Abstract
With undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies afflicting the country, India experiences a triple burden of malnutrition. Recent decades have seen modest progress when it comes to health in India, but progress has been uneven and inequitable. This study reviews food and nutrition status in India. The diversity in food is enabled by variety in nutrition, which is only possible with serious crop diversification. The nutrient uptake is majorly cereal-centric as food production, availability, and access are impacted by the agricultural policy that has placed a significant thrust on food grain production spurred by the green revolution and supported by the institutions. India is not only affected by malnutrition amongst the poor but also amongst all socio-economic groups. India ranks 101 out of 116 countries based on the Global Hunger Index 2020. The Global Nutrition Report 2018 clearly mentions that India is home to 46.6 million stunted children and 25.5 million wasted children. India ranks 103 out of 119 qualifying countries per the Global Hunger Index 2018. Malnutrition was the predominant risk factor for death in children younger than five years of age in every state of India in 2017 (GBD), accounting for 68.2% (95% UI 65.8–70.7) of the total under-5 deaths and the leading risk factor for health loss for all ages, responsible for 17.3% (16.3–18.2) of the entire disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). In India, nutrition status has deteriorated over decades because of ineffective policy interventions and inadequate food systems, which are neither affordable nor sustainable. There are severe gaps in India’s nutrition statistics, and even the most important nutrition trends are far from explicit; practical action in this field requires regular and reliable large-scale surveys that would make it possible to monitor the nutrition situation at the district levels at intervals.
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Basheer, S., Ashique, V.V., Grover, A. (2023). The Food and Nutrition Status in India: A Systematic Review. In: Grover, A., Singh, A., Singh, R.B. (eds) Sustainable Health Through Food, Nutrition, and Lifestyle. Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7230-0_9
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