Over half of popular food, supplement products miss top ratings in lab tests

More than half of India’s most popular packaged food and health supplement products failed to secure top quality ratings in independent laboratory testing, according to findings released by Unbox Health, an independent ratings platform for packaged foods and nutrition products.

The findings are part of The Great Indian Product Hunt, a nationwide, consumer-led initiative that evaluated 30 everyday food and nutrition products that received the highest number of consumer votes across categories. Despite strong brand recall and popularity, over 50% of the products tested did not receive an A or A+ rating, underscoring a gap between consumer preference and verified product quality.

According to the report, 30% of the products were rated C or D, reflecting shortcomings in areas such as label accuracy, nutritional integrity and compliance with safety thresholds. Independent laboratory testing further revealed that more than 25% of products showed discrepancies between declared and tested values, raising concerns around label accuracy.

Safety-related issues were identified in a smaller but significant subset of products. About 10% of the products tested were found to contain heavy metals or other toxins above permissible limits. In addition, more than 15% of the products received a D rating due to poor performance on parameters including label accuracy and non-toxicity measures.

The consumer voting was conducted across five categories: fitness and performance nutrition, everyday vitamins and minerals, kitchen essentials, snacks and indulgences, and popular trending supplements. Products from widely recognised brands including Tata, Patanjali, Amul, Maggi, Yogabar, Oziva, Organic India and Tata 1mg were among those tested as part of the exercise.

All products were independently sourced from the market and evaluated in NABL-accredited laboratories using category-specific, objective parameters, the platform said.

“Independent lab testing of widely consumed food and wellness products highlights a structural gap between consumer preference and verified product quality,” said Arjun Anjaria, founder and chief executive of Unbox Health. “While brand recall and voting reflect popularity, laboratory analysis allows us to assess what ultimately matters—label accuracy, nutritional integrity and safety.”