India ranks 66th in a new food security index

A protein- and Vitamin A-deficient nation where food quality is worse than that of Myanmar and Srilanka

A new global food security index shows India as a protein-deficient country and ranks it at 66th position among 105 nations surveyed. The study was commissioned by Du Pont and done by Economist Intelligence Unit.

While India scored 53 per cent in food availability, it suffered from deficiency in protein and vitamin A as far as quality is concerned. The calculations were made on data for all the countries available between 2000 and 2007.

James Borel, executive vice president at DuPont, said that the company would use science to find local solutions for local needs and was committed to invest $10 billion globally in research and development dedicated to the food, agriculture and nutrition sectors . It would come out with 4000 products by 2020 in the sector, he said. 

In South Asian countries, while India ranked 66th, Pakistan ranked 75th, Sri Lanka 62, Bangladesh 81, Nepal 79 and Myanmar 78. In availability of food India was ahead of other South Asian countries while in the matter of quality of food consumed, Pakistan was ahead of these countries. India ranked even below Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

The food consumed was shown to exceed the world average in nutrient value in the case of Pakistan while in the case of India In the matter of consumption of non starchy foods as part of diet, Pakistan scored 52 per cent as against world average of 50.3 per cent.

In the presence of  nine essential amino acids in the average national diet of Pakistan, it was 47 per cent as compared with world average of 65 per cent. India on the other hand had lower ocntent of protein,,iron and Vitamin A.

Presenting the details of the Index, PratibhaThaker, regional director, EIU, said, “The Global Food Security Index measures levels of food security by answering a central question: how can consumers in each country access sufficient amounts of safe, high-quality and affordable food. Because of our extensive modeling approach, we believe this comprehensive tool will help leaders move from rhetoric to results.”   

What Indians eat

Food quality of the food consumed in India shows it highly deficient in protein, iron and Vitamin A, the study says.

1. Share of non starchy food in total food is 38% 
2. Iron and vitamin A is 26.5%, half of world average
3. Animal iron is 0.6% vs world average of 2.8% 
4. Protein in diet is 37% vs world average of 65.9%