One of the most sought-after accompaniments on a trip or office is a packet of potato chips. Whether you are bored at home, looking to munch something in the office, craving salty snacks, or need to present something to uninvited guests along with carbonated drinks, potato chips are the best options. They are delicious and favoured by children and adults, however, the question is if they are healthy and boast high quality.
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Lately, packed Indian spices and food products are under scrutiny by countries abroad as well as food authorities in India. Rampant complaints of food colourings, cooking in unhygienic conditions, use of unhealthy ingredients, and stale ingredients causing customers to fall sick have raised alarm among people. Amid this, PepsiCo India, which is widely known for Lay’s, a brand associated with various flavours of potato chips, has taken a step in the direction of producing high-quality snacks.
PepsiCo India Is Replacing Palm Oil
Taking into consideration that Indian food authorities as well as food departments around the globe have become vigilant of the ingredients being used in packaged goods, PepsiCo India has decided to replace palm oil and sunflower oil. It is one of the most prominent choices of oil used in making many snacks around the world, especially fried ones.
A study published in Harvard Health Publishing indicates that palm oil is 50% saturated fat, which is associated with increasing LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and triglycerides in the body. This can adversely affect heart health.
Hence, PepsiCo India has decided to replace it with sunflower oil. In a study published by the Cleveland Clinic, Sunflower Oil has only 14% of saturated fat, making it a healthier choice in comparison to palm oil. It is considered a healthy cooking oil, especially for deep-frying and browning.
PepsiCo India’s Trial To Blend Sunflower Oil With Palmolein Oil
As a part of the portfolio, PepsiCo India began their trial of combining sunflower oil with palmolein oil in 2023. It is the first brand to do so in India. Currently, they have not replaced palm oil completely, but they are trying to work on a blend for a few snacks that it produces.
PepsiCo is an American company that is known to produce a large and healthy variety of snacks in the US. According to reports, the company does not use even the slightest amount of palm oil in Lay’s in America. It advertises and uses heart-healthy ingredients like corn oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil.
PepsiCo India has taken a step in the right direction. However, the question remains why was it using palm oil in Indian products? Currently, Nestle, a Swiss multinational food and beverages company, is in the headlines for adding high amounts of sugar in products being sold in India in comparison to other countries like the US and UK.