Influencer Revant Himatsingka is famously known for reviewing packaged foods. Recently, "Food Pharmer" was on an IndiGo flight and reviewed the food served by the airline. He alleged that "Indigo's Magic Upma has 50% more sodium than Maggi". He went on to say that even poha and daal-chawal served by the airline have more sodium than the instant noodles. This went viral on the internet and the airline issued a statement regarding the same.
"Most of us already know that Maggi is a high sodium food! What most of don't know is that Indigo's Magic Upma has 50% more sodium than Maggi, Indigo's Poha has 83% more sodium than Maggi, and Daal Chawal has as much sodium as Maggi," Mr Himatsingka wrote alongside a video on X (formerly Twitter).
He added, "Just because 'Upma', 'Poha', 'Daal chawal' sound healthy, does not mean they are healthy. Always remember junk food pretending to be healthy, is even more dangerous than junk food." Mr Himatsingka said that Indians consume "too much sodium" and regularly consuming excess sodium can result in high blood pressure, hypertension, heart issues and kidney issues.
In the comments section, he continued, "One of the reasons why we don't feel the taste of excess salt in airlines is because high altitudes reduce our taste bud sensitivity. This is also one of the reasons why most airlines add excess salt in our food."
The influencer in the video shared that he ordered all the ready-to-eat food packets on the IndiGo flight he was travelling on. He then checked each packet to see the quantity of sodium. He made a comparison between their sodium content and Maggi's sodium content. Eventually, the influencer discovered that compared to Maggi, the upma, poha, and dal chawal provided during the flight had higher sodium content.
IndiGo, in a statement, said that they serve "fresh" and "pre-packaged food" only from reputed vendors. "All food served on board IndiGo flights carries details on ingredients and nutritional information as per FSSAI norms. Passengers have the choice of choosing from freshly prepared pre-booked meals or purchase pre-packaged food products on board," they added.
The airline said that the information on the food packet is given for passengers to choose and consume at their discretion. "The preparation of some pre-packaged products is done as per traditional Indian recipes and the salt content is well within prescribed norms. The information printed on the package acts as an advisory for passengers to estimate their nutritional intake and consume as per their discretion. We welcome all feedback to improve our services in our mission to provide an affordable, on-time and hassle free flying experience for our customers."
Since being shared, the post has amassed a lot of reactions from social media users. It has been viewed a million times and has seven thousand likes on the microblogging platform.
"Wow, who would have thought that our 'healthy' in-flight meals could be hiding such a sodium minefield? This really makes me wonder what other surprises are lurking in our daily lives," said a user.
Another added, "Wow, that's quite a sodium overload! Who knew airplane food could be so surprising?"
"It's concerning, Revant, to see how seemingly healthy options can pack such a sodium punch. We need more transparency in food labeling to make informed choices," remarked a person.
"Foods that are packed and sold can never be healthy due to various reasons. People compromise to eat that food because of the situation they are being put by big companies," added a user.
An X user added, "Considering the average person probably takes a few flights a year, it's okay."
"Appreciate your video, but there is a reason airlines do this ...At high altitudes, less moisture & lower air pressure affects our taste bud sensitivity, hence impacting taste perception of salt & sweet. Regular food tastes bland.That's why they add more salt in airline food," commented another user.
