What exactly are we eating?
Updated On: 09 December, 2023 07:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Lindsay Pereira
We don’t spend as much time checking on ingredients as we should, and the consequences will eventually be devastating
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According to World Health Organisation estimates, India now has the third-largest obese population. Representation Pic
Something interesting happened in Colombia a couple of weeks ago, when that country’s Congress voted to impose taxes on ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks. They did this to curb obesity and address other health issues, and their targets were foods with high added sugars, salt, and saturated fats. It was a pretty long list that included cereals, jellies, jams, purees, sauces, condiments and seasoning. Apparently, these items will face a 10 per cent tax this year, followed by a 15 per cent tax in 2024, and 20 per cent in 2025. One of the reasons for this was research that showed three-quarters of children and young people drank at least one sugary drink every day, while 22.4 per cent of women in the country were overweight or obese because of unhealthy eating.
There are all kinds of reasons touted when people choose to support fast food, from convenience to affordability, and these reasons make a lot of sense in poor countries. When I thought about India, however, I realised how little attention we pay to what we consume, and how we have allowed it to happen for so long that this lack of information is more the norm than an exception.
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