Indian teen obesity doubles as diabetes rates soar

Obesity among those aged 13-18 has grown from 16% in 2010 to 29% today, health minister JP Nadda said, quoting new national figures.

Diabetes, which is linked to obesity, has been witnessing consistent growth with 65m, 66.8m and 69.1m adults suffering from it in 2013, 2014 and 2015, according to statistics from the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey.

Increasing prosperity and changing diets have been blamed for this surge, with the Indian Medical Association estimating that Delhi residents eat around 20% more fat and 40% more sugar than they did 60 years ago.

Delhi-ites join Punjabis and Keralites as the most obese Indians, the minister said.

Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on the prevalence of obesity, Nadda said the women and men from Punjab were the most obese, with 29.9% and 22.2% respectively reporting a body mass of more than 25.

In Kerala, obesity rates are 28.1% for women and 17.8% for men, while Delhi registers 26.4% and 16.8% respectively.

Women in all states, except for Bihar and Meghalaya, are more overweight than men, Nadda said. The states of Tripura and Meghalaya have the least reported obesity.

Elsewhere, health academics have highlighted an increase in cases of colorectal cancer, which they believe can be attributed to a jump in processed food consumption.

Gastro surgeons at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science said they had seen a 20% growth in in the number of patients treated for the cancer over the last decade.

Over the same period, Assocham, an industry group, estimates that sales of packaged foods in north Indian states has increased by 28%.

"Westernised diet is responsible for increase in colorectal cancer. The association of processed, packaged food with colorectal cancer is emerging fast​,” said Anand Prakash, of the SGPGIMS.

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Soul drinks start-up named in top 10 of India’s ‘buzziest brands’​

A five-year old beverage company that packages and markets traditional Indian drinks on the back of childhood memories has beaten off multi-crore competition in the F&B category in the eleventh “India's Buzziest Brands​” league table.​

Paper Boat, made by Gurgaon-based start-up Hector Beverages, came ninth overall in a top 10 that was headed by Amazon and included Airtel, Flipkart, Samsung and Apple. 

“Paper Boat has done the unthinkable by landing in the top 10​,” wrote Afaqs!, a media portal which organises the high-profile annual awards that focus on a brand’s ability to generate consumer excitement through marketing. 

“Nearly all the brands have sales in thousands of crores of rupees—while some like Samsung and Maruti Suzuki count that in tens of thousands of crores. We are not sure if Paper Boat does even INR100 crore since its figures are unavailable​.”

Hector Beverages manufactures attractively packaged fruit drinks in pomegranate, spiced tomato, tulsi tea and kokum flavours among others, with claimed functional benefits.

Elsewhere, three Nestlé brands were also represented at the awards with Nescafé, Maggi and KitKat each winning gongs.

Maggi won a gold award in the food category for its successful campaign on noodles, which celebrated its relationship with the Indian public over three decades.

Nescafé took gold in the hot beverages category, and KitKat won silver in confectionery.

India soars among world’s fastest growing chocolate markets​

India and China will be among the fastest growth chocolate markets over the next five years, according to a new report.​

In a study released by Research and Markets, an analyst, the two Asia-Pacific countries are expected to join Mexico and Brazil at the helm of the market by the end of this decade.

Currently witnessing 20% annual growth, this rate is set to increase to 30% by 2020, with close to 70% of chocolate being consumed in India’s fast-growing and increasingly affluent urban areas.

However, the report warns that factors such as poor infrastructure, combined with a lack of cold storage facilities and an age-old preference for traditional Indian sweets risk inhibiting the growth of the rural chocolate market. 

China joins India in lightning growth, though its recent government corruption crackdown has dampened the chocolate market in the country. 

In 2014, per-capita consumption of chocolate in China was just 0.2kg—compared to 2.5kg in Brazil, 0.7kg in India and 2.2kg in America—and was worth approximately US$3.2bn in sales. This figure is projected to grow to US$4.4bn by 2020, according to the report.

FSSAI releases smartphone app for consumers to check food safety​

A smartphone app has been released by India’s food regulator that will allow consumers to raise concerns over the quality of packaged food and food outlets, and provide information regarding manufacturers.​

The FSSAI-developed Android app​ will also provide food safety tips and references to regulations.

“The FSSAI App will allow consumers to raise their food safety related concerns​,” according to its Google Play description. 

“Whether it is a packaged food or a food service establishment, now consumers are empowered to know about the food business operators and get informed about the food safety information​.”

For served food, consumers can rate the overall hygiene of an establishment.

They can also enter FSSAI-issued registration numbers to provide information about a food business manufacturer or operator's food safety record.