By Mayadhar Sethy
Step into two neighbouring homes in rural Odisha and the first thing you notice is reassuring. In both kitchens, rice is cooking. On both plates, there is enough to eat. This quiet but significant achievement reflects years of public investment in food security and the steady expansion of the PDS. Hunger, at least in its most visible form, has been pushed back.
But look a little closer at those plates, and another story begins to emerge. In one home, the meal is simple; rice and dal, with a few vegetables. In the other, there is fish curry, leafy greens, and sometimes even fruit. These everyday differences do not take away from the success of India’s food policies. Instead, they highlight the next challenge before us: moving from filling stomachs to nourishing bodies.
A recent study examining the diets of 13,113 households across Odisha between 2011 and 2023 brings this reality into focus. The research shows that while calorie intake has become more equal across social groups, the quality of food people consume remains uneven. In other words, access to food has improved but access to good nutrition has not kept pace.
The patterns are clear. Households from historically marginalised communities consume far less fruit, animal protein, and dairy than socially advantaged households. Measures that capture access to varied, market-based foods show similar gaps. The success of PDS in equalising cereal consumption is undeniable. What now needs attention is everything beyond cereals; vegetables, proteins, and micronutrients that protect children from anaemia, stunting, and lifelong health problems.
One of the most useful contributions of this research is that it points not to failure, but to opportunity. By tracking households over time, it shows where progress has slowed and where policy support could make the greatest difference. Many families remain in low dietary quality brackets year after year, not because they lack motivation, but because structural barriers limit their choices. Recognising these constraints allows governments to sharpen existing programmes rather than reinvent them.
The study also challenges a common assumption: that rising incomes alone will solve nutrition gaps. Even when households earn similar amounts, differences in diet persist. This makes it clear that nutrition is shaped not just by money, but by access; access to markets, infrastructure, and reliable food supply chains. These are areas where public policy already has a strong foothold.
Geography plays a crucial role here. Families in marginalised settlements often live farther from markets, making fresh vegetables, fruits, and dairy more expensive and harder to obtain. Addressing this last-mile gap; through mobile markets, local cold storage, better transport, and improved rural connectivity could dramatically improve diets. Encouragingly, such measures align closely with ongoing investments in rural infrastructure and livelihoods.
India’s changing food landscape adds urgency to this task. Processed and packaged foods are becoming available everywhere, but healthy diversity is not. This moment presents both a risk and an opportunity. With the right mix of nutrition awareness and support for affordable fresh foods, dietary change can be guided in healthier directions. Initiatives like the Odisha Millets Mission show what is possible—reviving traditional, climate-resilient crops that are nutritious, locally suited, and empowering for farmers, especially in tribal and rain-fed regions.
The public health implications are well known. Odisha continues to grapple with child stunting and wasting, and improving everyday diets is central to addressing these challenges. Programmes such as POSHAN Abhiyaan already provide a strong institutional framework. With sharper focus on inclusion, last-mile delivery, and monitoring, these initiatives can achieve even greater impact.
Seen this way, the evidence from Odisha is not a critique of government intent, but a roadmap for the future. It shows how far food policy has come and how much more it can achieve.
As Odisha and India move towards ambitious development milestones, success will be measured in small, everyday ways. When a child in Kalahandi sits down to a meal as varied and nutritious as a child in Bhubaneswar, it will signal not just economic progress, but social confidence and maturity. Building on existing achievements and guided by evidence, governments today have a real opportunity to ensure that India’s nutrition story is not only a story of quantity, but also of quality, equity, and hope.
The writer is ICSSR Doctoral Fellow, Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies, Bhubaneswar.