Assessment of food security status of households belonging to different regions of Himalayan belt

India has not only achieved self-sufficiency in food but also enhanced its capacity to cope with production shocks. The average calorie consumption in India has declined and is low in comparison to the international standards. The hill states in particular confront multiple food insecurity risks due to the dominance of traditional agriculture, low crop yields and lack of market incentives. This study examines the food security status of households in hills and plains of Uttarakhand based on the unit-level data from household consumption expenditure surveys conducted by the National Sample Survey Organization during 2004–05 and 2011–12. The results show that despite a noticeable decline in the share of food in total expenditure it still remains more than 50% for the households at the bottom of income distribution. The head-count index of food insecurity shows a decline in both the plains and hills. However, a considerable difference is observed in the dietary pattern across income groups.