Meat on the menu: 25 states-UTs see a jump in non-veg lovers
India Today
The percentage of people who consume non-vegetarian foods jumped in 25 states and union territories in the last five years.
Non-vegetarian foods are increasingly becoming a part of the Indian platter as more people have begun relishing chicken, mutton, or fish in their meals. In the five years leading up to 2021, the prevalence of non-vegetarianism among women increased in 26 states/UTs, and in 25 states/UTs among men.
Women who included non-veg food in their meal at least once a week increased in Jharkhand by 16.4 percentage points; Telangana by 14.7 percentage points; Andhra Pradesh by 12.4 percentage points; and Bihar by 11.4 percentage points.
The same for men rose in Sikkim by 27.7 percentage points; Maharashtra by 9.3 percentage points; Punjab by 8.9 percentage points; and Odisha by 7.3 percentage points.
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On the contrary, fewer women in Meghalaya, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala eat non-veg food every week. West Bengal and Meghalaya saw a decline in non-vegetarianism among men too.
The rise in non-vegetarianism is rising in a country where food habits are associated with religious beliefs.
“The vast majority of Indian adults (81 per cent) follow some restrictions on meat in their diet, including refraining from eating certain meats, not eating meat on certain days, or both,” noted a report by Pew Research.
