State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026

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The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 Report has highlighted a significant decline in global hunger and an improvement in the affordability of healthy diets. For India, the report provides an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 and the Public Distribution System (PDS) in addressing food security and nutrition challenges amid changing socio-economic conditions.

Major Findings of the SOFI 2026 Report

About the Report

The SOFI 2026 Report is jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). It is the most authoritative global assessment of food security, hunger, and nutrition.

Improved Affordability of Healthy Diets

The report estimates that the proportion of Indians unable to afford a healthy diet declined from 59.8% in 2017 to 35.5% in 2025. Consequently, the number of people unable to afford nutritious food fell from 759 million to 589 million, indicating that nearly 170 million people crossed the affordability threshold. This improvement reflects rising household incomes, economic growth, and enhanced purchasing power.

Decline in Poverty

India's real per capita income increased by nearly 78% between 2013–14 and 2025–26, while the poverty rate declined from around 22% at the time of NFSA implementation to approximately 5% in 2022–23. These trends suggest that the Public Distribution System (PDS) has gradually evolved from a poverty-targeted programme into a near-universal food support system.

Slow Decline in Hunger

The proportion of undernourished people declined from 13% in 2013–14 to 9.8% during 2023–25. Although this represents progress, the decline has been relatively slow, indicating that food grain availability alone cannot eliminate hunger or malnutrition, and that broader nutrition-focused interventions remain necessary.

India's Food Security Framework

National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 provides a legal entitlement to subsidised food grains and forms the backbone of India's food security architecture. The Act covers 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population, based on the 2011 Census, entitling eligible beneficiaries to 5 kg of food grains per person per month at subsidised prices. Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households receive 35 kg of food grains per family every month.

Since 2020, these food grains have been supplied free of cost under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).

Public Distribution System (PDS)

India's Public Distribution System (PDS) is the largest food-based social protection programme in the world, distributing nearly 55 million tonnes of food grains annually to around 800 million people. In 2025–26, the food subsidy amounted to approximately ₹2.28 trillion, accounting for over 4% of the Union Government's total expenditure, demonstrating India's continued commitment to ensuring food security.

Issues with the Existing Food Security System

Excessively Wide Coverage

Despite significant reductions in poverty and improvements in food affordability, nearly two-thirds of India's population continue to receive free food grains. This raises concerns regarding the efficiency and targeting of the subsidy programme.

Rising Fiscal Burden

The food subsidy bill has increased more than fourfold since 2019–20, primarily due to rising procurement costs and the increasing economic cost borne by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). This trend has raised concerns about the long-term fiscal sustainability of the programme.

Calorie-Centric Distribution

The current PDS largely focuses on distributing rice and wheat, ensuring calorie intake but doing little to address protein deficiency, micronutrient deficiencies, and dietary diversity. Consequently, persistent nutritional challenges such as anaemia, child stunting, wasting, and underweight prevalence continue despite widespread food grain distribution.

Government Initiatives Supporting Nutrition Security

Nutrition-Focused Programmes

The Government has introduced several complementary initiatives to improve nutritional outcomes beyond food grain distribution.

The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 provides legal access to subsidised food grains, while the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) supplies these grains free of cost to all NFSA beneficiaries.

The POSHAN Abhiyaan adopts a convergence-based approach to reduce stunting, wasting, and anaemia, whereas Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 strengthen supplementary nutrition and early childhood care.

The PM POSHAN Scheme (Mid-Day Meal Programme) improves the nutritional status of school children, while the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) provides supplementary nutrition to pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children.

The Government has also expanded Food Fortification Initiatives, particularly through the distribution of fortified rice, to address micronutrient deficiencies. Additionally, Mission Poshan Tracker and Anaemia Mukt Bharat use digital monitoring and targeted interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition.

Suggested Reforms

Rationalising PDS Coverage

Experts recommend gradually reducing PDS coverage so that subsidies are directed primarily towards individuals who genuinely cannot afford a healthy diet. Current estimates indicate that coverage could be reduced to around 570 million beneficiaries, resulting in substantial fiscal savings.

Diversifying the Food Basket

The PDS should gradually move beyond rice and wheat by including protein-rich foods, pulses, millets, fortified foods, and edible oils to improve dietary diversity and nutritional outcomes.

Addressing Hidden Hunger

Savings generated through better targeting should be redirected towards combating hidden hunger, particularly micronutrient deficiencies, anaemia, and child malnutrition, with special emphasis on women and children.

Integrated Nutrition Strategy

Food security reforms should be integrated with healthcare, sanitation, safe drinking water, and behavioural change programmes to ensure improvements in nutrition outcomes, rather than merely increasing food availability.

Way Forward: Towards Nutrition Security

Targeted Food Security

India should gradually align food assistance with the 35.5% of the population identified by the SOFI 2026 Report as being unable to afford a healthy diet. Better targeting would improve efficiency while ensuring that the most vulnerable households continue to receive support.

Nutrition-Centric Food Distribution

Future reforms should prioritise the inclusion of protein-rich, nutrient-dense, and fortified foods, especially for women, children, and other nutritionally vulnerable groups.

Strengthening Nutrition Missions

Government programmes such as POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anaemia Mukt Bharat, Mission POSHAN 2.0, and the PM POSHAN Scheme should be further strengthened to combat anaemia, stunting, wasting, and underweight prevalence.

Dynamic Beneficiary Identification

The identification of beneficiaries should move beyond the 2011 Census and be updated regularly using current socio-economic databases, ensuring that the Public Distribution System remains responsive to changing economic realities and reaches those most in need.

Conclusion

The SOFI 2026 Report indicates that India has made significant progress in improving food affordability and reducing poverty, supported by the NFSA and the Public Distribution System. However, the persistence of malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and hidden hunger demonstrates that food security must evolve into nutrition security. A more targeted, nutrition-sensitive, and data-driven food security framework will be essential to improve health outcomes while ensuring the long-term fiscal sustainability of India's welfare system.