India’s largest biscuit manufacturer has served a legal notice to longevity advocate and author Prashant Desai over a recent video where he highlighted the high palm oil content in the company’s popular biscuit. This marks the fifth such notice Desai claims to have received in his public health advocacy journey.
In a LinkedIn post that has gone viral, Desai said the video in question revealed that one of the company’s products contains 23% fat, with 20 grams coming from refined palm oil. He did not name the company directly in the post, but described it as a “₹1.35 lakh crore biscuit behemoth.”
The post quickly caught attention not just for its legal angle, but also for the alarming health statistics Desai referenced.
“India is getting fatter like never before,” Prashant Desai wrote, citing the ICMR-INDIAB report which notes that over 564 million Indians are overweight or obese. “Women are more obese than men,” he added.
Desai pointed out that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a National Games address, flagged obesity as a major health risk and called for a 10% reduction in oil consumption nationwide.
Backing his claims with data, Desai said:
- Indian edible oil consumption has tripled in the last 4 years.
- The average Indian consumes 2 kg of oil per month, or about 65 grams per day.
- In comparison, Americans consume about 75 grams daily, but at a much higher $80,000 per capita income, versus $2,700 in India.
He argued that most of this increase isn’t from household cooking, but from the proliferation of ultra-processed foods. “35% of chips are bad-quality refined oil, 40% of bhujia is oil, 25% of biscuits are oil, 40% of frozen dessert is oil, even 25% of chocolate is oil,” Desai wrote.
Desai also called out quick commerce platforms like Zepto, Blinkit, Amazon, and Flipkart, and supermarkets offering Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) deals, for making processed foods far more accessible. “Indians now spend ₹7 lakh crore on outside food, half of which comes from the unorganized sector,” he added, noting the role of Zomato and Swiggy in accelerating this trend.
He summed up the issue bluntly:
“High oil consumption is making India fat. Obesity is now the number one lifestyle risk factor for death in India. Next is smoking. And third? Vegetable oil. Read that again. Please.”
Prashant Desai’s Recommendations:
Amid the legal battle, Desai laid out his suggested path forward:
- Declare obesity a disease, as has been done in countries like the USA, Canada, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia.
- Cut back on ultra-processed foods such as chips, bhujia, Kurkure, frozen desserts, and cheap chocolate.
- Avoid habitual use of delivery and quick-commerce platforms.
- Don’t fall for supermarket BOGO deals that encourage overconsumption of junk food.
In closing, Prashant Desai wrote, “You are the CEO of your health. Behave like one.” He also noted that he now faces the daunting task of defending himself legally against a massive corporation.
The post has triggered widespread discussion on social media, with supporters hailing Desai for “speaking uncomfortable truths,” and critics questioning the factual framing of processed food impacts.
The biscuit company has not yet issued a public statement on the legal notice.
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