The younger generation should be encouraged to include millets in their diet, Health Minister Veena George said on Friday, emphasising the role of millets in tackling lifestyle diseases.
Ms. George was speaking after inaugurating the ‘Eat Right Millet Mela’ organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India - Southern Region (FSSAI) at the CSIR-National Institute of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) at Pappanamcode in the district.
The Minister also announced plans to hold a millet food festival for promoting millets in the State. The United Nations declared 2023 the International Year of Millets acknowledging their importance. While Kerala is ahead in the health sector, lifestyle diseases pose a significant challenge to the State. Millets can play a role in the State’s efforts to tackle them, Ms. George said.
While facilities for medical treatment have increased in the State, the number of patients also have gone up. This underscores the importance of prevention of diseases, she said. The event was organised in collaboration with NIIST and the Food Safety department.
Food Safety Commissioner V. R. Vinod presided. Sheetal Gupta, Joint Director, FSSAI, Kochi, Deputy Director K. N. Dhanya, NIIST Director C. Anandharamakrishnan, Roy Stephen, Dean, Agricultural College, Vellayani, Ward Councillor Soumya and Millet Mission coordinator P. K. Lal were present.
