New Delhi, Jan. 29 -- India is among the world's fastest-growing markets for ultra-processed foods (UPFs), a trend the Economic Survey has linked to the rising burden of lifestyle diseases driven by unhealthy diets and changing lifestyles.
"UPFs are displacing long-established dietary patterns, worsening diet quality, and are associated with an increased risk of multiple chronic diseases," the Survey noted.
Retail sales of ultra-processed foods in India surged nearly 40-fold, from USD 0.9 billion in 2006 to about USD 38 billion in 2019, the Survey said, citing a 2023 report by the World Health Organisation. Over the same period, obesity levels almost doubled among both men and women.
The prevalence of obesity among women rose from 13 per...