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Experts favour alternative proteins to strengthen nutrition security
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Tuesday, 04 August, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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India has made significant progress in improving food security and reducing hunger over the past few decades, but malnutrition and diet-related health challenges continue to pose serious concerns, prompting experts to advocate for wider adoption of alternative protein sources.
At a closed-door roundtable jointly organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Good Food Institute India (GFI India), policymakers, researchers, industry representatives and development organisations discussed the role of plant-based and biomass-fermented proteins in strengthening India's nutrition security. The meeting brought together representatives from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Department of Biotechnology, the World Bank and the World Food Programme, among others.
Nilanjan Ghosh, Vice President of Development Studies and Head of ORF's Kolkata Centre, highlighted the country's continuing nutrition gap despite improvements in food availability. Citing the National Family Health Survey-6 (2023-24), he noted that 29.3 per cent of children under five are stunted, 31.8 per cent are underweight and 19 per cent are wasted, while diet-related lifestyle diseases are also on the rise. He stressed the need for more nutritionally diverse diets amid growing pressures from climate change, resource constraints and shifting food consumption patterns.
Experts at the roundtable emphasised that ensuring access to affordable, nutritious, culturally appropriate and sustainable protein sources is becoming increasingly important. They pointed to India's rich agricultural base, scientific capabilities, food-processing infrastructure and culinary diversity as strengths that can help address protein inadequacy and poor dietary quality.
Participants identified indigenous crops such as pulses and millets, along with defatted oilseed meals, broken grains and other agricultural by-products, as promising raw materials for producing affordable alternative proteins. They observed that many of these resources remain underutilised, inconsistently processed or are diverted to animal feed. Improving crop characteristics, processing technologies and quality consistency, they said, could create new income opportunities for farmer producer organisations (FPOs), women's self-help groups, rural processors and MSMEs.
The discussion also focused on incorporating alternative proteins into government nutrition programmes such as PM-POSHAN and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). While existing school meals and take-home rations generally meet calorie requirements, experts noted that they often fall short in terms of protein quality due to their heavy reliance on cereals.
Plant-based proteins, they said, can be developed into affordable, shelf-stable and nutritionally dense products that fit regional food preferences while remaining viable within the existing budget of school meal programmes. However, participants stressed that community engagement and acceptability studies would be essential before introducing such products at scale.
Food safety and scientific validation emerged as another key priority. Experts called for comprehensive research on product safety, allergenicity, digestibility, bioavailability and nutritional outcomes, along with stronger collaboration among regulators, research institutions, industry and public health agencies to establish appropriate standards.
The meeting also underscored the need for investments in technology and shared infrastructure to support large-scale adoption. Participants said artificial intelligence tools and open-access databases could help identify suitable ingredient combinations, improve flavour profiles and adapt products to regional cuisines. They also highlighted the importance of investments in shared processing, testing and quality assurance facilities to bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial production.
According to the participants, policy initiatives such as BioE3 can support research, innovation and commercialisation of plant-based ingredients and fermentation technologies. They added that predictable procurement mechanisms and clearer policy signals would encourage greater private-sector investment in the sector.
Concluding the discussion, Sneha Singh, Managing Director of GFI India, said collaboration among government, research institutions, industry, development organisations, financiers and civil society would be essential to transform alternative proteins into practical, locally relevant solutions capable of improving India's nutritional security.
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