Ultra-Processed Food Surge Fuels India’s Health Crisis

Context

The Lancet reported that India is experiencing the most rapid ultra-processed food (UPF) sales growth, which is escalating incidences of obesity and diabetes.

Key Highlights

• In India, the increase was a fortyfold growth that took place between 2006 and 2019, where it had increased to almost $38 billion.

About Ultra-processed Food (UPF)

• The ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are food items that undergo numerous processing stages and include substances not usually found in household food preparation, including preservatives, emulsifiers, colors, flavors, and synthetic preservatives.
• They are also made to be very tasty and convenient and often economical but most often very poor in nutrition as they contain high amounts of calories, added sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
• High UPF diet is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and some types of cancers.

Possible Causes of Increase in Consumption:

• The lives that are more urban and busier are demanding convenience and fast food.
• Increased disposable incomes and intense advertising of food firms push UPFs.
• More work, especially among women who are working outside, means that there is no time to cook at home.
• The wide availability and low cost of UPFs across the globe is due to globalization and mass production as compared to traditional foods.

Government Interventions

• Eat right India Movement of FFSSAI: The encouragement of minimal processing, hygiene, and local foods.
• Public Health Campaigns: Swasth Bharat Yatra, Poshan Maah which is concerned with nutrition literacy.
• Trans Fat Regulation: FSSAI restricted industrial trans fats as 2 percent in oils/fats. In line with the WHO campaign of eradicating trans fats in the world, known as the REPLACE strategy.
• Research & Dietary Guidelines: Dietary guidelines revised by ICMR-NIN (2024) focus on reducing UPFs.
• Improvements to PDS and Mid-Day Meals: Advance fresh and minimally processed foods in ICDS, Anganwadi, and PM-POSHAN.

Way Ahead

• Measures of regulation: Governments should implement stringent regulations in production, marketing and disclosure of ingredients of UPF.
• Taxation: It is advisable to increase taxes on UPFs so that it would deter their purchase and consumption.
• Public Awareness and Education: Making consumers understand nutrition to make informed decisions about food and decrease misinformation due to a high-aggressive marketing of UPF.
• Limit UPFs in Government institutions: Prohibit UPFs in schools, anganwadis, hostels, and hospitals, government offices, and military camps. Substitute processed, low-calorie foods with freshly-cooked, low-calorie foods.

Source: The Indian Express

Mains PYQ

Q. What are the challenges and opportunities of the food processing sector in the country? How can the income of the farmers be substantially increased by encouraging food processing? (2020)

• The Lancet reported that India is experiencing the most rapid ultra-processed food (UPF) sales growth, which is escalating incidences of obesity and diabetes.
• In India, the increase was a fortyfold growth that took place between 2006 and 2019, where it had increased to almost $38 billion.
• The ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are food items that undergo numerous processing stages and include substances not usually found in household food preparation, including preservatives, emulsifiers, colors, flavors, and synthetic preservatives.
• They are also made to be very tasty and convenient and often economical but most often very poor in nutrition as they contain high amounts of calories, added sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.

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