The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) has set a comprehensive group standard for millets, effective as of September 1st, 2023. Millets are a group of small-grained cereal food crops known for their tolerance to extreme weather conditions and low requirement for fertilizers and pesticides. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has specified a comprehensive group standard for millets, due to come into force on 1st September 2023. Indigenous to India, millets provide nutrients that are necessary for healthy human functioning and are gluten-free; low in Glycemic Index (GI); and rich in dietary fibre and micronutrients. Consumption of these ‘Nutri Cereals’ should be an integral part of the daily diet.
FSSAI guidance provides further information regarding their nutritional composition and benefits. In April 2018, it was declared the National Year of Millets to raise awareness and promote production & consumption. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYOM) in March 2021. As part of this initiative, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has framed a comprehensive group standard for 15 types of millets which specifies 8 quality parameters to ensure availability of good quality millets for domestic and global markets. These millets include Amaranthus, Barnyard Millet, Brown top, Buckwheat, Crab finger, Finger Millet, Fonio, Foxtail Millet, Job’s tears, Kodo Millet, Little Millet Pearl Millet, Proso Millet, Sorghum Teff and Lovegrass.
Dr T C Chaudhuri says
Good to see in paper and hear in news. I have attended a few exhibition and display of millets in Calcutta and inquired in N E my home area.
During my childhood in village in N E we used to get little coun small seeds for payesh making at home from Bangladesh. Now all are in dream. No small grains are produced or available in West Bengal and NE India.
Production and availability must be enhanced instead of paper propaganda