New Delhi:\u00a0The monthly budget for Indian households has changed vastly in the past ten years. Across rural and urban areas, the monthly per capita expenditures have increased, but the share of food expenses has declined, signalling an economic diversification. \u00a0<\/p>\n
This quiet shift\u00a0in\u00a0India\u2019s food consumption patterns tells a larger story of transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndia\u2019s dietary transition shows progress but still has persistent gaps,\u201d reads the paper titled\u00a0Food consumption patterns and their micronutrient content in India: Evidence from the household consumption expenditure surveys, 2011\u201312 and 2023\u201324\u00a0published in\u00a0Nature\u00a0<\/a>and co-authored by Professor Shamika Ravi, member of the\u00a0Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tShow Full Article<\/p>\n The study finds that India\u2019s food consumption landscape has transformed over the past decade, with significant implications for nutrition security. It highlights the changes in household expenditure, consumption patterns across major food groups and dietary sources of selected micronutrients based on the data<\/a> from Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys (HCES) 2011-12 and 2023-24.<\/p>\n Rising incomes and shifting consumption patterns are driving this change in India\u2019s food consumption, coupled with targeted welfare initiatives. The focus, however,\u00a0isn\u2019t just about spending less on food, but also on\u00a0eating differently.<\/p>\n Since 2010, India\u2019s food plate has been slowly transforming. Cereals, once the unquestioned staple dominating household budgets, now occupy a much smaller share.<\/p>\n \u201cWithin food budgets, the share of cereals has fallen sharply, particularly\u00a0in the\u00a0poorest quintiles, consistent with expansion of food security programmes providing subsidised cereals,\u201d the paper read.<\/p>\n This decline has been sharp which reflects both demand-side shifts and the impact of large-scale food safety programs such as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and the National Food Security Act (NFSA).<\/p>\n The study finds a noticeable rise in the consumption of more nutrient-dense foods such as milk, fruits, and even meat in some regions. This suggests a gradual shift toward more diverse diets.<\/p>\n Yet, beneath this progress lies a more complex reality. Even as diets diversify, they are not necessarily becoming fully nutritious.<\/p>\n \u201cSeasonal and regional disparities in perishable food consumption persist but have narrowed,\u201d the study found.<\/p>\n The paper also studied how\u00a0India\u2019s food consumption patterns are evolving, where progress has occurred, and which gaps remain critical for food and nutrition policy action.<\/p>\n \u201cThe decline in food expenditure as a proportion of total household spending \u2014 falling below 50\u00a0per cent\u00a0in rural areas for the first time in post-independence India \u2014 signals improved living standards and economic maturation,\u201d reads the paper.<\/p>\n