A delegation from the newly-formed Plant-Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) met with Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries. The delegation was led by the association’s Executive Director, Sanjay Sethi, who briefed the minister on the state of the emerging but rapidly expanding plant-based food sector in India.
Remarking that the sector was poised for explosive growth, Sethi sought the minister’s guidance and support to turn it into a major industry catering to both domestic and global markets through policy changes, capacity building, enabling ease of business and other interventions. The global plant-based food market is expected to reach 77.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2025.
The expansion of the plant-based foods industry presents a significant opportunity to address climate change, food insecurity and malnutrition, and public health risks (including pandemics and antimicrobial resistance) while also assisting India in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The PBFIA delegation led by Sethi comprised Varun Deshpande, MD, Good Food Institute India; Kartik Dixit, Founder, Evo Foods, Mumbai; Prateek Ghai, Founder, B Veg Foods, New Delhi; Pradeep Rao, Founder, Evolved Foods, Bengaluru; Amit Bajaj, Founder, Vezley Foods; Palak Mehta, CEO, Vegan First Media, Pune; Gaurav Sharma, Founder, Greenest; Priti Singh, White Cub, Gurugram; Prakarshi Pulkit of Dharmic Foods; Narhari Gupta of Snill Burger, and Satvika Mahajan, Good Food Institute India.
Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, has asked PBFIA to have a special meeting with the Ministry to discuss cold chain logistics and what can be done to smoothen daily parcel operations between major cities for the industry. Patel is keen to have Gaurav Sishodia, AVP, Invest India, who was also present at the meeting, collaborate with PBFIA on its various initiatives.
PBFIA suggested several steps that could be taken by the government, including:
* Creating Centers of Excellence, Accelerators to Support Innovation, and Collaborations with Universities
* Tax breaks for investors and entrepreneurs, as well as a reduction in GST rates
* Infrastructure support (food processing, cold chains, and so on) and other capacity-building initiatives, including a support accelerator
* A joint task force to coordinate the activities of the various government ministries, departments, and agencies involved.
Plant-Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) is a CEO-led body formed to support and help develop the nascent plant-based food ecosystem in India. Headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, PBFIA aims to:
* Establish a network that connects organizations, food handlers, start-ups, investors, and consumers.
*Help businesses in this sector grow through networking, collaboration, and the dissemination of technical and market information and research.
Highlight and promote the benefits of the plant-based industry as a means to improve health, food security, fair practises and meet sustainable development goals.
Plant-forward future for its members in times of conflict.
* Collaborate with organisations and other industry bodies that share a similar philosophy and vision for cooperation and collaboration.
* Advocate policy changes to check trade barriers or unfair practises that act as roadblocks to the growth of the industry.