National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Kundli is working closely with Global Alliance of Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Nidan, and Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (Jeevika) in Bihar to optimize Take Home Ration (THR) for ICDS beneficiaries in five decentralized production units in three districts namely Bodhgaya, Khagaria, and Muzaffarpur. The collaboration focuses on standardization and upgradation of THR to ensure consistency in terms of sensory attributes, nutritive value, and quality across all units. NIFTEM is also conducting a pre-assessment of the existing machinery of all the units for the production of THR as well as utilizing the same processing lines for producing value-added products for various age groups (ready-to-use supplementary foods) and for commercial purposes.
Dr. Komal Chauhan, Dean, Research and Outreach, NIFTEM, Kundli, and principal investigator of the project along with representatives from GAIN (Mr.Javits Jeyaraj Rajendran, Asia Project Coordinator) and NIDAN (Mr. Rakesh, Mr. Deepak and Ms. Bharti) visited the units in Muzaffarpur and Bodhgaya. Dr. Chauhan also met Mr. Himanshu Sharma, CEO cum State Mission Director of Jeevika, to get the plants operational and facilitate linkages with Women and Child Development, Bihar to facilitate the distribution of THR to all ICDS beneficiaries across all three districts. She emphasized the importance of micronutrient-fortified THR for improving the nutritional status of children, adolescent girls, and pregnant and lactating women. Further to strengthen the setup, the tie-ups or linkages have to be established with Food Corporation India (FCI) for the supply of staples like wheat, and rice to these units at subsidized government rates. The discussion also centered on establishing similar units with the support of GAIN and Nidan to expand THR distribution across Bihar. This will improve access to nutritious THR to vulnerable sections of the society in Bihar, thereby improving their nutritional status. The discussion also involved Linking Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection & Community-based Women’s Enterprise for improved livelihoods in the state. NIFTEM along with GAIN also conducted a meeting with a social protection research partner to strengthen Self-Help Groups (SHGs), encourage sustainable business practices, and support their efforts toward nutritional empowerment
Dr. Chauhan also mentioned that field-level Investigators would be appointed in three districts to conduct a reassessment of these units and a market assessment for consumer acceptability of value-added products. NIFTEM’s partnership and handholding with Jeevika not only create a workforce in large scale food fortification but also enhance their skills besides improving their livelihoods.
Dr. Harinder Oberoi, Director, of NIFTEM, emphasized the importance of integrating advanced food processing technologies and providing continuous guidance to ensure the project’s success. He said that it was important that we facilitate in development of safe, nutritious, palatable, and healthy food products in addition to THR to improve nutritional outcomes and livelihood in Bihar. He further emphasized that NIFTEM students can work as interns and can be placed in JEEVIKA and contribute to this noble cause.