream post-meals, snack on chips and have 200 ml of sugary beverages daily. I have a burger every alternate day. And whenever home food is boring, I heat up a frozen pizza with some cheese,” says 18-year-old Ravi, who has been struggling with obesity ever as he was a child.Weighing 125 kg now, his blood sugar levels are already high and he has borderline cholesterol, unusual for his age.With a family history of obesity, his condition is compounded by his daily dietary fixes, all of which are ultra-processed foods.
These contain high-fructose corn syrup,hydrogenated oils,preservatives and artificial flavours,along with high amounts of sugar,salt and fat. So addicted is Ravi to these hyper-palatable foods that they have changed his brain’s chemistry and the way it perceives reward-seeking behavior. He is one among millions who are poised on the edge of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases because of their dependence on ultra-processed foods, a fact that has been flagged by The Lancet in its latest three-paper series. Authored by 43 global experts, it shows how ultra-processed foods are rapidly overtaking the diet pie, a challenge that needs to be tackled with uniform food policies globally.
“This worrisome shift is fuelling obesity and other non-communicable diseases. India is witnessing the same shift that the Lancet series warns about,” says Dr Arun Gupta, co-author of the study, and also the convenor, Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPI) and former member of PM’s Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges. “Customary meals are being fast replaced by hyper-palatable industrial ultra-processed food products via aggressive marketing and advertising campaigns. Yet India does not have exact data on ultra-processed food consumption. Our regulations are ineffective to restrict marketing. India must act promptly to take action and cut the consumption of ultra-processed foods to halt obesity and diabetes in the coming years. Given that India is fastest in sales growth and with evidence of poor health outcomes, India needs to frame stronger norms for ultra-processed foods as a priority health issue,” he adds.
What are ultra-processed foods?
Ultra-processed foods are those which go thru multiple industrial processes, use manufactured ingredients, preservatives and additives rather than whole foods, and are designed to be convenient with a long shelf life. Examples are soft drinks, chips, chocolate, candy, ice-cream, sweetened breakfast cereals, packaged soups, chicken nuggets, hotdogs, fries, ready-to-heat foods and more.
Why is the india scenario worrisome?
Retail sales of ultra-processed foods in india have surged from $0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019, a 40-fold increase. During the same period, obesity doubled in India, as per the Lancet series. In India, obesity affects one in four people (28.6 per cent), diabetes affects one in 10 (11.4 percent), prediabetes one in seven people (15.3 per cent) and abdominal obesity affects one in five (20.5 per cent).
2025/11/20 00:51:51