Two-day ‘Eat Right Millet Mela’ kicks off in Lucknow, visitors enjoy healthy snacks

Reputed companies selling millet-based cookies, muffins, laddoos, biscuits, and other snacks set up stalls at the food festival

LUCKNOW The ‘Eat Right Millet Mela’, organised to observe the International Year of Millets, was inaugurated by Dayashankar Mishra, minister of the food safety and drug administration department, at the Chatori Gali on Tuesday. The district magistrate and other dignitaries also attended the inauguration ceremony.

Over 50 stalls sold millet-based dry foods, sweets, snacks, fresh pressed juices, and repurposed cooking oil. (HT Photo)

The inauguration of the food festival was preceded by a walkathon that was flagged off at 7 am. The walkathon witnessed the participation of around 5,000 people. Later in the day, reputed companies selling millet-based cookies, muffins, laddoos, biscuits, and other snacks set up stalls at the food festival. Over 50 stalls sold millet-based dry foods, sweets, snacks, fresh pressed juices, and repurposed cooking oil.

There was also a stage display where representatives of the state food analysis laboratory spoke to the audience about how to differentiate fake and adulterated, carcinogenic spices and condiments from the unadulterated kind. There was also a live bati-chokha station where the dish was being made out of flour ground from bajra and jowar. “The turnout has not been as per our expectation. We have had less than 20 customers so far,” said KP Singh of ‘Deshi Ragi’, who was manning the bati-chokha station.

A cultural program was also organised on the first day of the ‘Eat Right Millet Mela’ with dance performances, devotional songs, and poetry recitals for the visitors. The second day promises fitness activities like aerobics and zumba, a street play by students of Lucknow University, poster and rangoli making, quizzes, and many new stalls for the visitors.