Since India is a poor country, majority of the population live below the poverty line and they don’t get proper food to eat. Generally a large population depends on unbalanced diet having the following deficiencies:
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1. Mostly the diet is composed of carbohydrates (about 90%) and contains very less amount of proteins especially derived from animal origin.
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2. There is less amounts of fats, especially animal fat.
3. There is inadequate supply of inorganic materials.
4. There is lack of vitamin A, D and B complex.
5. There is lack of variety and ignorance in proper cooking.
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Deficiency of food factors in the diet is the major cause of many diseases like exophthalmia, beri-beri, rickets, scurvy, endemic goitre, pallegra etc.
From the above deficiencies in diet it is clear that ignorance about balanced diet is the main problem rather than the shortage of food. The people suffer from malnutrition due to protein iron and vitamin deficiencies in diet which can be easily overcome by making best use of locally available food stuffs and thus help the people suffering from malnutrition. The groundnut, soya bean or black gram flour are quite rich in proteins which can be mixed in 1: 4 ratio with wheat flour forming what is called fortified flour.
The government is supplying such flour rich in protein and vitamins at low cost to the poor people. To meet vitamin and iron deficiencies the use of locally grown leafy vegetables should be encouraged.
The agencies like WHO, UNICEF and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) are mainly working to eradicate malnutrition among poor people. Mid-day meals are given to school children free of cost. Vitamins and hamates are supplied free of cost to the needy persons by the government and above mentioned agencies.