Sugar and salt in Indian milk drinks and health drink powders: What 112 labels say
From my study of Indian packaged-food labels on Open Food Facts. Every number comes from the back of the pack.
Quick answers
How many Indian milk drinks and health drink powders have added sugar?
53% of the 112 milk drinks and health drink powders labels I read list an added sugar. In 52% a sugar is one of the first 3 ingredients, so it is a big part of the food.
Do milk drinks and health drink powders hide sugar under other names?
12% list sugar under 2 or more names. After plain sugar, the most common is liquid glucose, on 5% of labels.
Other names for sugar on milk drinks and health drink powders labels
Share of the 112 labels that list each one. The guide explains each name.
| Sugar name | Share of labels |
|---|---|
| Liquid glucose, glucose syrup | 5.4% |
| Dextrose, glucose | 4.5% |
| Maltose, malt extract, malt syrup | 3.6% |
| Invert sugar, invert syrup, golden syrup | 0.9% |
| Lactose | 0.9% |
How to check a pack yourself
Turn the pack over. Read the list at the back from the top, and look for every name of sugar, not just the word sugar. Then check the sugar and salt for 100 g in the nutrition table. Paste any list into the Label Checker and it marks the sugar names for you.
Where this comes from
This is one category of the India Label Index 2026. The data is from Open Food Facts, filled in by volunteers, so it is not every pack in India. It covers categories, not brands, and rates no product. Full method and limits.
Narsinghani, D. (2026). Sugar and salt in Indian milk drinks and health drink powders: What 112 labels say. India Label Index 2026. https://devnarsinghani22.github.io/india-label-index/milk-drinks/. Data from Open Food Facts (ODbL).