The rise in UPF consumption in South Asia coincides with rapid urbanisation, changing lifestyles, and aggressive marketing by food companies.
Published Jul 25, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 25, 2025 | 8:00 AM
Ultra Processed Foods.
Synopsis: A new multinational study reveals a striking contrast in how people in different parts of India consume ultra-processed foods. While nearly three in four adults in Delhi reported eating UPFs in a day, less than half of adults in Chennai said the same.
A new multinational study reveals a striking contrast in how people in different parts of India consume ultra-processed foods (UPFs). While nearly three in four adults in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi reported eating UPFs in a day, less than half of adults in South India’s Chennai region said the same.
The findings are part of a large-scale research project conducted by the South Asia Biobank, which studied people across five regions in South Asia — including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and India’s North and South zones — to understand dietary patterns and their social influences.
The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, analysed 24-hour dietary recalls of 60,714 adults and found that Delhi residents not only had a higher likelihood of consuming ultra-processed foods but also derived a greater proportion of their daily calories from such items compared to their Chennai counterparts.
Ultra-processed foods are industrial products made largely from ingredients not found in traditional kitchens — such as emulsifiers, preservatives, flavour enhancers, and refined additives. Common examples include packaged biscuits, sugary drinks, chips, instant noodles, and breakfast cereals. These foods are increasingly linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
The researchers found that 74.3 percent of participants from North India (specifically, the Delhi region) consumed UPFs within 24 hours, compared to 41.4 percent in South India (specifically, the Chennai region). Among those who consumed UPFs, the share of energy derived from such foods was also higher in the North: 15 percent in Delhi, compared to 13 percent in Chennai.
Biscuits emerged as the most commonly consumed UPF across both regions, but the types of processed foods people reached for varied. In South India, salty packaged snacks were more common, while North Indian diets included a wider range of UPFs — from biscuits and sugary drinks to processed cereals and sweets.
“Among consumers, UPFs contributed 13–17 percent of total energy intake, with biscuits being a common source across regions. Other UPFs included sweetened beverages in Pakistan, packaged salty snacks in South India, and breakfast cereals in Bangladesh,” said the study.
The study did not stop at simply measuring consumption; it also delved into why people eat what they do. One of the clearest differences between North and South India was age.
In Delhi, older adults — especially those aged 60 and above — were more likely to consume UPFs. In contrast, in Chennai, younger adults formed the bulk of UPF consumers. This points to shifting generational food preferences that may vary not just by age but also by region and possibly even family structure and tradition.
Gender differences also stood out. In both regions, women were more likely to consume UPFs than men, though the gap was slightly narrower in Chennai. The study suggests that this may be influenced by gendered patterns of snacking, marketing of ready-to-eat foods, or access to packaged items in urban homes.
Education appeared to play a key role in shaping food habits. In Delhi, people with higher education levels were significantly more likely to consume UPFs compared to those with little or no formal schooling. In Chennai, however, education was not strongly associated with UPF intake.
This discrepancy suggests that the link between education and diet is not uniform across India and may depend on regional food culture, exposure to Westernised diets, and levels of health awareness.
Interestingly, being in paid employment did not have a major impact on whether people consumed UPFs in either Delhi or Chennai. Marital status, however, did. Across both regions, single people — those never married, divorced, or widowed — were more likely to consume UPFs than those who were married or living with a partner.
Researchers believe this could reflect the convenience factor of ultra-processed foods for individuals cooking for themselves.
The study also examined differences based on household size. In Delhi, larger households were more likely to include UPF consumers, with those living in families of two or more people reporting higher intake. In Chennai, household size didn’t show as strong an influence.
Though the study focused on North and South India as key regions, its broader findings offer a sobering view of dietary changes across South Asia. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and North India reported high UPF consumption (around 75 percent), while South India and Pakistan were significantly lower, at about 41 percent.
Despite the variations, biscuits were a unifying thread — the most widely consumed UPF across all regions.
Each country and region also had its own signature UPF. In Pakistan, sugar-sweetened beverages topped the list. In Sri Lanka, more people in rural areas reported UPF consumption than their urban counterparts — a trend reversed in Pakistan. In Bangladesh, breakfast cereals were more common, while in South India, packaged salty snacks stood out.
The rise in UPF consumption in South Asia coincides with rapid urbanisation, changing lifestyles, and aggressive marketing by food companies. While people in these countries still obtain most of their energy from unprocessed and minimally processed foods — like vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy — the creeping influence of ultra-processed options is unmistakable.
On average, UPFs contributed to about 11 percent of total energy intake across all participants. However, among UPF consumers, that figure jumped to 17 percent in Pakistan and 15 percent in North India, underlining the growing presence of such foods in daily meals.
The research also found that income and education influenced UPF consumption in different ways across regions. In Delhi, people from higher-income households were more likely to eat UPFs. However, in Chennai, it was those in the lowest income tier who had the highest proportion of UPF consumers, challenging the common assumption that UPFs are more prevalent in wealthier households.
“Prior evidence suggested that UPF consumption patterns vary by several sociodemographic factors across countries, but data were lacking for South Asia. Our findings suggest that sociodemographic factors influencing UPF consumption vary across regions of South Asia, emphasising that public health guidance should be tailored to regional contexts,” said the authors.
They added that in their study, factors such as being a woman and having any level of education compared to no education were associated with greater UPF consumption in some regions, suggesting that public health messaging and targeted interventions may need to vary by population subgroups.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
