ASSOCHAM publishes report titled ‘Indian Cuisine at a Crossroad’
New Delhi: The ASSOCHAM Foundation for CSR has published a comprehensive report titled “Indian Cuisine at a Crossroad” in its Annual Session 2023-24. The Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, unveiled the report at the ASSOCHAM Annual Session Bharat@100: Paving the way for inclusive and sustainable global growth.
The report provides a comprehensive overview of India’s traditional foods and aims to identify policy priorities that ensure the provision of safe and nutritious food for all Indians while safeguarding the country’s food heritage, taking into account the evolving dynamics of the food ecosystem.
The report emphasises the importance of comprehending the driving factors behind Indian food choices and has gathered feedback from over 5,000 participants in 15 of the most populous cities in the form of a nationwide study.
The report explores India’s food journey, tracing its evolution over centuries, and finds its origins rooted in the traditional Ayurvedic way of living. Ayurveda is a more than 6000-year-old healthcare system that emphasizes the importance of “Ahara” (diet) and “Anna” (food) as a means of achieving good health and wellness.
The report attempts to bring out the uniqueness and scientific character of traditional Indian foods and contrasts them against global cuisines while understanding the factors which drive the food choices of Indians. Contrary to the popular belief that Indian food is less healthy compared to non-traditional food, the report shows that Indian food, including snacks, drinks, accompaniments, and sweets, has fewer calories than its non-traditional counterparts.
The report states that fresh produce and spices are the foundation of traditional Indian cuisine, which emphasizes moderation in consumption and a skillful combination of ingredients for both flavour and nutrition.
However, there is a growing preference among Indians for western food, which is seen as part of a broader nutritional shift associated with modernization, urbanization, and economic development.
The traditional food industry in India is committed to providing nutritious and delicious options that promote health and wellness. It is crucial to develop a scientific understanding of traditional Indian food that considers the physiological needs of people and the socio-economic factors that influence the food industry. This understanding should not be based on global food categorisation. The survey in the report brings out some interesting facts about food choices of Indians. The 15 cities where the study was done included Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat, Jaipur, Lucknow, Pune, Kanpur, Nagpur, Thane and Indore.
