A large number of people in India suffer from diet related illnesses, be it under-nutrition or over-nutrition/wrong diet. In this context, the objective of this study, conducted for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), through the World Health Organization (WHO) was to analyse the trends of sales and purchase of packaged processed foods and beverages between 2010 and 2020, and project the likely growth till year 2030. It estimated the likely revenue generated from sales of processed food and beverages and likely changes in the volume of per capita purchase and consumption of select categories of processed food which may lead to diet related illnesses. The study based on secondary information and data analysis, analysed the food purchases made through different retail and distribution channels, and out-of-home and on-the-go consumption (including fast food outlets) to understand the household budget spent on processed foods and beverages. It analysed the heterogeneity in patterns of sales and/or purchase of processed foods and beverages over time, across geographical areas (urban/rural) and different socio-economic strata (low/middle and high income). It examined the usage of different retail distribution channels over time by different socio-economic classes, across rural and urban India. Given that there can be variation across states in terms of sales and consumption, the study did a state-level analysis of the purchase and/or sales trends of packaged processed food and beverages. The study also provided a detailed analysis of the regulatory environment governing sales of processed foods and beverages, identified the gaps and made policy recommendations.
Output: The Final Report has been submitted to WHO and based on that, the Phase 2 has been commissioned.
Op-Ed Articles:
Making India a global hub for millets, with Eshana Mukherjee published in the fortnightly news magazine Food & Beverage News (Page No. 9 & 11), March 16-31, 2023 accessible at Food and Beverage News – 37th AAHAR, THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND HOSPITALITY FAIR (saffronmedia.in) (last accessed on Apr. 5, 2023)
