Awareness drive on Basmati concludes in Hyd

A month-long road show engaging key government officials and food safety officers, KRBL Limited’s India Gate Basmati Rice along with the Eat Right India initiative supported by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) concluded the ‘Basmati Rice No Compromise’ Conclave 2023, in Hyderabad on Thursday. The Conclave, a public interest education and awareness initiative brought together several industry experts.

FSSAI has laid down identity standards for various forms of basmati rice. These standards, as outlined in the Food Safety and Standards First Amendment Regulations, 2023, and notified in the Gazette of India, signify a step forward in promoting the reputation of Indian Basmati rice in the Indian markets.

The first-ever regulation take on the issue of rampant adulteration in basmati rice sold in India and therefore restrict the presence of non-basmati grains to 15 per cent in basmati rice.

Hari Chandana Dasari, Commissioner-Food Safety, FSSAI Telangana said, “Awareness sessions such as the Conclave are the key. I believe the hackathon is a brilliant idea.

If somebody knows some tips on how we can identify adulterated food, it would be a great thing. The Telangana Food Safety department has been making efforts in trying to upscale our testing facilities. Right now we have a very good NABL accredited state food lab and we also do private sampling.”

The concluding event was hosted in the presence of Dr H S Oberoi, Director, National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management; Balunaik Kethavath, Deputy Director, FSSAI, Hyderabad; Ayush Gupta, Business Head - Domestic Market, KRBL Limited and Ashish Mittal, Business Head - Paddy Procurement, KRBL Limited.