Upma Served By IndiGo Has More Sodium Than Maggie? Airline Responds To Influencer's Viral Video

Upma Served By IndiGo Has More Sodium Than Maggie? Airline Responds To Influencer's Viral Video (Photo: Screengrab/X)

IndiGo issued a statement after a social media health influencer shared a video talking about food being served by the airline on its planes. The influencer, Revant Hemantsingka, highlighted the sodium content in IndiGo's food. IndiGo responded to the video and said that the salt content is "well within prescribed norms".

Revant goes by the name 'Food Pharmer' on X, and has over 88k followers. In the video, he says that he ordered all the IndiGo ready-to-eat food options. He begins by comparing them with Maggi noodles, which are commonly known to be healthy because of their sodium content, according to him.

"Shocking video about the food served at Indigo airlines ! Most of us already know that Maggi is a high sodium food! What most of us don’t know is that Indigo’s Magic Upma has 50 per cent more sodium than Maggi, Indigo’s Poha has 83 per cent more sodium than Maggi, and Daal Chawal has as much sodium as Maggi," Revant wrote in the post caption.

"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. Indians already consume too much sodium and consuming excess sodium on a regular basis raises our blood pressure and can result in hypertension, heart issues and kidney issues," he added, urging people to share the information.

In the video, Revant concludes by suggesting that people flying IndiGo airlines have two "best options". The first, he suggested, is to bring packed food from home with you on the flight. The second, he says, is to buy IndiGo's Nut Case or Almond Box, which he says are both "pretty decent".

"Note: 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," Revant added in a comment to the post.

IndiGo, in a statement, said the preparation of some pre-packaged products is done as per traditional Indian recipes and the salt content is well within prescribed norms.

“IndiGo serves fresh and pre-packaged food only from the most 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. The preparation of some pre-packaged products is done as per traditional Indian recipes and the salt content is well within prescribed norms,” the statement by IndiGo said.

"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," IndiGo added.

X users responded to the post and video put out by Revant. Many were shocked by what he shared. Some thanked Revant for sharing this piece of information.

"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," wrote one user in response to Revant's post.

"Revant - Airline food is intentionally high in sodium because in the controlled pressure controlled air pumped into the aircraft, food tastes different from the ground. Therefore, it is higher in sodium. Not defending them, putting facts out there," wrote another.

(With inputs from agencies)