A recent study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has spotlighted a troubling and fundamental shift in India’s dietary landscape: nearly half of the protein consumed by Indians at home now originates from cereals such as rice, wheat, suji, and maida. This finding, based on the latest 2023-24 National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, exposes a “silent crisis" where the quantity of protein masks a serious deficiency in its quality.

The analysis reveals that while the average Indian appears to meet the daily protein quantity requirement, clocking about 55.6 grams a day, the overwhelming reliance on cereals is a major red flag. Cereals contribute close to 50 per cent of total protein intake, a figure that is significantly higher than

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