India's First Plant Based Foods Summit.

 Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) to Organize India’s 1st Plant Based Foods Summit on 26th May 2022 in New Delhi 

May, 13,2022, New Delhi: Announced by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries Government of India (MOFPI) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) is set to organize the 1^st Plant Based Foods Summit. The event, which is slated for Thursday, May 26^th, 2022, will be organized at Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi, in the presence of Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of Food Processing Industries.

This is a unique event in many ways - i) inviting food scientists to collaborate with young startups, ii) cooperation with the Plant Based Foods Association of the USA, with their CEO Ms. Rachel Dreskin and Chairperson of the Board Ms. Nicole Sopko also participating the summit and iii) plant-based foods startups coming forward to communicate through their product tastings. 

The aim of this summit is to offer strategic opportunities to the players in the plant-based foods industry and facilitate a platform for networking that elicits conversations surrounding the market size, emerging technologies, existing concerns facing the industry, and contributions leaders in powerful positions can make. The summit is also likely to facilitate the tasting of plant-based foods products during the conference time as well as in the afternoon Business-to-Business Meetings.

Keeping in mind the response rate, the upcoming event anticipates the attendance of 100+ scientists and 100+ entrepreneurs that would observe, as well as participate, in the summit to share their insights on the industry position. Other than that, the event is also expected to have a report launch on “The Dawn of a Plant-based Age: India to Lead the Way to World Food Security and Nutrition”, which will be unveiled by the Honorable Minister. Reportedly, the paper covers different aspects of the plant-based foods industry; namely The Global Plant-based Industry, Current Plant-based Foods Industry and Market Trends in India, Plant-based Foods as a Strategic Opportunity for India, and Recommendations for the Government of India and other stakeholders to support the plant-based foods sector.

Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director, PBFIA, said, “The Indian diet is carb-heavy, which means our protein intake is drastically low. However, our country has immense geographical and agricultural capacity to produce plant-based protein. The Plant Based Foods Industry Association's goal is to meet India's protein requirements by creating a reliable system for plant-based foods businesses. The association will help build and support such initiatives with expert support, infrastructure, and guidance from food scientists. PBFIA is an initiative that ushers the next era of health, sustainability and prosperity for farmers and plant-based food businesses.

Mr. Sethi added, to this end, PBFIA is hosting the 1st Plant Based Foods Summit on the 26th of May, 2022 New Delhi. The summit is a unique platform that aims to bring together the entire plant-based foods industry and key stakeholders viz. government functionaries, scientific community, related food industry, institutes and NGOs”. 

A separate round of discussion on the Policy Side of Government, Quality Policy of Products, and Supply Chain and Logistics are also scheduled to take place during the event. Some of the major points in focus are the inclusion of plant-based components in MoFPI programs, support from ministries, reclassification of plant-based foods as perishable items, extending assistance with research and development, a collaboration between research institutions, prioritization of infrastructure development, establishment of multiple “centers of excellence”, and striking direct contact with distributors for setting up more plant-based foods businesses.

The keynote speakers for the day-long summit include Mrs. Anita Praveen, Secretary MoFPI; Dr. Sudhanshu, Secretary APEDA; Mr. V.K. Vidyarthi, General Manager APEDA; Ms. Rachel Dreskin, CEO Plant-Based Foods Association, USA; Mr. Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director PBFIA; Dr. Anandharamakrishnan, Former Director NIFTEM-T; Ms. Jyoti Vij, Dy Secretary General FICCI; Mr. Varun Deshpande, Managing Director GFI India; Mr. Abhishek Sinha, Co-Founder & CEO GoodDot and Mr. Sunil K. Marwah, CEO FICSI.

About Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA): 

Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) is a CEO-led body formed to support and help develop India's nascent plant-based food ecosystem. Headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, PBFIA aims to: 

·        Create a network connecting organizations, food handlers, start-ups, investors, and consumers 

·        Help businesses in this sector grow through networking, collaboration, and disseminating technical and market information and research

·        Highlight and promote the benefits of the plant-based industry to improve health, food security, fair practices, and meet sustainable development goals

·        Secure a plant-forward future for its members in times of conflict

·        Partner with organizations and other industry bodies with a similar philosophy and vision on the principles of cooperation and collaboration 

·        Advocate policy changes to check trade barriers or unfair practices which act as roadblocks to the growth of the industry