Estimates of Calorie, Protein, Fat Intake and Welfare in India from Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys, 2011–2012 and 2022–2023

This article estimates and analyses trends of calorie, protein and fat consumption in India. It finds notable increases in the intake of all three nutrients in 2022–2023. The increase marks the second recorded rise in nutrient consumption since 2011–2012, following a prolonged secular decline in calorie and protein intake up to 2009–2010. The earlier decline was primarily driven by a fall in real income rather than a reduced energy requirement. The article highlights the critical role of government interventions, particularly the public distribution system and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, in mitigating the nutritional deficit in recent years. Without these interventions, calorie and protein intake could have declined even more, despite rising average income.