New Delhi: India is undergoing the fastest ultra-processed food (UPF) sales growth, and the resulting dietary transition is surging obesity and diabetes cases, leading to poor health , according to a new three-paper Series published in The Lancet on Wednesday.

UPFs can be defined as food products mostly high in fat, sugar, and/or salt (HFSS), full of unwanted and harmful ingredients such as cosmetic additives like stablisers, emulsifiers, colorants, flavouring substances, etc. These are strongly linked to an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, depression, and premature death, among others.

The papers, by 43 global authors, showed that retail sales of UPFs in India surged from $0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly $38 billion in 2019 -- a forty-fold rise.

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