Blog Organic How Ultra-Processed Foods are Fueling India’s Obesity and Diabetes Crisis

How Ultra-Processed Foods are Fueling India’s Obesity and Diabetes Crisis

Blog Author: Shubhangi Dubey

Published: November 30th, 2025

Read Time: 6 Mins

Chips, samosa, burger, soft drinks, noodles - have quietly infiltrated our diets so much so that most people don’t eat whole foods daily.

Over the past decade, India has become the “Diabetes” capital of India.

Even young and seemingly healthy individals are experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, heart diseases, and cancer risk.

A groundbreaking report in The Lancet, written by 43 global experts including India’s Dr. Arun Gupta, delivers a compelling warning: Ultra Processed UPFs are driving India’s escalating obesity and diabetes crisis.

Indians are consuming so much junk food that and it’s negative impacts are fueling a national health emergency.

In this blog, we are doing an analysis of how ultra processed, additive-loaded foods are rapidly driving our risk of diabetes and obesity.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Indians are Consuming More Ultra Processed Foods now
What are Ultra-Processed Foods?
How Ultra Processed Foods are driving India’s Health Crisis?
- 3.1 India’s Obesity Rates Have Doubled
Why are Ultra Processed Foods Harmful?
How to Reduce your Ultra Processed Foods Intake
The Bottom Line

Indians are Consuming More Ultra Processed Foods now

The sale of Ultra Processed foods has seen a dramatic increase from just $0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019 - a staggering 40-fold increase in only 13 years.

This shows how Indians a choosing junk foods filled with preservatives, trans fat, additives and cheap ingredients, transforming its traditional food landscape almost overnight.

Ultra processed foods like burgers, pizza, biscuits, ready-to-eat meals, and drinks are now available in every city, town, and even the smallest kirana shops in villages.

This availability has normalized the consumption of the UPFs as everyday foods, replacing whole foods, homemade meals that once made Indian diet healthy.

What are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Foods can be unprocessed lile fresh vegetables, fruits, masalas, milk and unprocessed like instant noodles, burger, ketchups, packaged namkeens, sugar breakfast cereals, and so on.

Ultra Processed foods can contain industrial additions, which we don’t use in our kitchens. These are the main reasons of negative impact of UPFs:

Artificial flavors
Artificial sweeteners
Emulsifiers and stabilizers
Preservatives
Coloring agents
High-fructose corn syrup
Hydrogenated vegetable oils

They’re tasty, cheap, convenient - and designed to be addictive.

How Ultra Processed Foods are driving India’s Health Crisis?

Acoording to The Lancet Series, Ultra Processed Foods are associated with 12 major diseases, including Type-2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, kidney disorders, gastrointestinal conditions, depression, and even some cancers.

In fact, the study makes a powerful warning that UPFs are linked to cause harm in every major organic system.

India’s Obesity Rates Have Doubled:

Obesity is the leading cause of many chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer.

Among men, obesity increased from 12% to 23%
Among women, it rose from nearly 15% to 24%

This increase correlates with the increase in Ultra Processed foods sales in India.

There’s a direct connection of consuming junk food with no nutrients and empty calories and designed for overeating.

Why are Ultra Processed Foods Harmful?

They disrupt hunger regulation because their engineered textures and flavors override the body’s natural satiety signals.
They damage the gut microbiome, thanks to emulsifiers and artificial ingredients that irritate the gut lining and alter beneficial bacteria.
They cause chronic inflammation, which is the root of almost all modern metabolic diseases.
They displace nutritious foods, leaving the body deprived of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

Ultra Processed foods make your gain weight and fundamentally do not supply any nutrients.

How to Reduce your Ultra Processed Foods Intake

Today, people find it hard to cook forms scratch and may find it convenient to eat junk. But here are some practical tips to lower your consumption of Ultra Processed foods:

Cook simple meals in batches to avoid relying on instant foods.
Replace packaged snacks with fruits, nuts, seeds, roasted chana, or homemade options.
Read ingredient lists carefully—if you see long chemical names or too many additives, it's a red flag.
Choose sulfate-free and paraben-free shampoos to reduce chemical exposure.
Teach children about real, whole foods early to help them build lifelong healthy habits.

The Bottom Line

India’s obesity and dibates crisis is not merealy a lifestyle problem but deeply related to how aggressively ultra processed foods are marketed to us.

We should have a critical eye to any marketing claims regarding the “nutrient” in junk food. They don’t have any.

Excessive consumption of Ultra Processed foods can damage our gut and lead to weight gaian, diabetes risk, cancer risk, and disrupt normal body process.

However, India can reclaim its nutritional heritage and protect future generations from preventable disease with simple home-made food choices.

The power to reverse this crisis lies in awareness and action.

Explore More From Naturopedia

The Hidden Sugars: How the Most Common Foods Have High-Sugar Content

India’s Honey Crisis: How Adulterated Honey is Bad for Blood Sugar

Can Fenugreek Seeds Lower Blood Sugar? The Truth About Diabetes and Natural Remedies

Drop Us a Query

Fields marked * are mandatory

Name

Phone Number