Food subsidies, nutrition transition, and dietary patterns in a remote Indian district

Abstract

We examined food subsidies and dietary intake in a remote district of India in the context of globalizing food environments. We used bespoke quantitative instruments to collect data on frequency of intake of 69 foods and a dietary variety score among 937 adults. We compared frequency of intake between urban and rural people receiving and not receiving subsidies. Subsidy recipients, who live in poverty, had slightly less varied diets and less frequent consumption of expensive foods, especially fruits and dairy, than non-recipients. However, there were no differences between poor and non-poor in frequency of intake of rice and pulses, both of which are provided through the subsidies to the poor.