A series in Lancet warns that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are fuelling a global rise in obesity, diabetes, and chronic diseases, a trend rapidly intensifying in India.

About Ultra-Processed Foods

• Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrial food products made using multiple processing steps, additives, and ingredients not commonly used in home cooking, such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, colorants, preservatives, artificial flavors, and sweeteners.
• General Characteristics: 
  • UPFs are typically ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat, or ready-to-drink.
  • They are high in fat, sugar, salt (HFSS) and calories, but low in fiber and micronutrients.
• Examples: Chips, soft drinks, chocolates, candies, ice creams, sweetened cereals, nuggets, packaged soups, ready-to-heat meals, hotdogs, fries.
• Health Impacts:
  • High consumption of UPFs is linked to obesity, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, fatty-liver disease, and certain cancers.
  • Experts warn of Addictive eating behaviours, Imbalanced gut microbiome, Childhood obesity and diabetes, Impaired brain development due to nutrient-poor diets

Rising UPF Consumption in India

• 40-Fold Surge in Sales: Retail sales of UPFs increased from $0.9 billion (2006) to $38 billion (2019), a 40-fold jump.
• Parallel Rise in Obesity: During the same period, obesity doubled in India, aligning with global evidence linking UPFs to chronic diseases.
• India as a High-Growth Market: UPF sales grew 150% in 15 years, making India one of the world’s fastest-growing UPF markets.

Challenges in Eliminating UPFs

• Aggressive Marketing: UPF companies spend heavily on advertising, celebrity endorsements, BOGO offers, and sports sponsorships, shaping consumer choices.
• Regulation Gap: Lack of strong regulation makes industry-driven marketing hard to restrict.
• Lifestyle Shifts: Urbanisation and convenience culture boost ready-to-eat food dependence.

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Policy Recommendations

• Institutional Restrictions: Ban UPFs in schools, hospitals, childcare centres, and government institutions.
• Front-of-Pack Warnings: Clear alerts for high salt, sugar, and fat.
• Higher Taxes on UPFs: To reduce consumption and support subsidies for healthier alternatives.
• Stronger Regulation: Replace voluntary industry norms with mandatory standards and tighter competition oversight.

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