‘You’re What You Eat’: Bombay Shaving CEO Raises Alarm On ‘Biggest Epidemic’

Shantanu Deshpande, the founder and CEO of men’s grooming brand Bombay Shaving Company, has expressed grave concerns over the growing trend of fast food delivery in India, underlining its negative impact on people’s health.

In a post on LinkedIn, Mr Deshpande discussed how people were suffering from the “biggest epidemic,” advising everyone to consider cooking at home.

“‘Cook time 2 min, delivery time 8 min’ A ‘qcom for food’ founder told me this and I lost my mind. We are suffering from the biggest epidemic of poor nutrition and unhealthy processed and ultra-processed food which is high on palm oil and sugar. Our grains have lost nutrition over last 50 years as we prioritized agricultural yield for nutrition,” he wrote.

The “junk food addiction” in India, fuelled by Rs 49 pizzas, Rs 20 “poison energy drinks” and Rs 30 burgers, is “taking us down the path of China and the US without the economic cover needed for health,” he said.

Mr Deshpande cautioned the investors and founders about the issue and urged them to ensure the food was “palatable.”

“Frozen purees and curries and old vegetables heated and garnished with dhaniya to look fresh and slammed in some 2 wheeler who rides like Mad Max to your door in 10 min cos you couldn’t wait another 15 min or you were too lazy to chadhao a cooker of daal chawal. And all the investors and founders are already finding fancy words for this to bake it into the next big wave of Indian commerce,” he wrote.

“Zomato and Swiggy and Zepto – please, don’t. And if you are so keen, please make the product palatable. I would LOVE it if we innovate and are able to actually give non-stale and decent food in 10 min. Massive unlock. But I don’t think we’re close to there yet,” he further said.

The post went viral on social media, with many lauding him in the comments section for raising the issue.

“Shantanu Deshpande, you’re absolutely right,” one person wrote while discussing obesity. However, Mr Deshpande replied, “I’m worried about health and nutrition, not obesity.”

Another person wrote, “Yes, I 100 per cent agree with you. I believe the only way to address this issue effectively is through strict regulations and regular blind testing. This would ensure accountability and help to save India from this upcoming hidden health pandemic.”

While a third person suggested deleting Swiggy and Zomato apps from mobile phones, Deshpande replied, “Extreme 🙂 just watch what you’re eating.”

Before concluding his post, Mr Deshpande asked regulators to “please keep an eye” on this growing trend, besides suggesting people rather opt for home-cooked food. “The gut is the epicentre of your existence. You are what you eat,” he concluded.