'Processed Food Is Not Bad': Union Minister Chirag Paswan

Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan on Wednesday stressed the need to correct the false narrative that processed food is bad for health.

The Food Processing Industries Ministry has set up a committee in this regard, he added.

Addressing a press conference to announce the World Food India event, Mr Paswan said that the level of food processing is still low in the country and there is a huge scope for growth in this sector.

He said this sector can boost farmers' income and also provide huge job opportunities to youth.

Mr Paswan spoke about "misleading advertisements" that brand processed food as "bad".

False narratives are being set that processed food loses nutritional value, he added.

Mr Paswan said there is a growing demand for ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook foods because of nuclear families and working couples.

Food regulator FSSAI ensures the safety of food products, he added.

Mr Paswan announced his ministry will hold the flagship conference 'World Food India 2025' in the national capital during September 25-28 to showcase investment potential in this sector and realise the vision of making the country a global food hub.

This will be the fourth edition of World Food India.

The event will be held on September 25-28 at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital. Industry body FICCI is the national event partner.

He also launched a dedicated website and a mobile app for this upcoming event.

The event will see participation from many countries.

Food Processing Secretary Avinash Joshi said, "Our sector has demonstrated remarkable growth over last decade, now it contributes almost 1/5 of agri product export in the country. Yet we recognise that substantial untapped potential remains." He said the World Food India platform would help in realising this potential.

Mr Joshi noted that the earlier editions were successful, and now the ministry intends to scale it further.

He said the event will bring together a diverse array of participants, food processors, equipment manufacturers, packaging solution providers, logistic firms, technology developers, academia, startups, retail innovators, state and central government bodies and international delegates.

He said one of the major highlights would be the CEOs' round table.

More than 100 CEOs from India and overseas will engage directly with policymakers.

The theme of World Food India will be based on five pillars -- Sustainability and net zero food processing; India as a Global Food Processing Hub; Frontiers in Food Processing, Products and Packaging Technologies; Food for Nutrition, Health, and Wellness; and Livestock & Marine Products - accelerating the Indian rural economy. 

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