Packaged Indian foods are unhealthiest in the world, a study claims

Expert says it is an attempt to malign foodstuff from the country as they are quite popular worldwide

A survey has revealed that Indian packaged foods rank as the unhealthiest in the world. Packaged food in the country mainly contains savoury and sweets and has been ranked worst among 12 countries that were surveyed, including US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, China, Chile, etc.

The ranks were conferred on the basis of Australian Health Star Rating System and the study was published in the medical journal ‘Obesity Reviews’.

Ingredients in these food products like fibres, proteins, trans-fat, saturated fat, legumes, calorie value, sugar and sodium content were evaluated for the study. India ranked the lowest at 2.27 while the UK ranked the best with 2.83, on the scale of 0 to 5.

Experts have a mixed view about the outcome of this study and say there is a need for more awareness on the ingredients of packaged foods. Meanwhile, some said that the information is just to malign Indian food brands owing to their huge demand in the international market.

“The reason is that many food items do not have contents or the right ingredients mentioned on them. The present law does not mandate companies to mention nutritional facts like sugar, cholesterol, fat, saturated fat and other crucial ingredients. Awareness needs to be instilled in the minds of consumers as to what they are consuming,” said Sonal Dhingra, deputy programme manager at food safety and toxins, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi.

The expert, however, cautioned that quantity of these food items matters equally. “There is no standardisation of the quantities of these packaged food items to be consumed. There is a need to mention the serving figures on the packaging,” Dhingra told Mirror.

Dhingra added the quantities however also have to be realistic. “Having a smaller quantity is not always the best solution. But standardising the serving size couple with literacy can do the needful,” she said.

Meanwhile, some experts have a different opinion and said that the study is to defame Indian foodstuffs in the market. “It would be wrong to term that only Indian packaged food is unhealthy. There are many food items like foreign manufactured chips which have high calorific content, sometimes more than Indian snacks,” says Gurvinder Bindra, a food safety consultant.

Bindra said the quantity of food consumed also matters. “Indian food items have high nutritional value in some instances. All the major companies manufacture food in hygienic conditions and on par with the international manufacturing practices. Many of the international food companies are manufacturing in India too,” he added.

The consultant said that manufacturers need to come together and be more open about the contents and nutrient value.