ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

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Dietary Diversity during COVID-19 in India

The article reports the findings on the changing dietary patterns of Indian households during COVID-19, based on an analysis of the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey. The impact of the pandemic on diet composition was most severe for the poor and the deprived, who substituted inferior cereals for expensive cereals and spent lower amounts on nourishing foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Policy Landscape for Diet Diversity in India

Diets have become predominantly based on starchy staples as a result of selectively subsidised cereal crops following the green revolution, with little animal products, fresh fruits, and vegetables. This has resulted in an increased burden of malnutrition along with rising micronutrient deficiency. Diet diversity was found to be dependent upon four major factors: availability, affordability, awareness, and utilisation. There is an urgent need to shift food systems and policies for a healthier and nutrient-adequate diet.

 

Agricultural Transformation or Compromising Food Security

A response to the paper “Water and Agricultural Transformation in India: A Symbiotic Relationship—I” by Mihir Shah, P S Vijayshankar, and Francesca Harris (EPW, 17 July 2021) argues that the solutions proposed in the paper will neither revolutionise India’s agriculture sector nor minimise the water and soil problems listed.

 

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