Introduction
The challenge of addressing nutritional security in India is not merely a developmental goal but a crucial determinant of the nation’s social and economic well-being. Despite significant progress in food production and self-sufficiency, the prevalence of malnutrition raises questions about the efficacy of current policies and interventions. Nutritional security goes beyond ensuring access to food, it demands a focus on diet quality, diversity, and the ability to meet human body’s nutritional needs. This blog examines India’s progress in addressing nutritional security by exploring the distinction between food and nutritional security, evaluating persistent challenges, and assessing the implementation of key policies and programmes.
Understanding Food Security
Food security, as defined by the 1996 World Food Summit, occurs when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Achieving food security requires addressing its four key dimensions: availability, access, utilisation, and stability. However, food security alone does not ensure the attainment of holistic nutritional outcomes.
Food Security and Nutritional Security: What makes them distinct
While food security emphasises the availability and accessibility of food, nutritional security focuses on ensuring that food consumed meets the body’s dietary requirements for macro and micronutrients. Nutritional security incorporates food quality, diversity, and the ability to utilise nutrients effectively. Thus, nutritional security goes beyond caloric sufficiency to ensure holistic health and well-being.
Why Nutritional Security Matters
Nutritional security is essential for preventing malnutrition, reducing economic losses, supporting cognitive development, and enhancing disease resilience. It also plays a vital role in promoting sustainable food systems by encouraging diverse diets and preserving agricultural biodiversity.
Persistent Nutritional Challenges in India
Despite achieving significant strides in food production and self-sufficiency, India continues to grapple with widespread nutritional deficits. The country remains home to 194.6 million undernourished individuals, the highest globally. While undernourishment has declined from 240 million in 2004–06, 13% of the population still faces chronic food insecurity, and 55.6% (790 million people) cannot afford a healthy diet, a mere 3% improvement since 2022. The nation grapples with the highest prevalence of wasting (18.7%) in South Asia, high stunting rates (31.7%), and 27.4% of low-birth-weight babies, indicating severe maternal malnutrition. Additionally, 53% of women aged 15–49, are anaemic, the highest in South Asia, while obesity affects 2.8% of children under five and 7.3% of adults. These figures highlight that food abundance alone does not solve nutritional challenges. India’s economic inequality exacerbates nutritional disparities. Households with limited resources often rely on cheap, calorie-dense, nutrient-poor diets. The recent Household Consumer Expenditure Survey (HCES) shows that the poorest segments consume below-recommended caloric levels, reflecting the nexus between poverty and malnutrition. The Green Revolution prioritised staple crops, particularly rice and wheat, at the expense of nutrient-dense alternatives such as millets, pulses, and fruits. This has led to widespread deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals, despite caloric sufficiency. Further, erratic weather patterns, increased droughts, and floods have impacted crop yields and reduced the nutritional value of food. Rising temperatures exacerbate vulnerabilities, further undermining food systems. Limited knowledge about balanced diets and proper feeding practices perpetuates poor nutritional outcomes. The lack of literacy around food labels and nutritional content underscores the need for targeted educational initiatives.
Urban areas, while offering diverse food options, also promote unhealthy eating habits due to processed food consumption and sedentary lifestyles. This double burden of malnutrition, undernutrition alongside rising obesity, is increasingly prevalent.
India’s healthcare infrastructure often falls short in providing robust nutritional interventions. Gaps in immunisation coverage and maternal health services further worsen the malnutrition crisis. A significant proportion of India’s food production is lost due to inadequate storage and transport. This not only represents a loss of potential nutrition but also raises food prices, making nutritious diets unaffordable for many.
Initiatives and Policy Support in India
India has implemented several programmes to address malnutrition through a comprehensive and targeted approach. Mission Poshan 2.0 merges various nutrition schemes to address child malnutrition and focuses on improving nutritional outcomes for children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers through a life-cycle approach. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) provides essential health, nutrition, and education services to young children and mothers while ensuring regular growth monitoring and immunisation to support early childhood development.
The Mid-Day Meal Scheme enhances school attendance and nutritional intake among children by providing hot cooked meals in schools, thereby reducing classroom hunger and supporting cognitive growth. Similarly, the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) aims to improve maternal nutrition and health by offering cash incentives to encourage better health-seeking behaviour among pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Additionally, policies like the National Food Security Act (2013) and initiatives like Poshan Vatikas (nutrition gardens) aim to promote food and nutritional security.
Strategies to Address Nutritional Gaps
To transition from food security to nutritional security, India must adopt multidimensional approaches that address systemic challenges. Programmes like the Public Distribution System (PDS) must include nutrient-rich foods such as millets, pulses, and fortified oils. Introducing educational components into social welfare schemes can improve dietary practices among beneficiaries. Expanding food fortification initiatives to include rice, wheat, and edible oils with iron, folic acid, and vitamins is critical. This strategy ensures nutrient supplementation without altering dietary habits. A “Nutri-Smart Agriculture” model can incentivise farmers to cultivate diverse, nutrient-dense crops. Policies promoting indigenous and biofortified varieties can enhance both nutritional outcomes and biodiversity.
Integrating nutrition awareness into school curricula and community programmes is essential. Establishing school gardens and linking them to mid-day meal schemes can instil long-term healthy eating habits. Applying behavioural economics principles to nudge populations towards healthier choices such as redesigning food labels and promoting local, nutritious foods can be transformative. Building capacity in healthcare systems to provide nutrition-specific services, including maternal and child health programmes, is imperative. Frontline workers must be trained to address nutritional deficiencies effectively. Investments in storage, transportation, and processing infrastructure can reduce food loss and ensure access to nutritious food. Encouraging partnerships between private and public sectors can enhance efficiency. Establishing an Integrated Nutrition Surveillance System can monitor nutritional indicators and enable timely interventions. Leveraging technology for data collection and analysis can provide actionable insights.
The Way Forward
Transitioning from food security to nutritional security requires systemic shifts across policies, programmes, and practices. A multi-sectoral approach, aligning efforts across agriculture, health, education, and social welfare, is vital. Moreover, political commitment and robust governance structuresare essential to ensure sustained progress.
By recognising that food abundance alone cannot solve nutritional challenges, India can adopt targeted strategies to address deficiencies, improve health outcomes, and unlock sustainable economic and social development.
Author’s Bio: Smriti Mohapatra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications from Savitribai Phule Pune University. Previously, she worked as an intern with The Financial Express. She has a keen interest in rural development, international relations, climate change, and art & culture.