How India's sweets industry has adapted to diabetes

Sweets are a ubiquitous part of Bengali diet and culture, making the state the sweets capital of India. Sweets shops form an integral part of every neighborhood, with their versatile range of breakfast and snack-related savories and sweets, primarily made from milk, milk base, sugar and flour.

A 2023 national study charted the prevalence of overall diabetes and prediabetes across rural and urban areas of West Bengal, compounded with hypertension and abdominal obesity. Of the total number of diabetic patients in India, 101 million people were diagnosed with diabetes and 136 million were prediabetic.