Summary feedback
Knorr Chinese Veg Sweet Corn soup basically consists of creamed sweet corn and fresh vegetables like carrots, celery and spring onions with some spices. It is a quite popular in India.
This soup contains a very high amount of salt at 4.9 gm per 100 gm pack, so if one consumes the entire pack in a day it will be over and above the WHO recommendation of daily salt intake which is between 1-3 grams. This is extremely high and could be dangerous for individuals with high BP, kidney problems etc.
In addition, the main ingredients in the soup are high glycemic index empty calories from simple starches like refined wheat flour and maize starch. High glycemic index foods are not recommended for people who are trying to avoid obesity, heart disease, hypertension etc.
It contains edible vegetable fat which usually means hydrogenated fats, which are a source of trans fatty acids or “trans fats”, which are harmful to health. Trans fats increase the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, cancer and many other ailments.
The foodnetindia rating for this product:-
foodnetindia safety rating: 3 (On a scale of 1 to 10 from very unsafe to very safe)
The high salt in this packaged soup poses a safety concern in a population at high risk for metabolic syndrome and heart disease. The simple starches pose an additional problem for people trying to avoid lifestyle diseases and consuming this soup as a “health food”.
The hydrogenated fat also poses a health risk as it is a source of transfats. We urge the company to replace it with safer alternatives as people in India are becoming very conscious of the ingredients they are consuming. A soup which is being widely advertised on TV as being ‘healthy’ for us should not contain hydrogenated fats.
foodnetindia wholesomeness rating: 3 (On a scale of 1 to 10 from very unbalanced nutrition profile to excellent nutrition profile)
This product does not have any wholesome ingredients in any meaningful quantity. Soup products in India are often eaten as health products by people who are already at risk of lifestyle diseases. The high salt and edible vegetable fat content, in addition to the very high glycemic index simple starches from wheat and maize, forces us to give this a low wholesomeness rating.
Ingredients of concern in Knorr Chinese Veg Sweet Corn Soup
Sugar
This food product does not specify which sugar has been used. This is important because different sugars have different metabolic effects. For example, Sucrose (Cane Sugar) is very different from Fructose (Fruit Sugar). Some foods use high fructose corn syrup which may be harmful in much lower quantities than sucrose. We believe that it is not responsible behaviour for a brand to not clearly state what ingredients have been used.
Salt
High sodium diets have been known to be the cause of high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. The recommended daily intake of salt is between 1-3 grams.
Edible Vegetable Fat
Often brands tend to obscure the fact that they have used hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils by using the term “edible vegetable fat”. Hydrogenated fats are a source of trans fatty acids or “trans fats”, which are harmful to health. Trans fats increase the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, cancer and many other ailments.
This food product does not specify which edible vegetable fat has been used. We believe that it is not responsible behaviour for a brand to avoid clearly stating what ingredients have been used.
A vegetable oil is a triglyceride extracted from a plant. Such oils have been part of human culture for millennia. The term “vegetable oil” can be narrowly defined as referring only to plant oils that are liquid at room temperature, or broadly defined without regard to a substance’s state of matter at a given temperature. For this reason, vegetable oils that are solid at room temperature are sometimes called vegetable fats.
Added Natural Flavouring Substances: Garlic, and Artificial flavouring substance: Corn
This food product does not specify which flavours or flavouring substances have been used. The flavours should be specified as some of them have serious side effects and may not be suitable for infants, pregnant women or people who are allergic. We believe that it is not responsible behaviour for a brand to avoid clearly stating what ingredients have been used.
By not specifying what these flavours and substances are, we are forced to consider what they are hiding and why would they be so reluctant to mention what they have used in the food product!
By this behaviour, these manufacturers expose people to possible allergens or toxins that could be avoided if consumers knew what they were.
Other ingredients that are in the product but not a major source of concern in our opinion are:
- Refined Wheat Flour
- Maize Starch
- Dehydrated Vegetable: Corn(7%) Carrot Flakes (6%)Cabbage Flakes (2%) Leeks (0.7%)
- Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
- Thickener-415
- Spices & condiments (Celery (0.2%)
- Flavour Enhancer-627 & 631
Disclaimer – The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information. foodnetindia encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
The ingredients list of the product may have changed since this page was published. Consumers are encouraged to read warnings, labels, ingredient lists, etc.
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