Regional Disparities in Food Habits and Nutritional Intake in Andhra Pradesh, India

Andhra Pradesh is one of the largest states in India. The study assessed the regional disparities in Andhra Pradesh in food habits and nutritional intake in three different regions namely Coastal, Rayalaseema and Telangana in the backdrop of demand for separate Telangana state. The analysis revealed that consumption of most food items was less than the requirement in three regions. The diet was based mainly on cereals, which supplied about 74 per cent energy, 67 per cent proteins and 10 per cent fats. The share of high value commodities (vegetables, fruits, milk and meat products) in total food expenditure is much higher in Coastal compared to both Telangana and Rayalaseema regions, which shows significant differences in food habits across three regions. The expenditure elasticity for fruits, milk and meat products are much higher in all three regions, while for cereals expenditure elasticities are less. About 30 to 45 per cent of the population was undernourished across regions. Incidence of nutritional deficiency is more prevalent among the landless, scheduled caste, scheduled tribes and poor. Although it appears that, nutrient deficiency in calories, proteins and fats appears to be low in Coastal region, if we consider micro nutrient most likely that the region may be better of considering the high proportion of fruits, vegetables, milk and meat products in the diet compared to Telangana and Rayalaseema regions. Further, In Coastal region, disparities between landless and large land holders in nutrition status is much higher than Telangana and Rayalaseema regions, may be due to large proportion of agricultural labour in Coastal region. The study identifies that there is no link between production and consumption of different food items at regional level. It mostly is determined by food habits and income levels