New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) A government document has stressed that the rising consumption of processed and packaged food in India may have health implications and may require policies to regulate the nutritional content of these foods and promote healthier alternatives.
Across all sectors and consumption segments, “we observe an increase in the share of household expenditure on served and packaged processed foods,” according to a paper titled ‘Changes in India’s Food Consumption and Policy Implications’ by the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC).
This increase was universal across all segments, but was more pronounced among the top 20 per cent of households in the country and in urban areas.
“While packaged food is a growth sector and a significant creator of jobs, increasing consumption of processed and packaged food is also likely to impact health outcomes,” the paper warned.
The Indian food and beverage packaging industry is experiencing substantial growth, with its market size projected to grow from $33.73 billion in 2023 to $46.25 billion by 2028.
According to the paper, more research is needed to understand the nutritional implications of the increasing consumption of packaged processed foods and policies may be needed to regulate the nutritional content of these foods and promote healthier alternatives.
The research paper also analyses the relationship between nutritional intake and food diversity on the prevalence of anaemia.
“As expected, we found that average iron intake was inversely related to the prevalence of anemia; however, we found a significant negative relationship between the prevalence of anemia and food diversity in iron sources,” the paper reads.
The analysis showed that policies aimed at reducing anaemia in children and women will need to focus on improving iron intake and, most importantly, consider dietary diversity of iron sources.
However, the report acknowledged the limitations of excluding served and packaged processed foods from the micronutrient analysis.
The research paper further states, “A separate study is recommended on this aspect. Further research could explore the relationship between food diversity and other health outcomes.”
Consumption of cereals in the form of cooked food also witnessed a significant decline of about 20 per cent, the research paper states.
–IANS
sch/gkt
