Royal DSM plans to launch 'Nu-Shakti' home fortifier in north India

Dutch firm Royal DSM, plans to introduce its pre-mixed micro-nutrient daily home fortifier 'Nu-Shakti' in north India soon.

Nu-Shakti is a first of its kind product category that is based on home fortification to enhance essential nutrients and vitamins without altering taste, odour or appearance of their daily food.

Currently, Nu-Shakti products -- fortified rice and wheat flour kernels, fortified orange-flavoured beverage mix; and vitamins and mineral mix -- are being sold in Tamil Nadu alone.

"It's been six months since we launched Nu-Shakti. We are still in a pilot stage and present only in Tamil Nadu right now. However, we are evaluating other markets in north India. We will finalise one of the northern states for the launch in a month,' DSM India Business Director Alok Kohli told PTI.

The product was first launched in Tamil Nadu because the severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children under age of five in the state was higher than the national average of 7.5 per cent, as per the National Family Health Survey, Kohli said.

The fortified rice and atta kernels products are available at Rs 5 per sachet at present.

The company has sold around 5,00,000 packs of these products so far and going forward the figures are expected to rise with increased awareness about fortification, he said.

Kohli explained one sachet of fortified rice kernel is sufficient to mix with one kilo of traditional rice. It can be mixed with rice before cooking and store it else can be used while cooking rice. The same is for fortified atta (wheat flour) kernel.

To address malnutrition in the country, the central government is working on a pilot scheme to sell fortified rice to the poor through ration shops at a subsidised rate.

Founded in 1902, DSM Group has annual net sales of about 10 billion euro with approximately 23,000 employees and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam.