J.D. Birla Institute's Department of Food Science and Nutrition Management observed World Health Day on April 6 on the college campus and organised a number of events to inform the students about the nutritional advantages of millets.
The United Nations designated 2023 as the “International Year of Millets” at the government of India’s request in an effort to raise awareness and boost global millet production and consumption.
To raise awareness, college students created millet-based ladoos and biscuits and distributed them at several Kolkata Metro and railway stations
Event held a conference on millets
At the seminar, a book of papers with an ISBN was published, summarising the research and review work done by the students.
To raise awareness, college students created millet-based ladoos and biscuits and distributed them at several Kolkata Metro and railway stations. A stall was also set up at the college for the sale of these products. Students created a cartoon-based booklet to spread the word about millets among young children and distributed it to different schools in Kolkata.
To show the public what each millet variety looks like, a kiosk was constructed out of an old, repurposed spectacle display cabinet, which featured all eleven varieties of millet grown in India along with their nutritional properties. Lastly, a poster competition amongst colleges that highlighted the advantages of millets was included in the festivities.
A poster competition amongst colleges that highlighted the advantages of millets was included in the festivities
Over 100 students from eight colleges offering courses on Food & Nutrition participated and they were Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (Shibpur), University of Calcutta, Haldia Institute of Health Sciences, Panihati Mahavidyalaya (Sodepur), Bankura Sammilani College, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Sister Nivedita University and Swami Vivekananda University, (Barasat) participated.
The seminar was conducted with support from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and in association with the Department of Food Technology and Biochemical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. It was sponsored by Freshware, Efficient Hardware and Tools Company, Tarchen Pvt. Ltd and Impulsifo.