Interstate Migration and Changing Food Preferences in India

Abstract

India is a diversified country. Just as the geography, religion, and culture of India are diverse, so are Indians' food habits. Even so, regional heterogeneity in food consumption exists across states. But it may be hypothesized that regional heterogeneity in food consumption across states has been declining. This hypothesis is based on the fact that interstate migration has been growing since 1991. The present study tested whether or not regional heterogeneity in food consumption has been declining over the years 1993–1994, 1999–2000, and 2004–2005. The authors show that regional heterogeneity declined over these periods and that both rural and urban consumers shifted their preference from cereals to non-cereals. However, the article also provides some evidence that regional disparities remain in India. Implications of this shift in consumption are discussed.

Keywords:

• food consumption
• regional heterogeneity
• nutritional implication
• India

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Authors are indebted to Dr. A. R. Prasad, Professor of Economics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, for his encouragement. Authors are also thankful to anonymous referees for their valuable comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of the article. Shraddha would like to thank ICSSR, New Delhi for financial assistance.