Analysis of Data for Measuring Food Availability, Access and Nutritional Status (Topic 13)

Economic theory (vide Engels law) states that consumption patterns change with improvement in economic status (income). Poorer households spend proportionately more on staple food than the rich do. There is ample empirical evidence on this phenomenon. This is a much-debated issue in the Indian context, where evidence on declining poverty with increasing malnutrition has baffled policymakers. A preliminary step in analysis would be to verify the profile of differences in consumption patterns across expenditure groups.