From a famine-hit nation in the 1970s, India is one of the world’s leading food exporters today. However, based on the findings of NSSO’s latest quintennial survey, its journey to nutrition security is incomplete. The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2022-23 presents information on the monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) on food, consumables and durable goods. Collected periodically over the past 23 years, it offers insights into food expenditure. Overall, food expenditures have risen in real terms. Expenditures on protein sources such as dairy, eggs and meat, fruits, vegetables and nuts have risen while expenditures on cereals have dropped, despite recent evidence that shows more than half the plate is composed of carbohydrates.

While lower expenditure on cereals is consistent with the economic theory of consumption, the quantities consumed appear to be higher. The most recent ICMR-INDIAB Dietary study shows that 62 per cent of total energy in Indian diets comes from low-quality carbohydrates (refined cereals and sugar). This has been identified as the leading cause of the obesity (and other metabolic diseases) epidemic. In India, while per capita incomes have shown an exponential increase over the last two decades, and real per capita GDP has more than doubled, spending on cereals has declined by almost half compared to 1999 in both urban and rural areas. On average, Indians now spend Rs 40 more than they did on animal-sourced foods, including dairy products. Similarly, for fruits and vegetables, people spend approximately twice as much, driving expenditures away from grains to diverse foods.

While the National Food Security Act is a key........

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