Analysing the Lazy Mother Argument Inspired by the Maggi Controversy

Is it “lazy,” “new-generation” working mothers who feed their children two-minute noodles and other junk food, as was suggested during the Maggi noodles controversy? Or is the junk food intake of adolescents related to the educational status of both parents in a transitioning economy, where education can directly or indirectly influence imitation of so-called Western-style fast food consumption patterns? This analysis of survey data from a non-metropolitan Indian setting shows that junk food intake of adolescents is actually lower for working mothers than for homemakers, decreases with an increase in the mother’s education, but increases with increase in the father’s education and with the household’s socio-economic status.