30 of 49 millet-named foods list a millet first
A millet word on the front does not always mean the pack is mostly millet. Of 49 foods sold in India with a millet name, 30 list a millet first and 19 do not.
How to check a pack yourself
- Read the first ingredient. Turn the pack over and look at the list of ingredients. The first ingredient is the most by weight, not half or more.
- Look for a percentage. Check if the pack lists a percentage next to the millet in the ingredient list. This shows how much millet is in the food.
- Check for sugar or wheat. If a sugar or wheat flour comes before the millet in the list, the millet is not the main thing in the pack.
Quick answers
Does a millet name mean the pack is mostly millet?
No. Of 49 foods with a millet name, 30 list a millet first. Being first means the most by weight, not half or more. Of the 28 that print a millet share, 25 have less than half millet.
How much millet do the packs print?
28 of the 49 print how much millet is inside. The middle value is 25%, and 25 of those 28 have less than half millet. For example, a choco wafer sold as 'ragi bites' prints millets at 16.7% with ragi at 0.4%, and wheat flour (atta) leads its flours. A malt drink mix that prints '25% ragi' on the front lists sugar first and ragi second, at 25%.
What comes first when millet does not?
When a millet is not first, other ingredients may come first. Of the 19 that do not list a millet first, wheat (atta, maida or semolina) comes first in 7, oats in 7, a sugar in 3, corn in 1, and peanuts in 1.
What does FSSAI's millet standard cover?
FSSAI's standard covers the quality of whole or dehulled millet grains, including 15 types of millets. It sets limits for moisture, defects, and other quality factors. It does not set how much millet a food named after a millet must contain.
How to check a millet pack in a few seconds?
Turn the pack over and read the first ingredient. Look for a percentage next to the millet in the list. If a sugar or wheat flour comes before the millet, the millet is not the main thing in the pack.
Every measure
| Measure | Share of foods | Lists |
|---|---|---|
| Millet first | 61% | 30 of 49 |
| Millet share printed | 57% | 28 of 49 |
| Under half millet, of 28 | 89% | 25 of 28 |
| Added sugar named | 69% | 34 of 49 |
| Palm oil named | 24% | 12 of 49 |
How I did it
I read 68 Open Food Facts India records with a millet word in the product name. I left out 15 plain grains, flours or flour blends, 1 supplement powder, 1 list that cannot be read, and 2 duplicates. I focused on 49 packaged foods. A script checks the hand read on every first ingredient. The lists come from Open Food Facts, entered by volunteers, so they are not a random sample. 49 foods is a small base, so read the shares as rough. Plain grains and flours were left out, so this is about foods sold on a millet name, not about millet itself. No brands are named.
Where this comes from
- FSSAI press release: comprehensive group standard for millets (February 2023)
- Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 (FSSAI compendium)
- Open Food Facts
What this can't tell you
- The lists come from Open Food Facts, entered by volunteers, so they are not a random sample.
- 49 foods is a small base, so read the shares as rough.
- Plain grains and flours were left out, so this is about foods sold on a millet name, not millet itself.
- No brands are named.
- Being first in the list means the most by weight, not half or more.
Data and code
- Every number on this page with the count behind it (JSON)
- Code: https://github.com/devnarsinghani22/india-label-index (millet.py)
- Licence: the data comes from Open Food Facts under the Open Database License. You can reuse these numbers with credit to Open Food Facts and this page.
Part of the India Label Index 2026.
Narsinghani, D. (2026). What's inside millet-named foods. India Label Index 2026. https://devnarsinghani22.github.io/india-label-index/millets/. Data from Open Food Facts (ODbL). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23245061.