A study of 432 convenience food products, in five categories — idli mixes, breakfast cereals, porridge mixes, beverage mixes and extruded snacks — has found that while 80% of these food items comply with the nutrient information on their labels, a majority of them are high in carbohydrates, while extruded (‘puffed’ or ‘expanded’) snacks are high in fats.

The study, Assessment of front and back of pack nutrition labels of selected convenience food products and snacks available in the Indian market by Shobana Shanmugam et al, was published in Plos One earlier this month.

The study aimed to evaluate the nutritional information provided on the pack labels of these selected packaged foods. Nutritional profiling of the foods was based on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) claims regulations. The healthiness of the packaged foods was assessed using a nutritional traffic light system, the study says. The products were classified into ‘healthy’, ‘moderately healthy’ and ‘less healthy’ based on the fat, saturated fat, and sugar content.

The study found that all convenience food products were rich in carbohydrate content. While beverage mixes had the highest carbohydrate content (35.5g to 95g/100g), extruded snacks had the highest fat content (mean 28.3±7.5 g/100g). The beverage mixes were found to be high in sugar content, while soup mixes had high sodium levels, with poor protein and dietary fibre content.

The study, funded by the Department of Science and Technology, found that while most of the products fall under the ‘healthy’ or ‘moderately healthy’ categories, all of the products (except extruded snacks) provided over 70% of the energy from carbohydrates, while extruded snacks provided over 47% of the energy from fat.

“There needs to be a reformulation of packaged and processed food that is available in India. While most of them provide energy primarily from carbohydrates, this needs to change. More protein content needs to be present perhaps by incorporating legumes and pulses. Fat and sodium content also needs to be reduced. With a large number of people now buying packaged food and convenience food becoming increasingly popular, labelling is essential to show customers how healthy the products are. At present, the labelling system is not uniform and customers may find it hard to understand,” says Shobana Shanmugam, lead author of the paper and senior scientist at Madras Diabetes Research Foundation.

R.M. Anjana, managing director, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, said that a previous study had revealed that keeping carbohydrates at 50%, proteins at 20%, fat at 25% and fibres at 5% in one’s diet could help protect from chronic conditions such as diabetes. She too reiterated the need to read labels carefully, and avoid processed food as much as possible.

Nihal Thomas, senior professor, Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Christian Medical College, Vellore, said excessive consumption of carbohydrates put a strain on the pancreas, thereby increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes. An average Indian consumes between 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. Cutting down on calories is crucial to maintaining good health, he pointed out.

With India’s dietary patterns changing, and with increasing consumption of processed foods, doctors have been raising concerns over the impact of diet on citizens’ health, specifically their contribution to the staggering burden of non-communicable diseases in the country. The Economic Survey of India this year, citing the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) dietary guidelines, noted that 56.4% of the total disease burden in India was due to unhealthy diets.