ROLE OF FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY IN FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SECURITY IN INDIA

Abstract

The conversion of horticultural products into food, or one kind of food in another, is known as food processing. Food processing assists in reducing negative food changes over time, pleasing customers with flavours, taste and colour, catering to cultural beliefs, empowering women, and providing choice, knowledge, and convenience to health-conscious customers. There are various sectors in food processing industry like fruits and vegetables processing, milk processing, sugar processing, cereal processing etc. The nutritional security of processed food can include four basic issues i.e., food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food stability. The study aims to identify the status of food processing industries in terms of their production, employment and number of units established in India. The study also tries to find out the extent to which food processing units playing a role in achieving nutritional security among people in India. To achieve these objectives, the study collected data from various secondary sources including reliable data available in published and unpublished books, reports, journals, newspapers, and different research sites. Appropriate statistical tools are used to show the increase in number of food processing units, number of persons engaged and total output in various subsectors of food processing industries in India. The requisite regression equations are also calculated in the study which shows that the growth in number of units and employment are positively related with output levels of food processing units in India. Results by applying tests of significance shows that there is a strong association between two attributes viz. imports and exports of processed products in India. Thus, we can conclude that India is self-sufficient in making the processed products from different subsectors of food processing on the one hand and in achieving the nutritional security (food availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability) among people of India on the other.