Swaminathan Balasubramanian
New Delhi: The recent International Chefs’ Conference 2019, one of the flagship events of the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA), the apex body of culinary professionals in India was an eye-opener for the participants. Some of the key topics discussed during the event varied from ancient Indian food practices, ways cooking right, avoiding food wastage, compliance norms, creating awareness among the eaters on the importance of quality eating and more. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, along with Secretary Tourism of India, Yogendra Tripathi IAS, CEO of FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) Pawan K Agarwal inaugurated the event.
Titled as ‘Eat Right. Power a Healthy Planet,’ which is a step towards sharing the idea that every one of us can act with respect, which is closely associated with our culture and heritage. Being proud Indian Chefs, the organizers felt health means a lot to many people. “From the beginning of time, the core of Hospitality has been ‘Culinary’, from the first scoop of rice, ladled out to a weary traveler to the high-end delicacies served up at high-end restaurants today. Consequently, we believe that our indigenous knowledge will lead to a sustainable future.” The conference had made justice and inspired chefs on how contemporary techniques and themes can empower Indian and International Cuisine.
Eat Right Movement
To improve public health in India and combat negative nutritional trends to fight lifestyle diseases, FSSAI launched ‘The Eat Right Movement’. IFCA, being active members of all government associated initiatives themed the 8th ICC keeping this in mind. “The strength of the ‘The Eat Right Movement’ lies in its holistic and collaborative approach, with stakeholders on both the demand and supply-side joining to make a difference through some clearly identified steps. On the demand side, the Eat Right Movement focuses on empowering citizens to make the right food choices. IFCA believes each individual should have the necessary required diet for a healthy living which will, in turn, nurture our country.”, added a press release from the association.
Transfat Free India
Union Minister Harsh Vardhan launched the ‘transfat-free’ logo on the sidelines of the event, which can be voluntarily used by food business operators in their outlets and also on food products. The FSSAI said it is committed to reducing the industrially-produced trans-fatty acids to less than 2 percent by the year 2022 in a phased manner and geared up to get freedom from trans fats. The Minister also released a slogan ‘Chefs 4 Trans Fat-Free’, under which more than 1,000 chefs from different parts of the country took a pledge to use trans fat-free oils/fats in their recipes and work towards its elimination from diets of Indian populace at large.
Young Chef Forum
Another highlight of the event was the presence of the ‘Chef community’ of tomorrow. Students from more than 50 educational institutions were invited for the event which gave them an opportunity to meet-and-greet with the chefs across the globe.
Outstanding International speakers from various countries such as the USA, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UK, Dubai, Japan and host of other countries were hosted exclusively to deliberate on a wide range of topics from wine tasting to food, hygiene and much more. The conference witnessed above 800 delegates, nationwide and global, who got an exclusive opportunity to connect one on one with top chefs, restaurateurs, food writers, wine producers, photographers, food stylists, marketers, nutritionists, and academics, technocrats from hospitality, tourism, and media at the most awaited biennial event of the culinary world.
Testimonials:
Vimal Dhar: I personally enjoyed the event which was rightly organized. I want to place my view that concepts like artificial intelligence might be a game-changer. However, the skill of chefs can never be replaced. Another aspect I liked was the discussion around transfat. Hailing from a smaller city like Udaipur, I am sure such thoughts and ideas should go beyond metros.
Ravishankar Mishra: As someone from the educational institution, I felt the event was well-organized. The speakers were on the points the content on which the event was curated to commendable. What I really liked about the event was the entire event was designed in a way it meets the needs of both the young chefs and experienced chefs. I personally feel this as a wonderful opportunity for more chefs to join in the coming days.
Palvinder Bali: I liked the way the Chefs who spoke on the career opportunities and how he had climbed the ladder.
Another interesting aspect was the live-demo by the trainers. I also take this opportunity to congratulate the organizers for organizing the event in such a wonder manner.
