In a major global survey that compared more than 400,000 products worldwide, it was revealed that Indian packaged food is the least healthy in the world! The study is a huge cause for concern as markets are increasingly flooded with packaged and processed food items. It is all the more concerning since these packaged food items are also reaching more rural areas where they weren’t as prevalent before. Here are the key insights from the study.
Indian Packaged Food Is The Least Healthy
The George Institute for Global Health undertook a global survey in which they analysed more than four lakh packaged food products from around the world. The findings of the survey were published in the monthly, peer-reviewed medical journal called Obesity Reviews. The survey rated the products by employing the Health Star Rating used in Australia.
This system entails measuring the quantity of various nutrients like calcium, fibre and protein as well as energy, sugar, salt, fats, etc. The lowest rating in the system is ½, which indicates least healthy, and the highest is 5, which indicates most healthy. When it comes to India, the survey had a couple of interesting insights to give.
It revealed that packaged drinks made in India have the highest density of energy. On average, they contain 1515 kilojoules of energy per 100 grams. Despite the high density of energy though, packaged food items made in India are the least healthy. Indian packaged food received a health star rating of 2.27 which was the lowest on the list.
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Key Insights From The Study Regarding Packaged Food From Different Countries
Following are some key insights regarding the nutrition level of packaged food from other Countries.
- With 291 milligrams per 100 grams of sodium, Canada had the highest levels of unhealthy salt levels in food and drinks.
- The US had the second-highest salt levels in their food with 279 milligrams per 100 grams of sodium.
- Similar to India, China’s drinks were some of the healthiest winning a score of 2.9 but its food items were some of the unhealthiest and received only a 2.39 rating.
- China’s packaged food and drinks were also found to contain the second highest level of sugar with 8.5 grams per 100 grams. They also had the most harmful level of saturated fat.
- The UK had the lowest sugar content with just 3.8 grams of sugar per 100 grams. Canada had the second-lowest, measuring 4.6 grams per 100 grams.
With modern life increasingly dependent on processed foods, it has become more difficult for low-income countries to regulate the harmful health impacts of processed food.
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Do you regularly consume packaged food? Let us know in the comments section below!
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