Amid Rising NCD Burden, Lancet Flags Sharp Surge In Ultra-Processed Food Consumption In India

As India grapples with a mounting crisis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), a new Lancet Series has raised alarm over the country’s rapidly escalating intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), warning that the trend is driving a parallel rise in obesity, diabetes and related chronic illnesses.

The three-paper Series, published on November 19, notes that India has recorded the fastest growth in UPF sales globally—from USD 0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly USD 38 billion in 2019, marking more than a forty-fold increase. Researchers caution that this shift towards industrial, packaged foods is displacing traditional diets and accelerating the country’s NCD burden.

UPFs—typically high in salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and loaded with additives such as emulsifiers, stabilisers, colourants and flavour enhancers—are linked to obesity, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and premature mortality.

According to the authors, the Indian market is now dominated by packaged snacks, instant noodles, biscuits, chips, sugary beverages and refined cereals. Aggressive marketing, particularly directed at children and adolescents, has intensified their reach.

Reflecting this dietary transition, obesity rates have more than doubled in recent years—from 12% to 23% among men and from 15% to 24% among women.

“The current regulatory framework to curb marketing is weak and ineffective,” said Dr. Arun Gupta, paediatrician from India and co-author of the Series. “India must act urgently to reduce UPF consumption if it hopes to contain the rising tide of obesity and diabetes. UPFs must be acknowledged as a priority public health issue.”

The Series also underscores the influence of powerful food corporations, calling for stronger competition policies, the replacement of industry self-regulation with mandatory rules, and systematic efforts to counter corporate interference in policymaking.

Prof. Srinath Reddy, Chancellor, PHFI University of Public Health Sciences, emphasised the need for front-of-pack warning labels to clearly alert consumers to harmful levels of salt, sugar and fat. “These products are engineered to be hyper-palatable and, in many cases, addictive,” he said. “Advertising and sponsorship bans—including restrictions on celebrity endorsements—are essential.”

The authors call for coordinated, multisectoral interventions that extend beyond consumer awareness campaigns. These include limiting UPF production and marketing, ensuring transparent disclosure of ingredients, and improving public access to healthier, affordable alternatives.

The Series also highlights broader ecological consequences. The industrial production, processing and transport of agricultural commodities are heavily fossil-fuel intensive, while UPFs are overwhelmingly packaged in plastic—adding to environmental degradation.

The Lancet warns that confronting the UPF crisis requires a unified global response aimed at curbing excessive corporate power and restructuring food systems to promote healthier, sustainable diets. Without such coordinated action, the health and environmental impacts of UPFs will continue to worsen, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where consumption is rising fastest.

The Lancet observation comes close on the heels off a longitudinal study from the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, which has found that even modest increases in UPF consumption raise the risk of prediabetes among young adults.

Tracking 85 individuals over four years, researchers observed that a 10% rise in UPF intake was associated with a 64% higher risk of prediabetes and a 56% higher risk of impaired glucose regulation.

The findings noted that the metabolic risks of UPFs extend to adolescents and young adults—age groups often overlooked in NCD prevention strategies.

If India is to meet its 2030 target of reducing NCD-related deaths, it must move beyond awareness campaigns and adopt comprehensive measures that curb UPF production and marketing, overhaul food labelling, and incentivise healthier dietary choices, said Dr Gupta, who is the Convenor of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi), a national think tank on nutrition.

Terming the recommendations “the need of the hour,” Dr Parameet Kaur, Chief Dietician, AIIMS Delhi said that ultra-processed foods should be avoided as they offer little real nutrition and are laden with additives.

“Globalisation, urbanisation and aggressive marketing strategies—particularly those targeting younger populations—have normalised UPF consumption and made it socially acceptable,” she noted.

Such foods, she added, disrupt metabolism, heighten inflammation, and are strongly linked to overweight, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and several other chronic illnesses. “People must be educated and encouraged to choose fresh, locally grown foods as a safer and more sustainable option for long-term health.”