There have been notable socio-economic changes in India. The most notable change has been in the overall economic scenario in the country, with a robust growth rate. There have also been some important government initiatives in the fields of health and nutrition and poverty alleviation, including the launching of MGNREGA and overhauling of the ICDS. Globalisation has resulted in the opening of multinational fast food chains in Indian cities, including the smaller cities. The improvement in the overall economy at the macro level and concomitant improvements in purchasing power (though unevenly distributed) among households have not led to the expected levels of improvement in the nutritional status of Indians. The latest findings of the National Family Health Survey, NFHS-3 showed virtually no improvement in parameters as compared to NFHS-2
Nutrition is a basic human need and a prerequisite to a healthy life. A proper diet is essential from the very early stages of life for proper growth, development and to remain active. Food consumption, which largely depends on production and distribution, determines the health and nutritional status of the population. The recommended dietary allowances (RDA) are nutrient-centred and technical in nature. Apart from supplying nutrients, foods provide a host of other components (non-nutrient phytochemicals) which have a positive impact on health. Since people consume food, it is essential to advocate nutrition in terms of foods, rather than nutrients
Emphasis has, therefore, been shifted from a nutrient orientation to the food-based approach for attaining optimal nutritional status. It would thus, be more apt to put the subject matter as “Making Nutritional Food Affordable, Accessible and Acceptable”.
Thoughts which reflect on Making Nutritional Food Affordable, Accessible and Acceptable are brought out below:
a. Drivers of Food Choice (DFC)
This plays an important decision point in selection of food. There could be many drivers controlling this. Few among them would be
- Production system & Local Sourcing – Source being cultivated or wild
- Food availability and accessibility – This depends to a large extent on the region, and if it belongs to LMIC (Low- and Middle-Income Countries)
- Promotion, Advertising and Information: The packaging of food (Processed) currently needs to bring out ingredients and Nutritional information. There could also be a highlight showing processed food categories under
- Nutritious to have
- Good to have
- Unhealthy to have
This classification could be basis the Ingredients present and % of the RDA.
b. Universal uptake of nutrition interventions like Public Distribution System, Take Home Ration, IFA supplementation, Supplementation of Eggs, etc. and/or social protection interventions such as MNREGA, Pension, Livelihood schemes, etc. can lead to significant decrease in percentage income spent on the cost of a food habits nutritious diet, thereby reducing the affordability gap.
c. Key Nutrition Sensitive Social Protection Schemes, which have the potential to improve the household income (like PMMVY, MNREGA, Pension), need to revisit its benefit size. Increase in daily wages in MNREGA has the potential to improve the affordability of the lowest quartile too. Similarly, doubling the benefits of social pensions will help improve affordability of the lowest quartile. The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which is cash compensation for pregnant and lactating women to improve its dietary practices would improve security and continuity at the household level food security.
d. Promotion of kitchen gardening, forest foods and household food production will improve access to low cost nutritious foods, thereby minimising the cost and affordability gap. This would also benefit in terms of percentage nutrition that gets into the body by virtue of being fresh and grown close to the point of consumption.
e. Food Fortification is another thrust area, that can lead to making Nutritional Food Affordable, Accessible and Acceptable. It’s a very effective way of addressing micronutrient deficiencies because it reaches entire populations and doesn’t impact colour, taste, or appearance of a product so it doesn’t change the dietary habits of consumers and it’s therefore very well accepted. Moreover, it’s extremely cost effective with a compelling return on investment. It’s been highlighted by many agencies that there’s probably no other technology available offering such a large opportunity to improve lives at such a low-cost and in such a short time as fortification.
An affordable nutrition revolution within the next couple of years is imperative in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving zero hunger by 2030.
To do that, we need more unlikely collaborations with the objective of bringing sustainable and affordable, science-based innovations to the dining table to improve nutrition for all. We’ve been talking for years about public-private partnerships: we must stop talking now and just make it happen.
What are your thoughts on making Nutritional Food Affordable, Accessible and Acceptable?
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