63 pct Indians want to switch from meat based diet to plant based: Poll

As the country grapples with health-related issues such as diabetes, healthier food choices might be the flavour of the season with a poll showing that around 63 per cent Indians (now want) eat plant-based food in place of meat. An Ipsos report 'Food Habits of Indians: Ipsos Study' observed that Indians are making informed choices, experimenting and moving away from norms.

"We know that Indians love their food and would drool for specialities like tandoori chicken, mutton and fish and their various non-vegetarian avatars. But 63 per cent of Indians polled say that are willing to eat a plant-based substitute for meat," the report said on Monday. As per the report, 57 per cent of the people surveyed consumes organic foods.

"57 per cent Indians claim to be consuming organic food. In sharp contrast, the developed world is least likely to eat organic food -- only 12 per cent of Brits and 13 per cent of Japanese, for instance," it said. Ipsos, an independent market research company, carried out the survey between August 24-September 7, 2018 in 29 countries. The sample size for the survey in India was 1,000, it said.

(With inputs from agencies.)