May 2, 2007

India's chicken consumption triples over the last decade

Consumers in India are becoming more health conscious and now prefer chicken and vegetables over red meat and eggs, according to the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO).

While mutton consumption has declined significantly from 0.11 kg to 0.07 kg per capita over the last ten years, chicken consumption has tripled from 0.03 kg to 0.09 kg, the household survey revealed.

A decline was also observed in egg consumption with per capita consumption in urban India falling from 2.06 eggs per month to 1.72 eggs in the past 5 years.

Indians are also eating more fruits such as bananas, coconuts, apples and mangoes. Consumption of groundnuts and vegetables has gone up as well.

Meanwhile, the percentage of households consuming vegetables have grown significantly, rising by 3-6 percent during the past decade for potatoes, onions and brinjal, and 12 percent for cauliflowers and tomatoes.