Page 2 - Food Processing

Govt aims to boost use of AI in food processing to improve efficiency

India plans to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the food processing sector to improve efficiency, enhance farmers' incomes and reduce the environmental impact, officials said on Wednesday. At a conference organised by NIFTEM (National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management) on using frontier technologies in the sector, senior bureaucrats and government advisors stressed the need for a roadmap to deploy AI tools, which are still at a nascent stage in the country's massive food processing industry. "As an industry, we need to create a roadmap. The MEITY secretary has come on board. I am sure he is going to be a big support in this endeavour," Food Processing Secretary Anita Praveen said, referring to the secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY). MEITY Secretary S Krishnan pitched for wider adoption of AI, saying some work was already happening in agriculture but the food processing sector was still in the ..

Infant food formulated globally, stereotype charges unfortunate: Nestle

Nestle India Chairman & Managing Director Suresh Narayanan on Monday asserted that the company's infant food formulation for children below 18 months is done on a global basis and the allegation that "it is racially stereotyped is unfortunate" and untrue. Addressing reporters here, he said the amount of sugar content in infant foods is determined by the capability to meet the nutrition profile of a particular age group and that is universal. Nestle India's added sugar content in Cerelac is much lower than the upper limit prescribed by FSSAI, he added. "There is nothing in this product that makes it a product that is potentially of any risk or any kind of harm to the child," he said. As far as Nestle is concerned, he said a majority of sugars present in the product are natural sugars. As per the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the permissible level of added sugar is 13.6 grams per 100 grams of feed. "Nestle is 7.1 grams, which is well below the standards and

Govt orders weekly wheat stocks reporting from April 1 to prevent hoarding

The stock holding limit on wheat is also set to expire on March 31, 2024 after which traders have to give details of their inventories on a regular basis

Kiren Rijiju takes additional charge of food processing industries ministry

Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday took additional charge as the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries. Earlier in the day, President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Union Food Processing Industries Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras. After this, Rijiju was given the additional charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. In a post on social media platform 'X', Rijiju thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for assigning him the additional responsibility of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. "While we are in the midst of seeking people's blessings for Modi ji to serve the people of India, we will not waste a single moment to make India 3rd biggest economy of the world in Modi ji's 3rd term and to fulfill his ultimate target to make India a fully developed nation by 2047 #ViksitBharat," he said. In another post on X, Rijiju said, "I have formally assumed the office as Minister of Food Processing Industries. Had meeting with Secretary and

Largest Australian delegation attending India food industry fair: Official

Australian food brands seek a market of 25-30 million people in India's Tier-I and Tier-II cities, he says

Govt mulls tweaking PLI schemes in textile, food processing, pharma: Report

The government is considering tweaking production linked incentive (PLI) schemes for certain sectors including textiles, food processing, and pharmaceuticals, a senior official said on Tuesday. The official said that a Cabinet note is finalised to seek approval for the changes from the top authorities. The changes would help these sectors attract more players. The scheme was announced in 2021 for 14 sectors, including telecommunication, white goods, textiles, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles, speciality steel, food products, high-efficiency solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell battery, drones and pharma with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore. While certain sectors like electronics are doing well, others are not performing up to the mark. The government has disbursed Rs 4,415 crore under PLI schemes for eight sectors, including electronics and pharma, till October this fiscal. A total of Rs 1,515 crore was disbursed in FY24 till October, while it was Rs 2,900 crore

Do not to use newspapers for food packaging: FSSAI to food vendors

Food regulator FSSAI has asked food vendors and consumers to immediately stop using newspapers for packing, serving and storage of food items citing significant health risks. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is closely working with state food authorities to monitor and enforce regulations in this regard. FSSAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) G Kamala Vardhana Rao has "strongly urged consumers and food vendors across the country to immediately stop using newspapers for packing, serving and storing food items." He expressed concern over the use of newspapers for wrapping or packaging food and also pointed out significant health risks associated with this practice. "The ink used in newspapers contains various bioactive materials with known negative health effects, which can contaminate food and lead to health issues when ingested," FSSAI cautioned on Wednesday. Additionally, printing inks may contain chemicals, including lead and heavy metals, that can leach into th

AP, SBI ink deal to upgrade, establish 7,500 micro food processing units

The Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society (APFPS) and the State Bank of India (SBI) have entered into an agreement on Tuesday to upgrade and support the establishment of at least 7,500 micro food processing units in the state. This agreement will be executed in the ongoing 2023-24 fiscal under the Prime Minister Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme. This partnership with a financial powerhouse like SBI will provide a significant boost to micro food processing enterprises in the state, said APFPS Chief Executive Sridhar Reddy in a press release, adding that maximum number of units will be covered. As part of this deal, SBI will offer collateral-free loans of up to Rs 10 lakh to eligible beneficiaries, following the guidelines of the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) under the Agri Infrastructure Fund. SBI has already sanctioned over 500 loans under the PMFME scheme in the previous fiscal, emerging as a major lending ..

Food Processing Ministry seeks suggestions for 'World Food India' event

The Food Processing Industries Ministry on Thursday said it has sought suggestions from other ministries and departments for the second edition 'World Food India 2023' to be held during the first week of November. The first edition of the 'World Food India' was launched in 2017 with the objective of introducing the world to rich Indian food culture as well as promoting investments in the diverse food processing sector of the country. The second edition aims to celebrate 2023 as the International Year of Millets and to bring the global food processing industry together. An inter-ministerial committee meeting, chaired by Anita Praveen, recently discussed the government's preparedness so far for this event, an official statement said. "All central ministries and departments were requested to share suggestions on the planned sessions of World Food India and participate in the event activities as well as support the ministry in awareness creation," it said. Further, the Investment ...

Govt pays PLI incentives worth Rs 2,874 crore towards 8 sectors in FY23

Empowered group of secretaries, Aayog review some sectors to bring them to 'acceptable levels'

Food processing industry invests Rs 4,900 cr under PLI scheme so far: Govt

The government on Thursday said the food processing industry has made an investment of Rs 4,900 crore under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme so far. The PLI scheme for the food processing industry, with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore, was approved on March 2021. It is to be implemented for a period of seven years till 2026-27. "Under the PLI scheme for food processing industry, a total of 182 applications have been approved under different categories," an official statement said. This includes 30 applications (8 large entities and 22 SMEs) under the PLI scheme for millets-based products, it said. "As per the data being reported by the PLI scheme beneficiaries, investment of about Rs 4900 crores has been made under the scheme," the statement said. Incentives amounting to Rs 800 crore are likely to be disbursed in the current financial year. Sales-based incentive of Rs 107.3 crore has been disbursed so far, it added. According to the food ministry, stakeholder consultatio

Food processing sector critical for economy, job creation: Niti Aayog CEO

Niti Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer on Friday said the food processing sector is critical for the Indian economy as well as job creation and stressed on ramping up production and exports of processed items. Addressing a CII seminar here, Iyer said there is a need to encourage the MSME sector to enter the food processing sector, which he described as a very important sector for the health of the economy and people. He underlined that food processing can boost farmers income and also help in achieving nutritional goals. Iyer said there is a need to augment primary processing at farm level. Stating that food security has become important in the current global context, he said the government has taken a number of steps in this regard. The Niti Aayog CEO highlighted that there has been a steady growth in agriculture. On the food processing front also, Iyer said a number of initiatives have been taken by the government, including the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. "This is a v

Govt refuses to pay excess Kisan Rail subsidy, Rlys 'writes off' Rs 71 cr

The Railways had to write off Rs 71.86 crore it spent as excess subsidy on Kisan Rail Services last fiscal, after the Ministry of Food Processing Industries refused to bear the additional cost citing a Rs 50-crore ceiling for the initiative, documents show. According to official data, the Railways spent Rs 121.86 crore as subsidy under the scheme which is more than double the amount of Rs 50 crore sanctioned in 2021-22 by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) for the pro-farmer initiative. The national transporter was forced to "write off" the excess expenditure of Rs 71.86 crore after the MoFPI -- the nodal ministry for implementing the 'Operation Greens - TOP to total' scheme under which Kisan Rails operate -- deciding not to reimburse the outstanding amount. Under the scheme, a 50 per cent subsidy is offered directly to farmers and traders on railway transportation charges for fruits and vegetables. A ceiling of Rs 50 crore was set by the MoFPI as subsidy for the las

B2B food processing start-up Suite42 raises $4.3 mn in seed funding

Suite42 says its technology helps clients to make fair price discovery, reduce processing cost

Best of BS Opinion: Beyond $400 billion, food processing potential & more

Here are the best of BS Opinion pieces of the day

Food processing potential

Higher scale will have multiple benefits

PMKSY scheme extended till FY'26 with Rs 4,600 crore outlay

The food processing ministry on Monday said its flagship scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)' has been extended till March 2026 with an allocation of Rs 4,600 crore.

Food processing minister launches 6 brands under One District-One Product

These six brands are out of 10 that the ministry has signed up with cooperative NAFED for branding and marketing of ODOPs

Despite sluggish domestic demand, PLI builds FMCG appetite for expansion

Amul has accelerated its expansion plans in ice creams and other ready-to-eat products

PLI for food processing: Parle Products expects 20-25% growth in exports

Biscuits major Parle Products expects 20-25 per cent growth in exports on the back of the govt's PLI scheme in the food processing sector, for which it has received approval