Hotels in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad to include millet-based dishes in menus

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon hold a meeting with hotel associations in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to raise awareness about millets and include them in their menus

PUNE: With the Government of India promoting the consumption of millets as a ‘miracle food’ low in carbohydrates and rich in proteins and fibre, hotels in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are all set to include millets-based dishes and snacks in their menus.

Millets are small-grained cereals that are highly tolerant to drought and extreme weather conditions and require low chemical inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

Hotels will have a special, dedicated millet counter for millets-based snacks and recipes and will be requested to include food items made of millets in their hampers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon hold a meeting with hotel associations in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad to raise awareness about millets and include them in their menus.

Arjun Bhujbal, joint commissioner of FDA (food), Pune region, said that directions have been issued by the state and a meeting will be called in the next couple of weeks with hotel associations in Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad. “This will not be a compulsion but we will request them to include millets in their food menus. We will also raise awareness about the benefits of millet consumption amongst hoteliers,” Bhujbal said.

Bhujbal further said that hoteliers will be routinely updated with the latest research on millet-based snacks and recipes conducted by the Indian Institute of Millets Research. “Hoteliers will be requested to place standees and posters informing about the health benefits of millets. We will also urge hoteliers to keep millet-based food items and snacks prepared by self-help groups of the Gram Vikas Vibhag at their hotels,” Bhujbal said.

A senior FDA official said, “Due to the nutrients found in millets, increasing their consumption in the daily diet was discussed. This will also boost the production of millets. Some of the hotels and restaurant operators have assured that they will include millet-based dishes and products in their menus.”

Millets are small-grained cereals that are highly tolerant to drought and extreme weather conditions and require low chemical inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides. Most millets are native to India, and they provide most of the nutrients required for the normal functioning of the human body. Due to the abundance of nutrients in millets, they are also known as ‘Nutri Cereals’. Millets contain sizeable amounts of protein, fibre, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Folic acid, Calcium and Phosphorus. Millets contain free glucose for a very short period of time and hence, are suitable for people suffering from Diabetes, officials said.

Welcoming the move, Praful Chandawarkar, head of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Pune Chapter, said, “I am very sensitive to what people should eat and good nutrition comes from eating the right kind of food. The movement of bringing millets and making it a grain to be used in restaurant menus is very essential. We have been using millets in our restaurant. We will support the movement.”

Chandawarkar said that for too many years, we have been eating the wrong kind of grains such as wheat. “For centuries, our DNA was not suited to eating wheat. Rather, we’ve been used to eating Jowar, Bajra, Nachni and Barley but we are not eating it as much as we used to,” he said.