Arpita Mukherjee¹, Souvik Dutta², Suvi Agrawal³

(1. Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), India;

Abstract: A pioneering study by the World Health Organization (WHO) panel on diet, nutrition and prevention of chronic diseases recommended an intake of at least 400 grams or five daily servings of fruits and vegetables (excluding potatoes, cassava and other starchy tubers) with an average serving size of 80 grams, to prevent diet-related chronic diseases and micronutrient deficiencies. It is scientifically proven that fruits and vegetables are essential sources of phytonutrients, which promote a range of health benefits. Although the Indian government has introduced a regulation on food security, a number of studies show that Indians are falling short of the WHO recommended intake of fruits and vegetables. Given this background, the paper tries to examine the extent of shortfall in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, if any, based on a primary survey of 1001 middle and upper income urban Indian consumers. It also analyses the purchase patterns of fruits and vegetables, the reasons for the shortfall in consumption, its implications on health and well-being of consumers and whether the shortfall can be supplemented by health/nutritional supplements. The level of awareness among urban Indian consumers is also discussed. The paper finds that young Indians are likely to face a greater shortfall in the consumption of fruits and vegetables due to several reasons, based on which it makes policy recommendations to the Indian government to ensure nutrition security.