Poor levels of awareness on protein requirement seem to have left most of the people in the urban areas of the South deficient in proteins, which are considered as buildings of the body.
Surprisingly, the awareness of the daily requirement of protein among consumers in various cities is seen to differ sharply. Awareness is highest in Hyderabad at 68 per cent, followed by Chennai (25 per cent) and Bengaluru (5 per cent).
About 68 per cent of the people are unaware of basic daily protein requirement. About 92 per cent of them sincerely believed that their protein requirement is fulfilled by consuming dairy products.
The survey titled, South India Protein Gap, was conducted by Godrej Agrovet and Creamline Dairy Products busts myths around consumption of milk. Commissioned by the dairy firms, the survey was done by Karvy Insights, a market research firm. It covered 312 consumers in Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad or 92 households that maintained a record of the food intake.
The per capita consumption in the South is put at 330 ml as against a healthy intake of 400 ml.
Talking on the highlights of the survey, Raj Kanwar, Chief Executive Officer of Creamline Dairy Products, said, “While 80 per cent of consumers surveyed in this report were aware of the importance of protein in their daily diet, 68 per cent were unaware of the daily protein requirement,” he said.
“The study indicates milk is considered a complete protein source by 75 per cent of the respondents but, but only 32 per cent of the adults consume it,” he said.
He said the survey would help in understanding the predicament of not just consumers but the entire ecosystem and making the South sufficient in protein intake.
“Protein is a key nutrient for both growth and immunity. The deficiency of protein, indicate either lack of body protein or deficiency of one or more essential amino acids,” nutritionist and dietician Dharini Krishnan said.
“It can lead to retarded growth and development, fatigue, nutritional oedema, and might even be fatal in cases of acute deficiency. There are a lot of misconceptions associated with milk which need to be debunked,” she felt.
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