The 4th Nutraceutical Summit 2008, India's most leading and authoritative forum of the nutraceutical, functional foods and dietary supplements industry, was inaugurated today by S M Krishna, Governor of Maharashtra, at the World Trade Centre, Mumbai.
The three-day summit is organised by the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and MM Activ Sci Tech Communication Company and supported by leading industry associations like OPPI, IDMA, ADMA, ABLE and HADSA. European Union is the international partner, which has come with a strong delegation of 12 speakers. The delegation will discuss the initiatives and cooperation of EU and India.
Inaugurating the summit, Krishna said there was a glaring disparity in health and wellness between the urban and rural population. While the economically weaker sections did not have enough food to eat, the affluent suffers from anaemia due to lack of basic nutrition. It was the duty of the nutraceutical industry to add value to the traditional Indian food. There was need for fresh research on traditional Indian food to find the nutritional contents and other values. Institutions like the Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, was doing a wonderful job. He said there was enormous scope for value addition to food with scientific knowledge from CFTRI.
Today's consumer, he said, was well aware of the food that they eat and the industry should take up this challenge and improve the quality of food. Awareness about the likely benefits of using alternative medicines, such as nutraceuticals, is also increasing.
The Governor felt the interactions at the summit would bring fresh knowledge to the highly specialised nutraceutical sector, which is growing at a rapid pace.
The Governor declared open the Nu Fundas Expo which has some 50 exhibitors. The leading participants are CSIR, CFTRI, Herbalife, Amway, European Union,
Mission Pharma, Avesthagen, Exim Bank and Nestle Nutrition. Krishna also released a book "Healthcare Tourism: Opportunities for India," based on an EXIM Bank study, at the summit
Addressing the summit, Dr V Prakash, Director, CFTRI, said food, health, wellness were the routes to Lakshmi. For good health, nutritious food was essential. "In fact, we are what we eat. And we are what we digest. Food is fundamental. Even a doctor will tell you to take food first and then the medicine."
He highlighted that both food technology (FT) and nutraceutical technology (NT) are as important as Information Technology (IT). He said global interaction was very important and hoped the summit would provide that valuable synergy. "Nutraceuticals is not just back to nature but also has an element of supplementing the body to make it able and withstand the stresses and strains of everyday life.
Antonio Di Guilio, Director-General, European Commission, Food, Health & Well Being, said the scientific challenges had become more complex. He said food had become a service, and was no more a commodity. The EU team would work together and share the knowledge with the delegates at the summit. "The idea is not to duplicate work but complement work done by the Indian scientists. We'll transfer the new developments and work with you for many years," he added.
Khamatkar, FDA Commissioner, Maharashtra, said health is the right of everybody. For a healthy life quality of food is a must. But the consumers are now frustrated with the type of food available in the market. He said the Food Safety and Standards Act being implemented in phases would take care of the safety aspect of food.