According to a survey, Tamil Nadu's non-vegetarian intake is ranked second highest in South India

In 2022–2023, non-vegetarian food products accounted for 12.3% of the total food spending in Tamil Nadu's urban sector.

The urban population of Kerala spent 19.8% of their food budget on meat, fish, and eggs.

Tamil Nadu's cities came in second place among the five southern states in 2022–2023 for the consumption of non-vegetarian food, including as eggs, fish, and meat, according to a poll issued on June 7 by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation. Kerala came in first place.

As to the "Household Consumption Expenditure: 2022-23" study, the state of Kerala had the highest consumption levels of meat, fish, and eggs in both rural and urban sectors. While Kerala's urban population spent 19.8% of their food budget on non-vegetarian goods, Tamil Nadu's urban sector spent 12.3% of its total food spending on these items. By contrast, in 2022–2023, the urban regions of Andhra Pradesh spent 11.9 percent, the urban population of Karnataka spent 10.5 percent, as well as the urban areas of Telangana spent 11.9 percent of their total food spending on non-vegetarian goods.

Eighteen major states were included in the study, including the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana.

14.8 percent of food expenditures in rural Andhra Pradesh went toward non-vegetarian cuisine. Similarly, in rural Telangana in 2022–2023 eggs, fish, and meat accounted for 15.8% of total food expenditure.