Diets, Nutrition and Poverty: The Indian Experience

This chapter focuses on the Indian experience with dietary changes, their nutritional
implications, and policy response to alleviate nutritional deprivation. We review the evidence
on nutrient intake and dietary changes, particularly the downward shift in calorie, protein and
other nutrient intake over the period 1993–2004 and provide a demand based explanation of
this shift. We report on eating out as an aspect of dietary transition, examine the relationship
between calorie deprivation and poverty, and argue against delinking of the two. We analyse
poverty nutrition traps, whether child undernutrition is underestimated and the double burden
of undernutrition and obesity. We examine the (potential) contribution of National Rural
Guarantee Scheme and Public Distribution System in mitigating the extent and severity of
undernutrition. We emphasize that food security entails a right to certain policies to ensure
food entitlements, as opposed to a narrow interpretation of the right to food in terms of state
provisioning of these entitlements. Conclusions from a broad policy perspective are
delineated.