F4 - India (One case study of attempts to tackle food insecurity)

Midday Meal Programme

Government scheme in India providing free cooked school meals to improve child nutrition, attendance, and social equality

Midday Meal Programme statistic

Reaches over 120 million children daily, making it the largest school feeding programme in the world

Midday Meal Programme evaluation

Highly effective at improving child nutrition and school attendance (by up to 8–10%), but its impact varies regionally due to unequal funding, infrastructure, and implementation quality

Fortified food

Food enhanced with added micronutrients (iron, iodine, vitamins) to reduce hidden hunger and deficiencies

Fortified food statistic

Iodised salt programmes alone have helped reduce iodine deficiency risk for over 1.5 billion people globally

Fortified food evaluation

Extremely cost-effective and scalable, but success depends on government regulation, distribution systems, and public awareness, meaning impacts are uneven in poorer regions

No Food Waste NGO

Organisation that collects surplus food from restaurants, hotels, and events and redistributes it to people experiencing food insecurity

No Food Waste NGO statistic

Has redistributed around 20 million meals across India, significantly reducing urban food waste

No Food Waste NGO evaluation

Effective at addressing urban hunger and food waste simultaneously, BUT limited by logistical constraints, reliance on voluntary donations, and inconsistent supply of surplus food

How does having the Midday Meal program indirectly impact education?

Food can increase school attendance by 8–10% in low-income regions by reducing opportunity cost of schooling

Key stat: what is kerala's life expectancy compared to India's average?

Kerala has a life expectancy of around 75+ years, higher than the Indian average (~70 years), reflecting improved health and nutrition outcomes

Key stat: what are Kerela's malnutrition rates compared to India's average?

Malnutrition rates are around 16%, national average is 35%

Why is reducing food waste sustainable?

Reducing food waste is highly sustainable because it improves food AVAILABILITY without additional environmental pressure, BUT requires long-term infrastructure investment.

Evaluation of different stakeholder solutions?

• Government systems are most effective at scale, but can be expensive,

• NGOs are flexible and targeted, but limited in scale

• Food waste reduction is highly sustainable, but depends on consumer behaviour and logistics (eg. length of supply chains)
  👉 Overall evaluation: The most effective approach combines strong government welfare systems, NGO support for vulnerable groups, and long-term sustainability strategies such as reducing food waste.