Food meet in city to focus on nutrition

CFTRI hosts IFCON from today; exhibition of posters, food products up to December 21

Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore is hosting a four-day seventh International Food Convention (IFCON) in the city from December 18.

Announcing this to media at the Institute on Tuesday, Director of CFTRI Ram Rajasekharan said the conference organised in association with Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) and National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Kundli, Haryana, was timely, especially when the issue of malnutrition had emerged as a biggest challenge for the food industry.

Sessions

The conference titled ‘NsuRE Healthy Foods (Nutritional security through sustainable development research and education for healthy foods) comprises 21 sessions with 100 eminent professionals from research institutions, academia and industry expected to share their thoughts during the plenum. As many as 1,000 representatives from 18 countries mainly like USA, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand among others are expected during the conference.

Key issues

The key issues to be covered are food security and sustainability, lipidomics, food security through irradiation, food process and engineering, food regulations, food health and nutrition and food entrepreneurship. 

Apart from the brain storming sessions, it will provide an opportunity for the foodies to savour on various types of food and food products at an exclusive exhibition of 40 stalls planned at the institute.

Awards

Vice-chancellor of University of Mysore K S Rangappa will inaugurate the meet at Kalamandira at 5 pm. Director of NIFTEM Ajit Kumar will present the AFSTI Laljee Godhoo and Young Scientist Awards. President of AAFSIS Navam S Hettiarachchy from UArk, USA will present P P Kurien and Subhash Bhatnagar awards.

 Director of DFRL Harsh V Batra will present best student award and inaugurate the poster session. 

A curtain raiser programme preceding the inaugural session will be held at the same venue at 3 pm.  Director of CFTRI Ram Rajasekharan will speak on ‘Novel foods: A food for thought’, followed by ‘The challenges in assuring food safety and security: A global perspective’ by Immediate past president of IFT John Ruff. Secretary to IT, BT and Science and Technology Srivatsa Krishna will deliver the valedictory address on December 21 at CFTRI main mansion at 4 pm.