Himachal: UHF university forms association to deal with food-related issues

Tribune News Service

Solan, December 10

Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni, has constituted a Functional Food Association of India (FFAI) to address food-related issues. It was formally launched by the Governor of Himachal Pradesh on the occasion of the university’s 11th convocation on December 7.

To help people adopt healthy lifestyle

The easy way-out to address junk food-related issues is to educate people about healthy food choices. The FFAI will be instrumental in that. — Dr KD Sharma, Founding President, FFAI

Functional foods

Functional foods offer health benefits beyond their nutritional value like foods fortified with vitamins, minerals or fiber.

The scientists of the Department of Food Science and Technology of the university initiated the move. The governing body of the association has food scientists from renowned institutions of the country as their office-bearers.

Dr Parvinder Kaushal, Vice-Chancellor of the university and patron of the FFAI, said: “In India, the shift from traditional to modern lifestyle, consumption of a diet rich in fat and calories, combined with a high-level of mental stress, has resulted in increased incidences of lifestyle-related diseases. Scientific evidences regarding the role of food in maintaining good health and preventing diseases, and adverse effects of allopathic medicines and rising health care costs are some of the factors which require education of large population toward functional foods and nutraceuticals.”

The association's founding president, Dr KD Sharma, said: “Japan was the first country to realise the ill effects of junk food and introduced the idea of functional food in 1980, which led to increase in life-span of their population with the delayed onset of chronic diseases. It also saved the government expenditure in setting up huge hospital infrastructure.”

The first conference of the Functional Food Association of India will be held in 2022 at Solan.

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