In charts and numbers: India’s junk food juggernaut rolls on

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₹538 per month per head on processed food items. This trend is not just about eating habits, but has also helped drive sales for fast-food giants, whose processed food sales are steadily rising. The flood of fast-food joints across cities has made the trend even starker.

From bustling cities to the rural heartland, India’s explosion of flavour is lapping up everything from namkeen to instant noodles. Biscuits are the most popular choice, with an average rural Indian spending ₹35 a month on them. The spending on packed noodles is ₹15.4 per head per month in urban areas, with nearly 26.5% of the households reporting at least some consumption.

The spending goes significantly up for those at the top of the pyramid ( ₹42.4 on noodles for top 5% spenders). Assam, Punjab and south Indian states top the charts in terms of spending on packaged processed food. Junk food items are often loaded with unhealthy fats, added sugar and salt—all a recipe for health woes.

A 2023 Mint Plain Facts analysis found high content of such ingredients in popular packaged fruit drinks. Lab tests by the Centre for Science and Environment in 2019 found the same for products by popular branded fast food chains (it even found more trans fats than the companies declared). Concern about the adverse health impact of processed and ultra-processed foods is rising, and India is already facing a surge in non-communicable diseases.

Processed food is gradually entering the agenda for policymakers across the globe. While some governments have initiated programmes to provide easier access to healthy food, several others have introduced regulations and guidelines to suppress the ease of access of processed food to the general public. Earlier this month, India's