Dietary consumerism and nutrition security: The Indian perspective

Sustainable consumption is an important component of sustainable developmen t. Consumption is not just a problem of population growth, but also of reso urce-intensive consumerist life-styles. For India, the challenge therefore is to achieve progress towards equitable human welfare with lesser utilizat ion of energy, water and other resources than is possible with the western model of development. Countries of South Asia have the highest percentage o f the malnourished in the world. Malnutrition has a complex aetiology, of w hich household food security (which in turn depends on local availability o f food purchasing power and knowledge to utilize it properly), is art impor tant aspect. The challenge before agricultural scientists is to make availa ble nutritionally well-endowed foods, at least cost both to the environment and the consumer. This is a no mean challenge, because consumers (even the poor) have their own preferences for foods, which are not always guided by their nutrient content. The word 'consumerism' generally implies excessive consumption, driven by guided or unguided consumer choices and preferences . Normally, higher incomes and urbanization are associated with consumerist ic life styles.