Non-vegetarian

Non-vegetarian (non-veg) is an Indian English word that is used to refer to food items containing meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, or the flesh of any other animal), and sometimes, eggs. It also refers to a person who eats meat, as opposed to a vegetarian.[1][2][3] The diet, non-vegetarianism[4] is the majority human diet in the world and in India.[5][6] In an Indian context, one blogger criticized the term "non-vegetarian" as a misnomer and a casteist pejorative with origins attributed to the caste system in India.[7]

Demographics

Around 90% of humans worldwide are non-vegetarians, according to a 2018 survey by Ipsos Mori. 74% of the population "Regularly eat both animal and non-animal products", 14% "Only occasionally eat meat or fish", and 3% "Do not eat meat but do eat fish".[5]

India

75% of Indians are not vegetarian, according to the Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2005–06).[8]:56 According to the 2015–16 NFHS survey, the number is 78% for women and 70 for men.[9]:303, 337

BBC India correspondent Soutik Biswas said in April 2018: "New research by US-based anthropologist Balmurli Natrajan and India-based economist Suraj Jacob, points to a heap of evidence that even estimations of 29% vegetarian population are inflated estimations because of "cultural and political pressures". So people under-report eating meat - particularly beef - and over-report eating vegetarian food. Taking all this into account, say the researchers, only about 20% of Indians are actually vegetarian - much lower than common claims and stereotypes suggest".[10] The authors that Biswas referred to measured "cultural and political pressures" with the vote share falling to the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They argued that Indian Muslims and scheduled castes under-reported their beef-eating because reported beef-eating per state was negatively associated with the number of cows per inhabitant.[8]

By gender

Overall, 43% of Indian women and 49% of men consumed fish, chicken or meat weekly, according to the National Family Health Survey, 2015-16.[6]

More men than women eat non-vegetarian food in India; almost three in ten women do not consume eggs (29%) and chicken, fish or meat (30%) compared to two in ten men who do not consume eggs (20%) and chicken, fish or meat (22%).[6]

Among women between 15-45 years of age, 45% have milk and curd, 45% have pulses or beans and 47% have dark green, leafy vegetables daily while 37% eat eggs and 37% eat fish, chicken or meat weekly. Around half (52%) of them have fruits occasionally.[6]

By education, religion, and caste

Education appears to decide the choice of vegetarian/non-vegetarian foods. Those who have studied up to five years eat the highest amount of eggs and meat; men (54% and 58%) and women (48% and 52%).[6]

Among religions, Christians consume eggs and meat the most; men 71.5% and 76% and women 65% and 74%, respectively. This is followed by Muslim men (66.5% and 73%) and women (60% and 67%).[6][9]:340, 339 Hindus, who make up 80% of the Indian population, are major meat-eaters. Even only a third of the privileged, upper-caste Indians are vegetarian.[10]

The highest consumption of eggs and fish, chicken or meat is among those who said they did not know their caste--men (49% and 52%). This holds true for women as well for eggs; for fish, chicken and meat it is highest in ‘other’ caste.[6]

By state

Data on women show that Kerala (93%), Goa (86%) and Assam (80%) have the highest weekly consumers of fish, chicken or meat while Punjab (4%), Rajasthan (6%) and Haryana (8%) rank the lowest.

Figures for men show that Tripura (95%), Kerala (90%) and Goa (88%) are the highest weekly consumers of fish, chicken or meat while Punjab (10%), Rajasthan (10%) and Haryana (13%) are the lowest.[6]

Intensity of meat consumption

Only 32% of Indians "regularly" eat meat, according to a 2018 Ipsos Mori poll.[5]

Controversy

The term non-vegetarian has been criticized by the blogger The Last Caveman as a misnomer and a casteist pejorative with origins attributed to the caste system in India.[7]

According to US-based anthropologist Balmurli Natrajan and India-based economist Suraj Jacob, "The term non-vegetarian is a good case in point [that testifies to the fact that the food of the powerful comes to stand in for the food of the people[10]]. It signals the social power of vegetarian classes, including their power to classify foods, to create a 'food hierarchy' wherein vegetarian food is the default and is having a higher status than meat. Thus it is akin to the term 'non-whites' coined by 'whites' to capture an incredibly diverse population who they colonised."[10]

In India, labeling of packaged food products is mandatory to distinguish between vegetarian (green) products and non-vegetarian (reddish-brown)
  • In India, it is mandatory that packaged food products be marked with Vegetarian and non-vegetarian marks, which are green and reddish-brown symbols.[11][12] The symbol is in effect following the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Act of 2006, and received a mandatory status after the framing of the respective regulations (Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulation) in 2011.[11] According to the Indian law, non-vegetarian food is defined as: "Non-vegetarian food (any food which contains whole or part of any animal including birds, marine animals, eggs, or products of any animal origin as an ingredient, excluding milk or milk products), must have a symbol of a brown color-filled circle inside a square with a brown outline prominently displayed on the package, contrasting against the background on the principal display panel, in close proximity to the name or brand name of the food."[13]
  • In India, most restaurants serving meat publicly and explicitly display the title 'non-vegetarian restaurant' or 'non-vegetarian hotel' (In India, the term hotel may colloquially refer to a restaurant or a hotel). This practice is intended to help strict, orthodox vegetarians who may want to avoid eating in such restaurants due to religious and casteist reasons or due to consciousness of the pain and sufferings that are inflicted on animals.[16][17] In his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi had mentioned an incident regarding his dilemma, as a vegetarian, whether it is appropriate to eat a vegetarian meal in a non-vegetarian restaurant or not.[18]

See also
  • Carnism, the dominant ideology supporting the use and consumption of animals

References
  1. "non-vegetarian". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
  2. Cohesion. Nehru Institute of National Integration. 1970.
  3. Staff, Institute Of Naturopathy; (Bangalore), Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences (2002-12-01). Nutrition And Health: The Vegetarian Way. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 9788120724242.
  4. "Non-vegetarianism affects the whole humanity". The Avenue Mail. 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  5. "An exploration into diets around the world" (PDF). Ipsos. UK. August 2018. pp. 2, 10, 11.
  6. "Most Indians Non Vegetarian; Men More Than Women, South & East Most".
  7. "'Non-vegetarian' is the biggest casteist scam that has ever been pulled on Indians". dailyO. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  8. Natrajan, Balmurli; Jacob, Suraj. "'provincialising' vegetarianism putting Indian food habits in their place". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and ICF (2017). National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16: India (PDF). International Institute for Population Sciences.
  10. "The myth of the Indian vegetarian nation".
  11. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. 'Food Safety and standards (Packaging and Labelling) regulations, 2011.'
  12. Indian Express. 'See brown logo on non-veg biscuits.'
  13. "GAIN Report Number: IN2045 : ndia amends labeling requirements for imported food" (PDF). Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  14. Collingham, Lizzie (2006-02-06). Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199883813.
  15. Mehendale, Āditya (2015). Rare Gems: A Non-vegetarian Gourmet Collection from Maharashtra. Om Books International. ISBN 9789384625214.
  16. Ratheiser, Daniel (2010-12-01). Work in India a Guide by Knowledge Must: A Complete Guide Book for Everybody Who Is Interested Working in India. Knowledge Must. ISBN 9781456354299.
  17. Brien, Charmaine O' (2013-12-15). The Penguin Food Guide to India. Penguin UK. ISBN 9789351185758.
  18. Gandhi, M. K. (2009-01-01). An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth. The Floating Press. ISBN 9781775414056.
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