Third edition of ‘Tasting India’ Symposium commences in Delhi
A Global Food Policy Advocacy Initiative, ‘Tasting India’ has commenced in Delhi from 14th and will conclude on 16th December 2018 in Delhi. ‘Eat Right’ is the the theme of this years’ programme. The event is supported by NITI Aayog, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Incredible India, The Nordics (Nordic Council of Ministers), Nordic Food Policy Lab, SDG2 Advocacy Hub, India International Center, Sweden Foodtech and Basque Culinary Center.
For the first time in the country, one platform will bring together experts from around the world to discuss ways to actualize the United Nations Sustainability Goals using the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India-FSSAI’s Eat Right Movement and the ground-breaking Nordic Solutions Menu as the implementation template to make the 2030 deadline set by the world body a reality — and not just another pipe dream.
With the national food regulator, which has become very proactive under the leadership of its CEO, Mr. Pawan Agarwal, IAS, the Lab will share the innovative policies adopted by Nordic countries to encourage consumers to choose safe food and a healthy diet. The FSSAI will use this opportunity to showcase its Eat Right Movement and what it can teach the world.
Parallel to these deliberations at a policy level, the London-based SDG2 Advocacy Hub, which is supported by the World Food Programme, Save the Children International and MasterCard, will engage with the Young Chefs Association for a Sustainable India to work out an implementation strategy for its global Chefs Manifesto initiative.
The Hub’s activities at the Tasting India Symposium, conducted by its global coordinator, Paul Newnham, will culminate on December 16 with a workshop for young chefs, who’ll gather at the scenic Tijara Organic Farm in Alwar, Rajasthan, to discuss strategies to seamlessly implement the United Nations SDG2, which calls upon nations to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030, in the food and hospitality sectors.
In sync with the Symposium’s overarching concern for sustainable agriculture, safe food and healthy diets, expressed in the Indian Food Manifesto, which it adopted last year, a major highlight of its 2018 programme will be the Eat Right Food Innovation Awards. The Awards will be steered by the FSSAI and recognize both startups and established companies for technology-enabled solutions in four critical categories: Healthy Food Products; Healthy Food Services; Food Testing; and Food Social Enterprise.
The award winners will be selected after two levels of scrutiny by juries comprising eminent people. Startups shortlisted for the awards — three per category — will be invited to attend a boot camp at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) to help them understand the regulatory ecosystem and connect with ‘buddies’ who will help them navigate the business and connect with government departments. Only after they are exposed to the boot camp will they be able to make a pitch to the jury.
The Tasting India Symposium’s objective is to bring all the links of the food chain together and get the diverse stakeholders speaking in a unified voice for the greater good of humanity. With the third season, the Symposium is a step closer to its stated ambition of becoming a global platform committed to finding solutions to the enduring twin problems of hunger and planet-unfriendly agricultural practices.