CONSUMPTION TRENDS OF PROCESSED FOODS AMONG RURAL POPULATION SELECTED FROM SOUTH INDIA

Nutrition transition is said to be one of the major causes of rising incidences of non-communicable diseases in Indian population. One of the major changes observed in dietary patterns is consumption of processed foods and eating away from home. This has impacted the nutritional status of populations across many regions. The objective of the study was to map out the consumption trends of processed and catered foods among selected rural population from South India. The study population were 500 respondents from five different villages of Mysore district, which answered a structured questionnaire regarding general background information, major driving forces for purchase of processed foods, and types and frequency of consumption of such foods. The data were collected and classified age wise. The results revealed that the study population mostly belonged to Hindu religion, the literacy and income levels were very low, and majority were non-vegetarians. The primary driving force for purchase of processed foods were mothers followed by media influence. Price and quality of foods were influencing factors for purchase whereas saving of time was major reason for selection of such foods. Snack foods were major items of daily purchase by majority of respondents. The study shows that dietary transition in terms of purchase of processed foods was also observed in rural population.