According to the George Institute for Global Health survey, Indian packaged foods ranked lowest out of all food items examined.
India has received bad news from a global survey assessing the health factors of food and beverages sold in 12 countries. George Institute for Global Health conducted a survey that ranked Indian packaged foods as the lowest of all food items analyzed. The consumption of packaged food and drinks containing added salts, sugars, and trans-fats has been blamed for serious illnesses like obesity, hypertension, or high blood pressure. Health experts warn against consuming packaged foods and drinks that could also contain artificial flavor enhancers, coloring agents, and preservatives. The shocking results of the survey come in the context of an increasing number of obesity cases around the globe.
The survey results were combined in a report entitled “A Comparison of the Healthiness of Packaged Foods and Beverages from 12 Countries Using the Health Star Rating Nutrient Profiling System, 2013-2018”. Obesity Reviews published the report. The survey compared over 400,000 food and drink products from 12 countries and regions. India was found to have the highest energy density. Sugar levels in Indian packaged food and drinks are second only to Chinese, with the lowest nutritional value.
According to the survey, packaged Indian edibles contained 1515KJ of energy per 100g and 7.3 grams of sugar per 100g. The Health Star Rating System of Australia was used to rank countries. It looked at nutrients such as energy, sodium, sugar, saturated fatty acids, protein, calcium, and fiber. The United Kingdom was ranked first in this ranking, and the United States of America products were ranked second. The report concluded that “the finding that packaged food and beverages in countries like China and India are consistently less healthful than those from higher-income countries is serious cause for concern.” These data show the importance of continuous monitoring and reporting on the healthiness products in different countries.