What Indians Eat, and How Being Unhealthy Is Easier and Cheaper

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 –Indian economy- issues of buffer stocks and food security

Introduction

India has moved from famine to food surplus, yet nutrition security remains weak. People spend more on diverse foods, but diets still depend on low-quality carbohydrates. Processed food intake is rising fast because it is cheap, convenient, and widely available. These shifts are driving obesity, diabetes, and a growing disease burden. India now faces a mix of undernutrition, excess calorie intake, and micronutrient gaps, showing that abundance has not led to better health.

How Are Food Consumption Patterns Changing in India?

1. Shift Toward Higher Food Expenditure:

• Food spending has increased in real terms across households. People now spend more on dairy, eggs, meat, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
• According to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23, average spending on animal-sourced foods has risen by about ₹40 since 1999, and spending on fruits and vegetables is now almost twice the 1999 level. This shift shows a move toward greater dietary variety as incomes rise..
• However, nutrition security has not improved in the same way, because the quality of what people eat has not kept pace with higher spending.

2. Drop in Expenditure on Cereals but Higher Intake:

• Spending on cereals has fallen sharply since 1999, even though most Indians still eat large amounts of cereals.
• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-INDIAB study shows that 62% of dietary energy comes from low-quality carbohydrates, mainly refined cereals and sugar.

3. Large Inequalities in Food Expenditure: The top 5% of rural households spend almost eight times more on food than the bottom 5%. In urban areas, the difference is almost ten times. Poor households remain locked into cereal-heavy diets, while wealthier households seek more variety.
4. Urban Diet Diversification: Urban consumers are choosing better quality and more diverse foods. Lifestyle changes and evolving food habits have increased demand for non-cereal foods. Yet this shift has not reduced consumption of refined cereals, which continue to supply most dietary calories.
5. Cereal-Centric Policies: Policies such as the National Food Security Act encourage high cereal intake. This keeps cereals central to Indian diets even when people spend more on other foods.
6. Steep Rise in Spending on Processed Foods: Spending on processed foods has increased by 353% in rural areas and 222% in urban areas since 1999. Price elasticity dropped by 90%, showing that processed foods have shifted from luxury to necessity.

Why Is Processed Food Consumption Increasing?

1. Convenience for Busy Households: People prefer ready-to-eat meals because of long working hours and reduced time for home-cooked food. This shift is linked to changes in work-life balance and less availability of unpaid domestic labour by women, which earlier supported home cooking.
2. Lower Prices: Ultra-processed foods are cheaper than nutritious fresh foods.
3. Aggressive Marketing and Easy Access: Food companies market high-fat, sugar, and salt foods aggressively. These foods are promoted as enjoyable, modern, and affordable. Easy access through shops, supermarkets, and online platforms increases consumption.
4. Dependence Created by Food Systems: The food environment makes unhealthy choices the simplest options. Fresh foods often cost more and are harder to access, especially in rural areas. More than 75% of Indians cannot afford a diet meeting nutrient adequacy standards, increasing dependence on cheaper processed foods.
5. Cultural Preferences Supporting High-Carb Diets: Many cultural food habits reinforce high-carbohydrate diets. Even when incomes rise, people continue to depend on cereal-heavy meals, supplemented by processed snacks.

What Are the Consequences of These Dietary Shifts?

1. Impact on Health
2. Rise of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases: Low-quality carbohydrates supply most of the energy in Indian diets, and this is a major driver of obesity and metabolic problems. India is now part of a global rise in obesity, with the World Obesity Atlas 2025 showing that one in eight people worldwide lives with obesity.
3. Growing Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): The Global Burden of Disease 2023 shows that poor diets are the largest contributor to years of life lost. Diet-related NCDs are rising sharply, including cancer, Type-2 diabetes, and respiratory diseases. By 2050, cancer cases may rise by 148%, Type-2 diabetes by 229%, and respiratory diseases by 40%.
4. Increase in Years of Life Lost (YLL):

• A study supported by the Food Systems Economics Commission for India projects a sharp rise in years of life lost due to poor diets.
• It estimates that YLL from diet-related risks in India will increase from 50 million in 2020 to 72 million by 2050.

4. Triple Burden of Malnutrition: India faces undernutrition, excess calorie intake, and hidden hunger. More than half of women are anaemic, while obesity among women has nearly doubled in 15 years. Men show similar trends. This mix highlights severe imbalances in diet quality.
5. Weak Immunity and Lower Productivity: Poor diets weaken immunity and reduce overall well-being. People fall sick more often, which lowers productivity and limits their ability to work. This creates a cycle where poor nutrition leads to lower incomes, which then reduces access to diverse foods.
6. Low Diet Diversity Among Children: Fewer than one in ten children receive the Minimum Adequate Diet. Low diversity affects growth, immunity, and long-term health. It also increases the risk of future NCDs.
7. Impact on Economy
8. Higher Healthcare Costs: The rise in obesity, diabetes, and other NCDs directly increases healthcare spending. Families face higher medical bills, and the health system carries a greater burden. Since diet-related diseases are long-term, these costs continue to grow over time.
9. Loss of Productivity and Working Years:

• Weak immunity, more frequent illness, and rising YLL reduce the number of productive years people can work.
• Lower productivity affects household income and slows economic growth. Poor nutrition keeps many families trapped in a cycle of low earnings and limited opportunities.

What Actions Are Needed to Correct Dietary Trends?

1. Shift Production Incentives Toward Nutritious Foods: Support should move from cereals to pulses, fruits, vegetables, and millets. These crops improve nutrition and climate resilience.
2. Strengthen Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO): FPOs can improve market linkages and reduce prices of diverse foods. This can make nutrient-rich foods more accessible.
3. Increase Support for Climate-Smart Agriculture: Projects like RESILIENCE in Odisha and Assam and the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for the North-Eastern region show how crop diversification and climate-smart practices can raise farmer incomes. They also improve local access to healthy foods.
4. Introduce Strong Food-Environment Regulations:

• Clear front-of-pack labelling and limits on marketing HFSS (High-Fat, Sugar, Salt) foods can guide consumers toward healthier choices.
• Regulatory standards can push companies to make healthier products.

5. Improve Public Food Programmes: Programmes like PM Poshan, Anganwadi nutrition, and PDS should include diverse foods to build steady demand for healthy items.
6. Use Social-Protection Models for Behaviour Change: The RajPusht model in Rajasthan, combining cash transfers to pregnant and lactating women with behaviour change communication, shows how social protection combined with targeted messaging can improve household food choices.
7. Expand Infrastructure for Perishables: Cold storage and better processing facilities for fruits and vegetables can reduce prices and losses, making healthy foods more affordable.
8. Promote Underutilised Protein Sources: Aquatic and marine protein sources should be expanded to improve protein access at low cost.

Conclusion

India’s food choices are changing, but unhealthy options remain cheaper and easier than nutritious ones. Rising incomes have not corrected the core imbalance in diets. Correcting this needs coordinated action across policies, markets, communities, and food systems. India can achieve true nutrition security only when healthy foods become accessible, affordable, and desirable for every household.

Question for practice:

Discuss how changing food consumption patterns in India are contributing to rising health risks and widening nutritional imbalances.

Source: Indian Express