Mysuru: A two-day Mega Food Expo as part of the Eighth International Food Convention IFCoN 2018 organised by Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) (AFSTI) in association with CFTRI and DFRL, began this morning at the CFTRI campus, near the North Gate, opposite to Akashavani.

The food expo is open today and tomorrow from 9.30 am to 5 pm and the entry is free.

There are nearly 80 industries exhibiting their products and services from different parts of the country including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. There are special pavilions of CSIR-CFTRI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Food Technological Research Institute), DRDO-DFRL (Defence Research and Development Organisation-Defence Food Research Laboratory) and FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India). There is also a mobile food testing van of FSSAI at the venue.  

The expo from the morning is attracting students and youngsters as they are making a beeline to understand about food industry and the opportunities it provides for them in jobs or to start their own enterprises in the future.

A replica of the Mysore Palace beckons the visitors to the air-conditioned pavilion and inside there is also an Ambari Elephant with the Golden Howdah and the mahout with the Durbar Hall in the background, which is attracting everyone’s attention as they pose before the majestic elephant and take selfies.

There are stalls displaying cooking oils, biscuits, sweets which are diabetic-friendly where the stall in-charge persons are giving samples to taste. There are also model charts for food science students, information on extraction and distillation equipment, herbal processing machinery and on food products with CFTRI technical know-how. A stall on Swasth Bharat Yatra highlights how the yatra has completed 10,000 kms in about 50 days and is expected to conclude in New Delhi on Jan. 26, 2019. The cycle yatra was flagged off on Oct.16 on the occasion of World Food Day simultaneously from Leh, Panjim, Thiruvnanthapuram, Agartala and Ranchi. The cyclists have so far met 2.25 lakh people en route, spreading awareness on safe and healthy foods. This campaign was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated.

The other attractions on the beautifully manicured lawns of the campus include the life-size dolls of Dollu Kunitha and Mahishasura placed in front of Chittaranjan Mahal, the main office of CFTRI.

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