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In India, sale of sugar-sweetened beverages increasing at 7% per annum
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Wednesday, 11 February, 2015, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Rashmi Poojara
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fiogf49gjkf0d The Indian food industry is poised for huge growth, increasing its contribution in the world food trade every year. Food has become a high-profit industry because of the scope it offers for value addition, particularly with the food processing industry getting recognised as a high-priority area in the liberalised era.
Accounting for about 32 per cent of India’s food market, the food processing industry is one of the largest industries in the country. It is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export and expected growth.
The total food production in India is likely to double in the next ten years, with the country’s domestic food market estimated to reach $258 billion by 2015. The Indian food industry stood at $135 billion in 2012, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 per cent to about $200 billion by 2015, according to a report by KPMG.
Non-alcoholic beverages that include tea; coffee, carbonated soft drinks and bottled fruit based beverages contribute approximately five billion dollars.
The beverages that were traditionally consumed in India include buttermilk, thandai, nimbu paani, aam panna, kokum juice, tender coconut water and seasonal fresh fruit juices. They were consumed to suit seasonal variations.
The continuous experimentation with beverages has resulted in a plethora of changes in our food habits.
Contemporary changes include a shift in the types and quantities of beverages consumed and the manner in which they are consumed.
The traditional beverages that were integral parts of our cuisines are soon being replaced by carbonated and sugar sweetened beverages.
According to a recent report of the World Health Organisation (WHO), while the sales of sugar-sweetened beverages have been relatively static or declining in many high-income countries in recent years, they are typically increasing at three per cent per annum globally, with much of the increase in low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Latin America.
India reported seven per cent annual increases in sales, and Brazil six per cent. The per capita consumption in low- and middle-income countries shows the potential for growth.
Data for 2012 from Coca-Cola showed the world average consumption levels of its beverage products to be 94 portions per person per year.
The levels in many low- and middle-income countries are currently much lower, at 14 portions per person per year in India; 16 in Indonesia; 21 in Pakistan, and 39 in Kenya and China.
In countries with more developed economies, the consumption levels are higher (65 portions per person per year in Egypt; 79 in Russia; 99 in South Korea, 113 in Thailand and 131 in the Philippines).
The market for soft drinks is highest in Central and South America. The consumption levels are 219 portions per person per year in Peru; 263 in Bolivia; 416 in Panama, 486 in Chile, and 745 in Mexico (the world leader).
According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Indian households, on an average, spend about 6.5 per cent of their food expenditure on beverages.
The share of urban households stands at 7.1 per cent, and rural households spend 5.8 per cent of their expenditure on them.
The nutrient profiles of the carbonated beverages are poor. They are very high in simple sugars, contain no micronutrients and typically have a pH in the range of two.
The composition of these beverages includes carbonated water, sugar, acidity regulators, Class-II preservatives, added flavours, stabilisers, antioxidants and colours.
Carbonated beverages often contain caffeine, a well-known stimulant. The caffeine content of carbonated sodas has been reported to be in the range of 28-45mg per serving of 12 ounces.
The diet sodas often have higher caffeine content than the normal varieties. Energy drinks have much higher caffeine content of 60-80mg per serving.
The American Dietetic Association recommends a maximum intake of 300mg per day of caffeine.
It is a common sight to see infants drinking carbonated beverages these days. That may be one of the contributory factors for hyperactivity.
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), which are now the primary source of added sugars in the diet, are composed of energy-containing sweeteners, such as sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrates, have serious metabolic effects in our body.
In contrast, a beverage that is 100 per cent fruit juice, and not blended with added sweeteners is not considered an SSB.
Findings from prospective epidemiological studies have shown consistent positive associations between SSB intake and weight gain and obesity in both children and adults.
Emerging evidence also suggests that habitual SSB consumption is associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and Type-II diabetes.
SSB are thought to lead to weight gain by virtue of their high sugar content and incomplete compensation for total energy at subsequent meals after intake of liquid calories.
Because of the high content of rapidly absorbable carbohydrates such as sucrose (50 per cent glucose and 50 per cent fructose) and high fructose corn syrup (most often, 45 per cent glucose and 55 per cent fructose), in conjunction with the large volumes consumed, SSB may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and Type-II diabetes, not only through obesity, but also by increasing the dietary glycemic load, leading to insulin resistance.
Because SSB have been shown to raise blood glucose and insulin concentrations rapidly and dramatically and are often consumed in large amounts, they contribute to a high dietary glycaemic load.
High-glycaemic load diets are known to induce glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, particularly among overweight individuals, and could increase the levels of in?ammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, which are linked to the risk of Type-II diabetes.
It is indicated that a high dietary glycemic load increases the risk of developing cholesterol gallstone disease, which is associated with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and Type-II diabetes.
Endogenous compounds in SSBs, such as advanced glycation end-products, produced during the process of caramelisation in such beverages as colas may also affect pathophysiological pathways related to Type-II diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
SSBs may also increase the risk indirectly by inducing alterations in taste preferences and diet quality, resulting from the habitual consumption of highly-sweetened beverages, which has also been noted for arti?cially-sweetened beverages.
In addition, the regular intake of colas is associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) in women, increasing the risk of fractures.
In a recent report by Basu S et al, it has been suggested that an excise tax on SSB would be expected to mitigate increases in overweight, obesity, and Type-II diabetes cases in India under numerous alternative scenarios and assumptions, even after accounting for beverage substitution patterns.
Under the conservative scenario of a linear rise in SSB consumption, a 20 per cent SSB excise tax would be expected to prevent 11.2 million new cases of overweight and obesity (a three per cent decline), and 400,000 cases of Type-II diabetes (a 1.6 per cent decline) over the decade 2014–2023, according to a microsimulation model informed by nationally-representative consumer expenditure, price, body mass index (BMI), and Type-II diabetes incidence data.
Beverages, if chosen judiciously, could contribute to the nutrient intake. Else, they may just add empty calories to the diet, and be a contributory factor to the onset of chronic degenerative diseases.
For instance, Mexico’s new tax on sugary drinks, which took effect in January as part of the government’s effort to trim waistlines, has reduced the sales volume in the country by more than five per cent.
In July 2014, the government of India announced the introduction of an extra five per cent excise tax on aerated sugary drinks.
Higher taxes on sugar sweetened beverages are already used as a public health measure in some countries, including France and Mexico.
This is probably the need of the hour in India to curtail the obesity epidemic and the increasing burden of chronic degenerative diseases.
A revival of the traditional beverages that existed in ethnic cuisines would also bring about a paradigm shift in the beverage consumption pattern of our youngsters.
(The author is assistant professor, Department of Home Science, St Teresa’s College, Ernakulam. She can be contacted at rashmipoojara@rediffmail.com)
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