Sudhanshu Pandey, Secretary of Food and Public Distribution for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India launched NAFED Fortified Rice Bran Oil on June 15. This Rice bran oil will be marketed by NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd), India’s apex Agri-marketing Organisation which has been serving the country since 1958.

On the occasion, Sudhanshu stated that this initiative by NAFED will reduce the country’s consumption dependence on imported edible oil in the future. He also said that this will provide opportunities for Indian edible oil manufacturers while giving an impetus to the Aatmnirbhar Bharat initiative.

Guest of Honour, Arun Singhal, Chief Executive Officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) highlighted the benefits of rice bran oil stating it is one of the healthiest cooking oils and has numerous benefits like being rich in antioxidants and having anti-cancerous, anti-ageing properties.

Atish Chandra, Chairman & Managing Director of Food Corporation of India (FCI) also graced the e-launch and outlined the various health and lifestyle benefits of rice bran oil and the importance of standardisation of this product in the industry. Recently an MoU has been signed between NAFED and FCI for the production and marketing of fortified rice kernel.

Regarding this initiative, Sanjeev Kumar Chaddha, Managing Director of NAFED, said, “We aim to support consumers by providing immunity boosting products in the backdrop of the pandemic by introducing products aimed at promoting healthy food habits.” He also mentioned that this initiative will provide easy access to NAFED branded high-quality rice bran oil, which will boost the indigenous oil manufacturing industry.

Pankaj Kumar Prasad, NAFED’s Additional Managing Director, concluded the event by highlighting that such initiatives will broaden the organisation’s consumer marketing segment by offering daily essential healthy products at affordable price.

Rice bran oil from NAFED will be fortified and will contain additional nutrients and vitamins. According to the FSSAI, fortified oil can help a person fulfil 25-30 per cent of the recommended dietary intake for vitamins A and D.  NAFED Fortified Rice Bran Oil will be available at all NAFED Stores and also on various online platforms and is recommended by the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the best substitutes for other edible oils..