The changing Pakistani diet
Rising food prices in Pakistan are forcing households to cut their consumption of essential items, including milk, meat, wheat, rice and tea, according to a report citing official data. The pressure on household budgets is now changing daily diets, with families buying smaller quantities and replacing expensive products with cheaper alternatives, the report said.
A Pakistani news website, citing Pakistan Bureau of Statistics(PBS) data, reported that household consumption of several essential food items declined over the six years ending 2024-25. Families are consuming less wheat, rice, meat, milk and tea than they did earlier. The trend indicates that inflation is affecting not only household finances but also the quality and quantity of food on people's plates, according to the website.
The change is visible in what households are consuming, according to a report by Pakistan Today, which cited PBS data. Families are making fewer cups of rice, preparing smaller rotis, cooking meat less frequently, and reducing the amount of milk given to children. Tea consumption has also declined.
Food insecurity on the rise
The proportion of households unable to access adequate food rose sharply during the period. In 2018-19, around15.92% of households faced inadequate food availability; the figure increased to24.35% in2024-25, according to data cited in reports. Meanwhile, the share of households experiencing severe food shortages more than doubled from2.37% to5.04% during the same period, according to the reports. That means more than a quarter of Pakistani households now face some degree of hunger and malnutrition, the report by Pakistan Today said.
Food insecurity does not necessarily mean that every affected household is starving or malnourished, according to one report. It signals difficulty in consistently obtaining adequate and nutritious food, it said.
Ghee consumption rises
Unlike other major food items, monthly ghee consumption increased from690 grams to1.25 kilograms, a rise of about81 percent, according to PBS data. The data alone, however, cannot establish that inflation caused this increase, one report noted. Changes in household income, food prices, preferences and substitution patterns must also be considered, it said.
Rural and urban
Food insecurity remains more severe in rural areas, but urban households have not escaped the strain, according to reports. Households across the rural-urban divide are, on average, consuming less food than they did six years ago, Pakistan Today reported.
Affordability rather than availability
The report by Pakistan Today describes Pakistan's food problem as increasingly becoming a question of affordability, with households cutting back on the quantity and variety of food they consume as food insecurity rises across the country. It links the change in consumption to food inflation and the resulting pressure on household budgets.
Pakistan has been a net importer of food since at least 2021, according to the report. The report says that sustained reductions in the quantity and quality of food consumed could affect future generations, potentially contributing to poorer health and nutrition outcomes. It describes the trend as a growing social challenge for Pakistan.
Pakistan's experience highlights a distinction between having food available and being able to afford it, the report says. Even when food is available in markets, households facing high prices and shrinking purchasing power may respond by buying less expensive food, reducing quantities or cutting certain items from their diets altogether, it said. For a country that has historically taken pride in its agricultural base, the rise in food insecurity points to a deeper problem, the report adds: producing food is not enough if a growing share of households cannot afford a sufficiently nutritious diet.