When we talk about nutrition, the first thing that perhaps comes to everyone’s mind is food production. The belief is that to achieve adequate nutrition, we need to produce enough food. However, does necessary food production translate into adequate nutrition? The answer is no.
We cannot just stop at food production if we want to ensure adequate nutrition for everyone. The effort should be to go one-step ahead and understand other challenges like accessibility, local needs, etc.
Mr Chindi Vasudevappa, Vice-Chancellor of National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management said, in a conference, that 70% of Indians consume less than half of recommended dietary allowances of micronutrients.
The country also is home to 25 per cent of the hungry people in the world. These facts become even starker when we compare it with India’s food production capacity. According to Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), India is the second-largest food producer in the world.
It also ranks as the second greatest producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane, groundnuts, vegetables, fruit, and fish in addition to being the world’s largest producer of milk and pulses. India is today the ninth largest exporter of agricultural goods in the world. The country has become a net food exporter with a six-fold increase in food crop yields from 50 million tonnes in 1950–51 to approximately 300 million tonnes in 2019–20.
All this could be achieved because of initiatives like Green Revolution, Public Distribution Program, and sale of subsidized products to the poorer population. Even during the Covid pandemic, the Indian government provided free food to more than 80% population of the country.
Even with all this, why is the food production in India not translating into adequate nutrition for everyone?
Food Processing and Nutrition
Almost every kind of food that reaches our plates is processed in some form. Whether it is traditional form of processing or industrial, it is needed to store and transport food at long distances. However, one of the challenges of food processing is that it may negatively affect the nutritional value.
When the food is ultra-processed, it may contain high amounts of sugar, preservatives, and other ingredients which may not be good for long-term consumption. Additionally, some of the minerals and vitamins in the food may get dissolved during the processing.
So, does that mean we should do away with industrial processing of food? In today’s fast-paced world, that cannot be a solution. There are many reasons for this but the two most important ones are that food processing can improve accessibility and also make India a global leader in food production.
Thus, the solution lies in finding the ways in which the balance between food production and nutrition, and food processing and nutrition can be maintained. After the Covid-19 pandemic, people have become more conscious of what they are consuming.
Therefore, there has been a rise in the demand for gluten-free, organic food which uses natural preservatives and additives. The industry for organically grown and processed food is growing rapidly in India and around the world.
Even the government, through Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), is bringing in policies to boost investments in food production processing industry in India. With regularization of the food processing industry, MoFPI can ensure transparency so that customers can make better decisions.
Food Processing Industry in India
One of the largest food processing industries in the world, India’s output is anticipated to reach $535 billion by 2025–2026. Approximately 1.93 million people are employed in the food processing business, according to government statistics, which accounts for 12.38% of all registered factory employment.
The government has made significant investments in the food processing sector in India, including 68 Agro-Processing Clusters, 356 Cold Chain Projects, and 41 Mega Food Parks. The Indian food sector is expected to produce $535 billion in US dollars by 2025, with a CAGR of 11%. According to trends, India’s food processing sector is anticipated to expand as a result of global mindful consumption.
As mentioned above, India is already a leader in food production globally. The country can leverage its position to become a global leader in food processing as well. Even within the country, many startups are now coming up which are focusing on providing healthier options to customers.
The food processing sector is the sunrise sector in the country and with its growth, we can also expect the nutritional benefits can also reach the end consumer.
Achieving Adequate Nutrition Targets
As discussed in the beginning, food production cannot alone solve India and world’s nutritional deficiency problems. What we need is focus on multiple areas to ensure food nutritional food is made available to everyone.
There are reasons like poor storage facilities, wastage in transportation, and use of contaminated water which impacts the access to nutrition for people in India. According to Mr Vasudevappa, India loses Rs 1,00,000 crore of food every year.
All these problems can be solved by bringing in necessary investment and improving the infrastructure. By focusing on food production, diversification of crops, and building a robust food processing industry, India can achieve its targets of providing nutritious food to everyone.
Another major problem that the world, and India, need to focus on is climate change which is impacting food production and driving hunger. What we need is to build a food processing industry which is resilient to the vagaries of climate change. By growing crops like millet which consume lesser water, we can further improve our agricultural production and provide adequate nutrition to everyone.
The focus to ensure adequate nutrition for everyone is an arduous one. However, by focusing our energy on improving food production and food processing, we can achieve our goals. Smile Foundation is also doing its part in its mission of providing nutritious meals to underprivileged children and their families.