Newsletter
by Edible Issues

#11 — Farm to fork startups, food safety & more.

Hello,

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare tweeted out an image, (now deleted) which appeared like it promoted a plant-based diet. And the Indian internet went berserk.

It wasn’t surprising to see all the rage about “vegetarianism” pour in.

Vegetarianism has always been a political weapon in India, and has said to even influence elections.

While the world has flexitarians, pescatarians etc. India is the land of some unique types including curry-only-vegetarians, eggs-in-cake-only vegetarians, ghar-mein-hi-non-veg vegetarians. It’s not just binary anymore, but more like a complex spectrum.

A vegetarian diet although definitely easy on the planet, mightn’t necessarily be healthy for your body.

Rather than advocating for a no-meat diet, shifting consumers towards a more sustainable diet, would be a good start.

Meanwhile, chew on this week’s issue.

Stay sustainable,
Anusha and Elizabeth

Source: Wikimedia

Gastrotope Partners With Andhra Pradesh Govt To Invest $10 Mn in farm to fork startups
Inc 42

Visakhapatnam is in the midst of becoming a farm to fork hub, thanks to the recent investment from Andhra Pradesh Government and Gastrotrope.

Source: Unsplash

Food safety needs a collaborative approach
Livemint

Cargill’s chairman discusses the need for an innovative food safety and security standards, keeping in mind the quality conscious Indian consumer and the local origin of food.

Source: Pxhere

Making Products With Crop Waste Could Improve India’s Air and Water
City Lab

Bio-lutions is tackling two major environmental issues with one solution: Biodegradable alternative to plastic packaging and utilising crop waste.

SOME MORE NEWS:

  • Businesses are increasingly using health and nutritional claims to sell their products, as regulatory challenges pop up.
  • Forest policies desperately need a revisit in terms of gender inclusion, so women get their due share of recognition.
  • Better food processing might help farmers fetch better prices for the produce and minimize food waste.
  • Protein deficiency is a serious problem in India, so Indians should get protein from any available source.
  • Indigram Labs Foundation wants to incubate ~100 Agri-Entrepreneurs In the next 5 Years.
  • Replicating a viable value chain like milk for fresh fruits and vegetables could be India’s answers to food/crop losses.

Originally published at mailchi.mp.