India's Sweet Tooth Fades: Sugar Demand Flattens Amid Health Concerns, Diet Shifts

• India's sugar demand is flattening due to rising health concerns, especially diabetes, and changing dietary habits among younger consumers.
• Industry estimates project marginal growth in table sugar consumption this year, with ISMA forecasting a mere 1.42% increase.
• Pre-pandemic annual growth of over 4% has significantly slowed, with projections for 2025-26 (28.5 million tonnes) falling below 2024 levels (29 million tonnes).
• The shift reflects greater health awareness, changing diets, and a move towards alternative sweeteners and lower-sugar processed foods, as per ISMA director general Deepak Ballani.
• This trend has significant public health implications for India, which has the world's second-largest diabetes population (100 million diabetics, 136 million pre-diabetic).

Why It Matters: India's sugar consumption is slowing due to health awareness, impacting a nation with high diabetes rates.