Dynamic definition of middle class:

The definition of the term ‘middle class’ has undergone a constant change through ages. As the economies have changed over time, so has the class of people who could be attributed as the middle class. Their characteristics changed as well and so did their food habits. So, a discussion on whether the middle class differentiates between good and bad food, cannot be a static answer and we can only speak for the present times.

The earlier food habits of the middle class:

• To put things into perspective, let us consider the middle class of the post independence India. The class of professionals then consisted of majorly clerical jobs, small businessmen, school teachers, and such other income groups. Their lifestyle was restricted from the luxuries and abundance and more often than not, the month ends would be times of economic turmoil for them. 
• The food habits thus, were in sync with their financial capabilities. For instance, an Indian family would splurge on sumptuous meals consisting of delicacies during the early days of the month. 
• In such times, the awareness on fitness and health were minimal and people preferred the traditional Indian curry and masala based cuisine. Red meat and fancy fish alternatives were expensive delicacies and made its way into the middle class households only on special occasions.

Change in the middle class and its food choices:

This food habit went through a gradual transition following globalization. This event increased the available food choices for the middle class. The purchasing power of this class also increased with better jobs and better pay. In fact in terms of global purchasing power parity, the Indian middle class started faring much better than before. Globalization also ensured that a wide variety of global cuisine was available easily. You can now grab an American burger, a Chinese meal, and a wholesome Indian delicacy under one food court. With the advent of food delivery alternatives such as Swiggy and Zomato, this food is now only a click away. 

The new food habits:

• Besides the availability of the food, the awareness on the goodness of food has also increased. Now, an individual is not as keen on having red meat as he was 30 years ago because he is now aware about the health hazards that come with it.
• So with time the spicy and oily Indian cuisine has also undergone a healthy change. Alternatives such as Olive Oil and less-spicy dishes have grown in prominence. The middle class is now conscious about what it puts on the plate, more for the goodness of the food than for the economic reason. 
• The middle class of India might not be feeling a tug at the pockets at the end of the month but they have chosen to pick healthier varieties to substitute for their old diet. 

Middle class: the determiner of food habit

One of the prominent sociologists Pierre Bourdieu had conducted some interesting studies on the middle class. He provided an interesting proposition which suggested that the food that was classified to be good by the middle class soon became the good food for the greater society. The other sections of the society simply follow their food habits due to the sheer majority. But for India, even today the lower economic sections of the society focus more about the quantitative goodness of the food. They are less aware of the nutritional value and health hazards associated with various food items and choose to pick the ones that are pocket friendly and filling.

The middle class, however, has learnt to pick good food from bad with the changing times. Today, we see a new middle class, which reads the ingredients columns before buying their groceries and calculates the calories before consuming a meal. This middle class is empowered with the luxury of spending sufficiently on food and has the knowledge of a good meal and can thus differentiate between a good and a bad food source.