There are a number of assumptions required to estimate actual calories consumed from expenditure data regarding calories contained in processed foods and meals eaten outside the household. Ideally, estimates of calorie consumption and the assessment of food security would be similar under a wide variety of assumptions, and the range of estimates would be quite small. However, this paper, which estimates the calories consumed per Indian household using the 61st round of the National Sample Survey, finds that the assessment of food security varies significantly under slightly different assumptions. Given the significant amount of measurement error in estimates of calories consumed, it is important to analyse not only household consumption surveys, but also aggregate food availability studies and health surveys collecting anthropometric measures that accompany undernourishment, such as stunting.
