Not so sweet anymore: How India’s relationship with sugar turns sour

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It is no coincidence that this is happening at a time when India, which has been battling poverty and malnutrition, is now also facing the rising threat of obesity and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.

Six summers ago, Mondelez-owned Cadbury unveiled a campaign for its Dairy Milk chocolate brand to mark its 70th year in India: “Kuchh achchha ho jaye”. That’s Hindi for ‘let something good happen’. It built on a long-running campaign with the slogan: “Kuchh meetha ho jai”, Or let’s have something sweet.

Both campaigns were rooted in the Indian psyche, where sweet has been synonymous with celebration for centuries.

Not so much anymore.

Today, achchha (good) is separated meetha (sweet).

With rising incomes, education and health consciousness in India, especially in big cities, masses of people are saying no

First print: May 02, 2024 | 12:16 pm IST