As junk as it is: Meet your loving snacks

pics curtosy: aneveningmeal.blogspot.com

We Bhutanese love so many packaged snacks, like lays, Bhuja, Khurkure and so many that come at cost of rupee out flow and serve at no level but another cost. The health, environment and economic consequences. Did we ever knew that?

It according to a group of experts and scientist who met in New Delhi last moth organized by India Centre for Science and Environment, is that there are worse facts as well. Did we bother what they are made of, where they come from, what are their markings are they as true as they are presented?

The experts there have presented and highlighted that junk foods like potato chips including Lays, Kurkure and other instant noodles contain increasing high level of salt, sugar and trans-fat.

“Ingredients present in these junks can be a cause of non-communicable disease like diabetes, obesity and heart diseases,” Chandra Bhushan have said at the workshop. And more of our hard currencies go for junks from Thailand and rupee for junks from India to earn health investment. Aren't we? Don't you think so?

We weren't aware if these products were properly labelled but even those with labels carried false ones and serving size was lower than that mentioned on the cover the experts who have studied these products have said.

It is said that potato chips and Lays for instance contained more salt than what its labels show on the cover while others like Alu Bhujia (Haldirams) and Kurkure contained high fats and heavy dose of trans-fat.

Eating a packet of Kurkure will exhaust one-third of a men’s calorie quota and two-third of the total fat quota of a day according to the food safety experts.

And besides, if we avail figure from our customs, it would be obvious to show a shocking data of junk imports that would have taken our rupee stock, while it contributed health issues that would again invite another expenditure which normally goes to India.

curtsy: Bhutan observer

Do we still love Junk?

Consider our surrounding, every plastic that we may find around is labeled LAYS, KHURKURE, BHUJA, CRAZY, MAGGI, WAI WAI, and all of its kind.

While our people are health conscious, we still do not avoid junking all over, while we still have some economic problem concerning the rupee, nobody cares to spent meaningfully.

CSE's Sunita states in her press release after having tested junks fodd in India that companies producing those junks are found irresponsible through their omissions.

pics curtsy: swedish-bhutan-society.org

Junk food is defined as food with empty calories—it provides fat, sugar and salt, without nutrition. The CSE study reconfirmed this but with a difference it states. Labels on packages do not explain just how much of our daily salt, sugar or fat quota this “fun” food is taking up. We are not told that one packet of chips, devoured easily, supplies half of what we should take daily in terms of fat and salt; one bottle of cola has twice the daily added sugar allowance of adults and children. It is not in the interest of food companies to advertise this. It is in our interest to know it states.

Can junk food be one reason of a our rupee crises and don't we see more hard currencies flowing out swift after the rupee crisis.... or is it using to buy rupee after taking dolars on a travel quota.

But one thing i think it sure is that, as far as we see junks in the shelves of the shops, rupee and dollars are walking out for no good reason.......... What do you think?