The 31st Indian Convention of Food Scientists and Technologists got off to a start here on Thursday, with food scientists and technologists from across the country participating in the annual event organised by the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists – India (AFST-I) at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM-T), Thanjavur.
The convention was held in association with NIFTEM-T, CSIR-CFTRI (Mysuru), DRDO–DIBT (Mysuru) and CSIR–IITR (Lucknow).
Held on the theme “Innovation in Nutrition, Dietetics, Upcycling and Local Foods on Gastronomic Engineering (INDULGE),” the convention emphasised the need for sustainable food innovations, value addition to agri-food resources, promotion of local and traditional foods, and the application of gastronomic engineering to address contemporary nutritional challenges.
Ashok S. Alur, Vice-Chancellor of Kodagu University, Karnataka, highlighted the current global food production scenario and stressed on the need for prioritising critical issues such as nutrition security, hunger, obesity, and malnutrition.
Aashitosh A. Inamdhar, President of AFST(I), outlined the objectives of the convention and highlighted the organisation’s pivotal role in advancing research, education, and industry collaboration in the food sector. He encouraged delegates to explore the food technology expo and engage with emerging innovations showcased at NIFTEM-T.
Giridhar Parvatam, Director, CSIR–CFTRI; Bhaskar Narayan, Director, CSIR–IITR; C. Anandharamakrishnan, Director, CSIR–NIIST; Nachiket Kotwaliwale, Director, ICAR–CIPHET; R. Kumar, Centre Head, DIBT–DRDO; V. Palanimuthu, Director, NIFTEM-T; and Alka Rao, Advisor, FSSAI, were present.
Published – December 18, 2025 08:13 pm IST
