Palampur institute to supply canned food to Fani-hit

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, May 10

For supporting the victims of cyclone Fani in Odisha, the CSIR Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology, Palampur, is in the process of supplying 1 lakh units of ready-to-eat canned food (dal rice aloo mix) and protein bars weighing around 20 tonnes.

The institute is preparing these foods, which would be dispatched to the affected areas by this weekend. "There is a need to prepare nutritious and ready-to-eat food products for such people," Dr Sanjay Kumar, director of the institute, said.

"The institute has technologies for preparing such foods and in such tragic circumstances, it is the duty of national institutes to come forward and support the affected people. Support was extended to the victims during Kerala floods too," he added.

The institute is known for its research in various areas such as agro-technology, bio-technology, natural product chemistry, food & nutraceutical technology and high-altitude biology. It has developed technologies for the commercial production of several ready-to-eat traditional food products and functional foods targeting malnutrition and lifestyle-related disorders such as energy bars, high protein drink mixes, value added tea products and crispy fruits.